Printing Questions I Actually Get Asked (And Some You Should Be Asking)

I've managed our company's print procurement budget—about $32,000 annually—for the past six years. In that time, I've fielded hundreds of questions from colleagues, tracked every invoice in our cost system, and learned which questions actually matter versus which ones waste everyone's time.

Here's what people ask me most often, plus a few questions they should be asking but usually don't.

"Is GotPrint in Burbank actually legit?"

Short answer: yes. GotPrint operates out of Burbank, California, and they've been around since 2001. I've placed maybe 40+ orders with them over the years for business cards, flyers, and promotional materials.

The longer answer is more useful: "legit" is the wrong question. The question everyone asks is "are they trustworthy?" The question they should ask is "are they the right fit for my specific order?"

GotPrint works well for standard business printing—business cards, postcards, flyers, that kind of thing. Their pricing is competitive, especially when they're running promotions (which is often). For our quarterly business card orders of 500-1000 cards, they've been consistent.

Where I wouldn't use them: highly custom projects with unusual specifications, or anything where I need hand-holding through the design process. They're a production printer, not a design consultancy.

"How much do business cards actually cost?"

Most buyers focus on per-card pricing and completely miss setup fees, shipping, and finish upgrades that can add 30-50% to the total.

Here's what I've actually paid (based on orders from late 2024—verify current pricing):

Standard business cards (500 qty, 14pt cardstock, full color both sides):

• Base price: $25-45 depending on vendor and promotions
• Matte or gloss coating: often included, sometimes $5-10 extra
• Shipping: $6-15 for standard, $20-35 for rush
• Total realistic cost: $35-70

When I compared our Q1 and Q2 2024 orders side by side—same vendor, same card specs, different shipping speed—I finally understood why the details matter. The "urgent" Q1 order cost us $67. The planned Q2 order with standard shipping? $38. Same cards.

GotPrint's business card pricing tends to land in the lower-middle range. I've seen them run 500 cards for under $30 during promotions. But here's the thing: I almost went with a competitor once who quoted $22 for 500 cards until I calculated the total. They charged $12 for coating, $8 for "file processing," and $14 for the slowest shipping. Total: $56. GotPrint's $29 included coating and had $7 shipping. That's a 49% difference hidden in the fine print.

"What about business cards with QR codes—anything special?"

Technically, no. A QR code is just an image. But there are practical considerations:

Minimum size: Your QR code needs to be at least 0.8 × 0.8 inches (roughly 2 × 2 cm) to scan reliably. I've seen people try to cram tiny QR codes into corners—they don't work consistently, especially on older phones.

Contrast matters: Black QR code on white background works. Get creative with colors and you're gambling. We tested a dark blue code on a medium gray background once. Worked on newer iPhones, failed on about 30% of Android devices.

Test before you print 1,000 of them. Generate your code, print one sheet on your office printer, and try scanning it with 3-4 different phones. We learned this the hard way—$180 in business cards that half our clients couldn't scan.

The printing process itself is identical. You're just adding an image to your design file.

"What size is a standard poster? I need an 18×24."

18 × 24 inches is a standard poster size, yes. It's actually one of the most common—fits standard frames and works for most promotional purposes.

Quick reference for US poster sizes:

• Small: 11 × 17 inches (tabloid size—good for window displays)
• Medium: 18 × 24 inches (your standard event poster)
• Large: 24 × 36 inches (movie poster size)

Resolution requirement: For an 18 × 24 poster, you need an image that's at least 5400 × 7200 pixels at 300 DPI. If you're working with a lower-resolution image, you can print at 150 DPI for large-format pieces that'll be viewed from a distance (industry-standard minimum for posters), but it won't look as crisp up close.

The calculation: Print size (inches) = Pixel dimensions ÷ DPI. So a 3000 × 4000 pixel image at 300 DPI gives you a maximum of 10 × 13.3 inches before quality degrades.

"What's the deal with #10 envelopes?"

A #10 envelope is 4⅛ × 9½ inches—the standard business envelope that fits a letter-sized sheet folded in thirds. It's what you picture when someone says "business envelope."

If you're ordering printed envelopes (for letterhead, invoices, marketing), a few things:

Paper weight: Standard #10 envelopes are 24 lb bond (about 90 gsm). That's fine for most uses. Going heavier (28 lb+) costs more but feels more premium—worth it for client-facing materials, probably overkill for internal invoices.

Window vs. no window: If you're mailing invoices or statements where the address shows through, get window envelopes. Seems obvious, but I've seen people order 5,000 non-window envelopes for their billing department and then have to hand-address them. That's not a printing cost—it's a labor cost.

Minimum quantities: Most online printers have minimums of 250-500 for custom envelopes. GotPrint does envelope printing, and their pricing is reasonable for quantities of 500+.

"How much coffee packaging can I get printed? What does a custom coffee cup cost?"

This question comes up more than you'd think—people see that a printer does "promotional items" and assume that includes everything.

Here's the reality: most online commercial printers (GotPrint included) focus on flat printed materials—paper, cardstock, vinyl. Custom printed cups—whether disposable coffee cups or ceramic mugs—are usually a different category altogether. You're looking at promotional product suppliers (think branded merchandise companies) rather than traditional printers.

Disposable paper coffee cups with custom printing typically require minimums of 1,000-5,000 units and run $0.15-0.40 per cup depending on size and print coverage. That's a different vendor relationship than your business card printer.

It's tempting to think you can consolidate all your "printing" with one vendor. But identical specs from different product categories can require wildly different manufacturing processes. Your business card printer probably doesn't have cup-forming equipment.

"What about that 10-meter Christmas wrapping paper—can I get custom printed?"

Custom wrapping paper is possible but usually not through standard commercial printers. You're looking at either:

Print-on-demand services: Companies like Zazzle or Spoonflower do custom wrapping paper. Quality varies. Pricing is typically $15-25 per roll for short runs.

Large-format printing: Some large-format printers can do rolls, but this is usually for commercial quantities. We looked into this for a corporate gifting project in 2023—minimum order was 500 meters, and the setup costs made it impractical for our 200-gift run.

For most small-business applications, buying stock wrapping paper and adding custom printed tags or stickers is more cost-effective. A $40 order of custom stickers goes a lot further than a $400 minimum for custom paper.

The question most people don't ask: "What's my total cost, really?"

After tracking our print spending for six years, I found that 23% of our "budget overruns" came from unplanned shipping upgrades—ordering too late and paying for rush delivery.

There's something satisfying about a well-planned print order. After all the stress of rush jobs early in my tenure, finally getting our ordering calendar systematized—that's the payoff. We cut our average per-piece cost by 17% just by ordering quarterly instead of as-needed.

I recommend GotPrint for standard business printing, but if you're dealing with highly custom products, unusual materials, or need significant design support, you might want to consider alternatives. No vendor is best for everything—there's only best for your specific situation.

The "cheap" option isn't always cheapest. And the expensive option isn't always better. Run the real numbers, including shipping and your own time. That's the only question that actually matters.