We might be biased, but laser cut cards are totally better than standard printed cards. It's a hill we will die on, we'll explain why in a minute. But in case you're not sure, here's a very brief introduction to what laser cutting is first, just so that we're all on the same page.
What is Laser Cutting?
Laser stands for Light Amplification by Stimulated Emission of Radiation.
Laser cutting is a technology that uses a laser to vaporize materials, resulting in a cut edge. A laser cutter uses a high-energy laser beam to cut through a material, like wood, plastic or paper. Laser cutting was invented in 1960 and was initially used for making holes in diamond, but the cutting process was quickly adopted for other applications. Today, laser cutting is used not only in industrial manufacturing, but also by artists, designers, architects and craftspeople.
4 Reasons Why Laser Cut Cards Are Better Than Mass-Produced Printed Cards
1- Laser Cut Cards are Unusual
Anyone can print onto a surface, you don't even need a fancy printer to print ink on paper. But a laser cutter is a highly technical piece of equipment, and not everyone has one lying around to create laser cut cards. Sure, there are alternatives like Cricut cutting machines, and these are great, but laser cutting just hits different. Laser cut cards can be more intricate, more detailed and more accurate. A cut with a laser is cleaner and crisper than a cut with a blade.
As a result, laser cut cards are unusual. It's one thing to add ink or materials to a sheet of card, but laser cutting removes some of the card. It's an effect that is completely unlike anything else out there.
My favourite review we ever received was "My Grandma thought the card was made with magic". That's the thing with laser cut cards- they are so completely different to normal, boring printed cards.
2- Laser Cut Cards Stand Out
In a sea of greetings cards, the laser cut card will be the one that people are drawn to. Because they are so unique, they do tend to get noticed!
We once received a message from a happy customer who was overjoyed that her nephew received no less than 7 identical printed cards from his family for his Bar Mitzvah. Seven. Identical. Cards. Wow. She was happy though, because her personalised laser cut card was the star of the show. Everyone wanted to know where she'd got it and how it was made.
3- Laser Cut Cards are Handmade
While printed cards often don't get touched by human hands until they are handed over to a postie, laser cut cards involve human interaction throughout the whole process, from start to finish.
Our laser cut cards are individually drawn and personalised to your exact specifications. We design each piece from scratch- as designers with many years at art school under our belts, we create every design element ourselves. That means no clip art or stock images at all. Everything you see has been drawn by our own hands.
Each card is individually loaded up into the laser cutting machine and supervised throughout the cutting process. Once they are finished cutting, we remove the card from the machine and begin the painstaking process of weeding (removing the excess bits of card left over after cutting).
At this point, we add a paper coloured insert. If you've asked us for a custom printed message inside, we will also add this. We fold the paper and glue it into the card, before packing the whole order along with a high quality envelope inside a biodegradable, plastic-free cello bag.
That makes at least 5 human interactions per card before it's handed over to the postie and sent off to you.
Why does this matter?
Well... we can spot your typos, we can get in touch if we think you've put the wrong date on a card (it happens more than you'd think), we can drop you a message if we think you've included too much text to fit in the space on your card. We check EVERYTHING.
If you order a card from a giant printing company, what you order is what you get. If you make a mistake, then that's tough luck because no human will be there to spot it and put it right!
Handmade = human made = quality control checked.
4- People Want to Keep Laser Cut Cards
Have you got a box filled with old greetings cards and memories - the sort of special things that you just can't bear to part with? Well that's where many of our cards end up.
That is, once people are done with displaying them...
I think that the comment I read most about our laser cut cards in our reviews is that the recipient framed it because it is too pretty to put away somewhere.
Summing Up
Basically, if you want a card that people will throw away after the event, or something that looks the same as other cards, get a printed card.
But if you want a card that is unique, meaningful, handmade, quality-checked and frame-worthy... get a laser cut card.
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