» Printed Cards and Invitations

At PurpleTrail we are very conscious of the environment.  When we decided to add printed cards to our service offering, we knew we had to do it in an environmentally friendly way.

We offer several paper options and most contain a percentage of post consumer fibre.  All papers used are processed chlorine free.

Standard Paper

Type: 100 lb uncoated white cardstock. It contains at least 10% post consumer fibre.
Finish: Matte, uncoated.
Cost: Included in price of cards.
Standard thickness, no sheen, works well for writing on with pen.

Premium Paper

Type: 111 lb coated white cardstock. It also contains at least 10% post consumer fibre.
Finish: Matte, coated.
Cost: Additional $0.20 per card.
Best quality for special events, thicker, very smooth with a slight sheen.

Linen Paper

Type:  110 lb uncoated warm white cardstock.  It is made from 100% post consumer waste.

Finish: Textured paper.

Cost: Additional $0.25 per card.

It has a clean, crisp feel and is great for flat cards and invitations.

Pearlescent Paper

Type: 105 lb weight cardstock.

Finish: Smooth with a  beautiful, warm shimmer.

Cost: Additional $0.40 per card.

Our pearlescent paper is our most elegant paper choice.

Photo Paper

Type: Our photo paper has a high gloss front with a matte reverse.

Finish: High gloss front with a sturdy, high quality finish exceeding regular photo paper quality.

Cost: Included in cost of card.

Photo paper is only for one-sided flat card prints.

Envelopes

Standard Envelope

Type: 80 lb weight.

Finish: White with a smooth, matte finish.

Cost: Included(Extra envelopes are $0.20 each.)

Standard envelopes are a good economic option.

Linen Envelope

Type: 80 lb weight.

Finish: Soft, warm white textured finish for a slightly more sophisticated feel.

Cost: Additional $0.10 each

Linen envelopes give a more formal presentation for your cards, invitations and announcements.

Many of our paper choices are:

Do you ship internationally?

Yes! We do ship internationally via USPS International Priority Mail, FedEx International Priority and FedEx International Economy.  Please note that not all options are available for all countires.

USPS International Priority Mail is a flat rate of $49.95.  However, note that shipping time and full tracking with USPS International is not guaranteed.

FedEx International Shipping cost is based on the destination.  During the checkout process you will be able to see your shipping options and costs.

Please email us at support@purpletrail.com with any questions about the shipping of an order.

What countries do we ship to?

We ship to just about everywhere!  Please note that not all shipping options are available for all destinations.

Duties and Taxes

Please note that orders shipped internationally may be subject to customs or duties in addition to a Goods and Services Tax.  PurpleTrail is not responsible for these charges; the recipient is responsible for any duties and taxes incurred.  Charges are assessed to the recipient at the time of delivery.

Design Tips For Printed Cards

Designing personalized cards is fun and easy.  Whether you’ve elected to design cards to print at home or have them professionally printed, there are a few things to keep in mind.  We’ve put together some tips to help you create your best card design.

Spacing

When designing a card, make sure you take into account both positive and negative spaces.  Positive space is where information (main point of interest, elements) are.  Negative space is everything else. Generally Positive space (the main focus) is usually smaller than negative space.  Make sure that you create a balance of positive and negative space.  You don’t want your design to look too bare or too crowded.  You can also use the ruler as a guideline for centering items. The ruler is on the top and left side of the design. 

Color

When choosing back ground colors, for all aspects of the card (inside and out) make sure you select complimentary colors or you can stay in a monochromatic color scheme and uses various hues of the same color.  If you are adding embellishments and photos to your design you can change the opacity to make them appear bolder or faded.  Also, make sure your text color is visible on your background color.  You don’t want to put light on light or dark on dark as it won’t be legible. In order to select the same color for all sides of the card in the color picker, once you’ve selected the color you can copy and paste the code to the right of the color.

Embellishments

The use of embellishments can really enhance your design.  Whether is shapes, borders, or images, if placed well, they can create a beautiful design.  Be sure to choose shapes and designs that compliment each other.  Avoid overcrowding your design.  Remember to use a balance of positive and negative space.  You can adjust the size of any of the embellishments.  You can also flip, crop or rotate images.  Play around with it to see what fits best.  You can always remove anything you don’t want to use.

Frames

The use of frames is great for framing images or creating a stylish text box.  You can adjust the size of the frame easily to suit your needs.  It’s best to avoid framing the whole perimeter of your design.  Since there are so many printers with variable settings, there is a chance the frame could get cut off partially or look off center.

Safe Zone

Around each design you can enable the safe zone tool.  The safe zone is represented by the dotted lines around the perimeter or the design.  Use it as a guide when placing your design elements.  Since all printers are just a little different, the safe zone can be used to help ensure nothing gets cut off in the printing process.  

Photos

When selecting a photo to uploaded, it’s important to make sure your photo was taken in the highest resolution supported by your camera. You can always reduce the size and resolution.  In fact, your photo will be easier to edit in photo editing software if you reduce the size.  You can currently upload photos in .jpg, .gif and .png format to the PurpleTrail Design Center.  Here’s a list of suggested minimum requirements for photos.  If you are printing this size, your photos should have at least this resolution:

4×6 size photo           690 x 460 pixels
5×7  size photo           805 x 575 pixels
8×10 size photo           1150 x 920 pixels

 
Make sure you’ve edited your picture to get rid of any red eye or other “imperfections”. Once you have your photo in the design center, you can crop it, change the opacity, flip it, rotate it and put a border around it.  You can also add in effects like changing it to black and white or creating an antique or sepia appearance.   You can add pictures to any part of your folded card.  Photos can be added to the front and back left side on postcards.

Text

When adding text to your printed cards make sure you select a font that is very legible.  When choosing a script like font, you’ll want to increase your font size to make sure you can read it. If you have a very dark background for your design, you’ll want to pick a complimentary lighter color for your text font.  The opposite is true for light background cards, you’ll want dark font to make sure it shows up clearly on your card.  You can easily increase the size of your text box as well as make the text center, right, or left aligned. Make sure you don’t cut off any parts of words by making the text size too large.

Request a Free Sample Pack

See the quality of our cards for yourself!  Order a free Sample Pack today.  If there is a certain style of card you’d like to see (i.e. folded card, flat card or magnet) just specify what you’d like to see in your email request.

Can I order a paper or envelope sample?

You can request a sample of our different paper and envelope options.  See for yourself how our linen or pearlescent paper can make your invitations even more beautiful. There is no charge for a blank paper or envelope sample.

Can I order a sample of my personalized card?

You can!  Simply choose a quantity of “1″ when you place your order.  Price per card or magnet are based on size, style, and paper choice.

To receive a free sample pack, simply send us an email at support@purpletrail.com with the following information:

First name:
Last name:
Mailing address:
City:
State:
Zip code:
Email:
Phone:

We will then send you our sample kit free of charge.  Please note that we do not ship printed card orders outside of the United States.  If you have any questions, please contact us at support@purpletrail.com.

View our detailed return policy here http://www.purpletrail.com/returnpolicy

How do I check the status of my order?

After you have placed your order, you will receive an email with your order details.  You can also check the status of your order within your PurpleTrail account.  To do this, log into your PurpleTrail account and then click on the My Account Tab and select My Order History. 

On the orders history page you will see all your recent purchases and details about them.

How much does shipping cost?

PurpleTrail offers LOW flat shipping rates for all orders – no matter what the size.  We have the following shipping options:

USPS Priority Mail: $7.95  Estimated 2-3 business day delivery time from the postmark date.

FedEx 2 Day and FedEx Next Day.  All FedEx Next day orders are shipped within 48 business hours.

Use our FedEx calculator to calculate your FedEx shipping rate.  Simply enter in your “ship to” zip code to calculate your FedEx shipping cost.  All orders are shipped from Seattle, Washington.

Once your order has shipped, you will receive an email with the tracking number for your package for both USPS and FedEx orders.

What is the processing and shipping time for an order?

Orders are typically processed (reviewed, printed and shipped) within 2-3 business days (Monday-Friday) of the order date.  Orders received on Saturday and Sunday are not started processing until Monday. If there are any questions or problems with your order we will notify you by email or phone.  This may delay the processing of your order until any issues are resolved.

Once your order has been printed, it is mailed via the shipping method you selected. For example, with FexEx next day, you can receive your order within 3 business days of the order date. With USPS priority shipping (our lowest cost option), most orders are typically received within 5-8 days of the order date.

For example: If you place your printed card order within the next:

and you choose USPS priorty shipping you will receive your order between (inclusive):

How much do printed cards cost?

Our card pricing is based on ordering a quantity of 200 cards.  The cost per card goes down when your order quantity increases.  You can order in quantities of 1 and up in multiples of 5 (1, 5, 10, 15 etc.).

If you would like to order a sample of your personalized card, you can.  Simply choose a quantity of 1 in the ordering screen.  The price of single cards is dependent on card size, style and paper choice. A general price range is from $0.88 to $7.00 per card.  Shipping fees will apply.

Please see the Detailed Pricing page for full pricing details.

How big are the printed cards and postcards?

PurpleTrail flat, folded, and postcards currently are available in the following sizes sizes:

• 3.5 x 5
• 4 x 6
• 5 x 7
• 5.5 x 8.5
• 5.25 x 5.25
• All the the cards sizes above can be made into portrait or landscape orientation

We offer Tri-Fold Accordion cards and 8-panel Accordion cards. They currently come in one size:

• 4 x 5.5

We also offer circle cards in one size. They can be one sided or two sided.

• 5.25 circle

Magnets come in 7 sizes:

• 2 x 3.5
• 3.5 x 5
• 4 x 6
• 5 x 7
• 5.5 x 8.5
• 5.25 x 5.25
• 5.25 circle

All cards come with white envelopes of appropriate size.  Please note that the 5.25 x 5.25 square and circle style cards do require more postage for mailing.  Please contact the United States post office for more information on postage requirements.

When you view one of our print card designs you can see what size of card it has been designed for.  The size is listed in the card details.

If you would like a design to be changed to a different card type or size, you can do this by personalizing the card in the PurpleTrail Design Center.   After you open the card for personalization, click to change the Size & Type button.  (Note that sometimes card elements will shift when changing the size of the card.)

In addition to the different card sizes, you can choose from designs that are a Flexible Layout which allows for all elements to be edited; or Fixed Layout designs that are allow you to edit the photos and text only.  You can change Fixed Layout designs into Flexible Layout Designs if you choose.  After you open the card for personalization, click to change the “Switch to Flexible Layout” button in the File and Save tab.