Printing

White ink printing on kraft paper is a unique and beautiful printing technique that involves using a specialised printer and white ink to create a bright and opaque design on brown kraft paper. The process of white ink printing on kraft paper involves several steps: Pre-treatment: The kraft paper is pre-treated with a specialised finish that helps the white ink adhere to the surface of the paper and prevent bleeding...

Plantable seed paper printing is a growing trend in the world of eco-friendly printing. It involves embedding seeds into paper, allowing it to be planted and grown into a plant or herb. By using this technique, businesses can create promotional materials such as business cards, bookmarks, flyers, menus and invitations that are both sustainable and unique. The process of making seed paper involves mixing recycled paper pulp with seeds and then drying it out. The end result is a biodegradable and compostable...

Kraft paper is considered eco-friendly because of the way it is made and its biodegradability. Below are some of the reasons why kraft paper is considered an environmentally friendly option: Unbleached and Chemical-Free: Kraft paper is made from unbleached wood pulp, which means it doesn't contain any harmful chemicals like chlorine or bleach. This reduces the pollution associated with traditional papermaking processes and helps to minimize the environmental impact of producing paper. It’s also w...

Kraft business cards are made from unbleached and uncoated kraft paper, which is a type of paper that is typically brown in color and has a natural and rustic look and feel. Kraft business cards are popular for a number of reasons: Eco-friendly: Kraft paper is made from wood pulp that has not been bleached or treated with harmful chemicals like chlorine or bleach, making it a more environmentally friendly option than traditional paper. This appeals to brands and consumers who are environmentally...

Our recent acquisition of a new small format inkjet printer with high-capacity ink bags enables us to print on a wider scope of papers. Inkjet printers use small nozzles to spray ink droplets directly onto paper and card stock making them ideal for textured papers, which is a common request at our studio. After the inkjet installation, we've enhanced our range of papers with more textured and embossed papers, as well as, wildflower seed paper, grass paper, wheat paper, cartridge paper and a wider...

Our creative print studio has thoroughly tested (and planted! that's our grasshopper greeting card shown above) different printing methods on various seed papers. We are very pleased to announce that we’re now highly proficient at both handling and digitally printing on seed paper that contains UK native wildflower seeds. Our wildflower seed paper is made in the UK and is perfect for eco-friendly business cards, flyers, menus, wedding stationery, swing tags, greeting cards, notebook covers and m...

Our brown kraft business cards are printed on traditional kraft card and can be customised with a huge range of print finishing options. There are very few companies that offer such a wide range of options when it comes to working with brown kraft card stock...

Our studio is equipped with variable data printing which allows us to print your guests’ names on your wedding invitations. Guest names can be printed in full colour or with digital white ink on coloured card stocks such as colorplan, kraft, vanguard, sirio colour and many more. We can also print guest names and addresses on envelopes to go with your wedding invites. If you’re looking for something a bit more special for your big day, we also offer foil stamping on both wedding invitations and env...

Traditional spot UV involves a UV varnish being applied to paper to create a high gloss finish in certain ‘spot’ areas of a design. This process can only be produced on coated papers and is most commonly used on top of either a matt or soft touch laminate finish. This is because the matt finish of the lamination provides even more contrast with the spot UV. Traditional spot UV can’t be used on uncoated papers because it requires a coating to sit on top of. However, an excellent alternative to sp...

Letterheads are printed sheets of paper that contain your company logo and contact information. They can be as simple or as luxurious as you want depending on how you want your brand to be portrayed. You can then overprint your letter using your office printer prior to mailing it out...

Colorplan business cards are business cards that are crafted using GF Smith’s iconic Colorplan paper range. Every fibre of Colorplan paper is dyed a specific colour which means the paper has edges that match the surface colour. There are currently 54 paper colours in the Colorplan range from deeply saturated colours to pastel colours. Most standard business cards are produced with white card and then printed whichever colours you have used in your design. Colorplan business cards are different because you are starting with coloured papers. Starting with a coloured paper immediately gives your business cards a premium look and feel...

Our studio now offers envelope printing with white ink thanks to a dedicated envelope fuser unit. We have a huge range of coloured envelopes available in various sizes including C6, C5, DL and C4. Your designs can be printed on envelopes in opaque white or we can print white underneath full colour designs allowing for full colour printing on coloured envelopes. Running white underneath colour allows us to produce light colours such as yellow and pink on coloured envelopes t...

Foil stamping is a very versatile print finishing option which can be used on various papers from silk or laminated board to kraft, metallic stock and even 100% cotton. A common request from our clients is to combine digital printing and foil stamping on an uncoated card stock. When digitally printing on uncoated stock there is nothing to protect the ink on the surface of the card. After printing, the job is guillotined or die cut which can cause the ink to flake along the edges. It is most prevalent...

One of the most popular coloured paper ranges we offer is Colorplan. Colorplan is GF Smith’s most iconic paper range, with 54 ravishing, deeply saturated colour choices. Whether it’s Colorplan business cards, note cards, greeting cards, letterheads, compliment slips or invitations our professional print artisans have crafted it! Very often, potential clients with acute brand awareness or those who desire the printing on their media to match the stock, query about matching a Colorplan stock color wit...

Until the introduction of white ink, anything white on a printed design was simply the card stock left unprinted. This meant all printing began with white or another light card colour such as ivory, beige, or light grey. Consideration had to be taken when using coloured card because it impacts the way in which ink colours appear once printed. At AHC we offer digital white ink printing which is very affordable even for a short run. We often run samples of jobs on request too. Whether you are looking...

Edge gilding business cards is a specialist process that takes time and care. It is a process that cannot be rushed if you want to achieve good results. Not taking your time during each stage can lead to the foil edges flaking off at the very end, which means starting all over again. The first step is to tightly clamp the stack of business cards between two blocks of wood that are the same size, or slightly smaller than the business cards. We have several 12” g clamps that we use, along with a s...

Gold foil printing is an extremely popular finish for products such as business cards, stationery, invitations, greeting cards and much more. Gold foil can be added to print in two different ways at our print studio. The first is via traditional foil stamping which requires a metal die block, and indents (debosses) the gold foil into the card or paper. The second is by using digital foiling to apply gold foil affects. Digital foiling is the most affordable way of achieving foil effects because no...

If you are looking for a quote for foil stamping, we will need to know the foil size area to provide a cost. You can do this one of two ways. The first is by providing your artwork along with quote request. As long as the artwork is supplied at the final size for foiling, our team will be able to quickly work out the die size and price the job for you. If your artwork is not finalised yet, you can simply provide the height and width dimensions of the foil area, and we can work from those. The easiest...

Are you curious what the fuss is all about when it comes to coloured card stocks? If so, read on to discover our top 8 benefits of using coloured card stocks and why they can take your print media such as business cards, stationery and invitations to the next level. We've covered everything from free spot UV type effects to finding out more about those really cool duotone edges...

Foil stamping is the application of metallic and special effect foils to paper or card. The process involves using an etched metal die (also called a block or plate) manufactured from either magnesium, brass, or copper, which is heated to the required temperature and stamped into the paper or card stock. The foil sits between the die and the card; when the heated die makes contact with the foil the heat actives the adhesive on the back, which along with the force of the stamping, adheres it to the...

Foil stamped card is card stock which has had metallic or special effect foil applied to it using a combination of a heated metal die, and pressure from a foil printing press. The metal die is etched from an artwork file and then loaded into a foil press where it is heated to the required temperature. A roll of the chosen foil colour is then loaded on to the press between the die and the card stock. When the heated die makes contact with the card, the heat activates the adhesive on the back of the...

After receiving a lot of requests for holographic business cards with almost full coverage of holographic foil stamping, which can be expensive to produce, we have added a brand-new holographic card stock to our range. This rainbow iridescent card stock changes colour in the light and has a unique coating on the surface which allows us to print full colour designs...

This is something we get asked a lot. Many of our customers have approached a company for a foiled business cards only to be dissatisfied with the result. When they send us the card for reference it is obvious to us that the supplier has used digital toner foiling but the customer does not know the difference. The technology for digital foiling is continuing to improve year on year however the most popular machines rely on fusing foil with black toner. With the latest technology, some machines can...

Typically, the chosen finish/look of your luxury business card is a combination of personal preference and what fits your brand, as well as, your budget. There are so many options to choose from when it comes to luxury business cards. Finishing options include: Spot UV, foil stamping, textured card, duotone edges, colored cores, thermography, foil edge gilding, die cutting, metallic mirror finish, holographic, cotton finish, die cutting the cards into unique shapes, duplexing stocks for a multi-level...

Compliment slips have multiple benefits and should be a key staple within your business stationery. They are most often attached to something you are sending to a potential or existing customer. This may include an information pack, brochure, samples, or anything else you may wish to send out. Printed compliment slips are also often included as a thank you to your customer for their order. Rather than attaching a note on a scrap of paper, businesses use professional compliment slips that are printed...

Letterheads are used globally daily. Companies use letterheads to relay important information to private individuals, other companies, and legal entities without the need of a phone call or email correspondence. When used correctly, a professional letterhead is also a highly effective marketing tool. Having a pre-printed letterhead is hassle free and saves time when there is a busy office needing to send out important letters quickly and efficiently.

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To write and make a compliment slip is actually very easy if your company already uses Letterheads, then a Compliment Slip is just a smaller addition. Very often, the Compliment slip is used to make a small note and can be as short as a, Thank You, a few sentences or just your signature. To Make a Compliment Slip, you can choose any size, companies typically use a DL- 210mm x 99mm, this is a cost-effective size, because 3 Compliment slips will fit an A4 Sheet and this can be cost effective to produce...

Looking for some inspiration for your own letterhead? If so, check out the top famous company letterheads collection below! We realise that technically not all of them are companies, some are personal letterheads, however the owners are more famous than a lot of companies so they definitely deserve a mention! There are some famous letterheads below that were way ahead of their times such as Marilyn Monroe’s beautifully understated blind embossed letterhead. Check them out and let us know which i...