Top Online Printers
For 6 years among the Best E-Commerce in Italy according to German Institute of Quality and La Repubblica.
In-house production
We print in-house with offset and digital machines in 2,000 sqm of technology and organisation.
Can I print more than one special colour?
The configurator offers one special colour of your choice, printed on the front or on the front and back. If your project requires several colours on the same card, for example white text with a gold ornament, you can request it: we assess the file and tell you how to proceed.
Can they be printed in full colour, in CMYK?
No. This product involves printing a single special colour chosen from white, black, gold, silver and bronze, on the front or front and back. CMYK toners are transparent and on coloured backgrounds would give poorly legible results: for this reason it is not possible to print photographs or colour images. If your project requires colour images, white cardstock is a better choice.
Does white cover well on black?
Yes. White toner is opaque and is designed specifically for dark backgrounds such as Sirio Ultra Black: it covers the paper evenly and remains legible even in small text. For a sharp result, keep rules and typefaces above the minimum thickness of 0.4 points.
How many cardstock colours are there?
The range includes dark, bright and light shades from the Sirio Color line, plus the pearlescent Sirio Pearl Ice White paper. It is expanding: the configurator always shows the shades available at the time of ordering.
What is the difference between printed gold and hot foil stamping?
Printed gold is a metallic toner applied by the digital press, like a normal colour: it has a satin sheen and leaves no texture to the touch. Hot foil stamping, on the other hand, applies a metallic foil using heat and pressure: it gives a mirror-like shine and a slight impression in the paper. They are two different technologies, with separate products.
How printed coloured cardstock works
Printed coloured cardstock is based on a simple idea: instead of printing a coloured background on white paper, you start from paper that is already coloured and print a single colour on top, chosen from white, black, gold, silver and bronze. The paper provides the background and the special colour provides the design. It is a solution suited to minimal artwork: a name, a date, a logo, a decorative pattern.
Why through-dyed paper
In through-dyed paper the pigment is mixed with the cellulose fibres before the sheet is formed. The colour runs through the entire thickness of the sheet, so after cutting the edge stays coloured and the back has the same shade as the front.
With colour printing on white paper, the opposite happens. Cutting leaves a thin white line along the edge, and a printed solid background looks flatter than the depth of colour of paper coloured in the fibre.
Printing light and metallic colours on dark backgrounds
Colour printing toners are transparent: on a dark background they disappear, because they cannot lighten the paper. To print light text on black or blue cardstock you need an opaque colour, which stays on the surface without being absorbed by the background.
This is the principle of ** white printing**, which also applies to gold, silver and bronze: special toners that cover the paper and remain legible even on the darkest shades. This makes white printing on coloured cardstock possible even with small text, provided you respect the minimum thicknesses.
Sirio Color: Fedrigoni's through-dyed paper
The cardstock is printed on Sirio Color, one of the Fedrigoni paper ranges we print on, dyed through the fibre: smooth surface, uniform colour and lightfast pigments. The shades currently available are:
- dark tones: Sirio Ultra Black, Sirio Dark Blue, Sirio Caffè
- bright tones: Sirio Vermiglione, Sirio Lampone, Sirio Arancio, Sirio Limone, Sirio Lime
- light and neutral tones: Sirio Celeste, Sirio Perla, Sirio Pietra
Alongside the through-dyed shades you'll also find Sirio Pearl Ice White, a pearlescent paper with a luminous surface and reflections that change with the light. The range is expanding: the configurator always shows the shades available at the time of ordering.
Paper weight, sizes and digital printing
The cardstock weighs 300 gsm: rigid enough for invitations, tags and place cards that need to stand upright or be passed from hand to hand. The ready-made sizes are:
- 5.5x8.5 cm, the business card size
- 10x20 cm, for menus and elongated cards
- 10.5x14.85 cm (A6) and 14.85x21 cm (A5), for invitations and announcements
- 16x16 cm, square
With the custom size option you enter the dimensions you need, up to A3. Printing is toner-based digital printing, with one special colour of your choice, on the front or front and back. On request, several special colours can be printed on the same card.
What are the advantages of printing coloured cardstock
The first advantage is aesthetic: contrast and depth. White text on black paper or a gold ornament on a solid red has a presence that colour printing on white paper cannot imitate, because the background is the paper itself and not a layer of toner.
The second is practical: a single colour means a simple file and consistent results from one copy to the next, which applies to each of the five printing colours described below.
White
This is the colour of maximum contrast on dark backgrounds. Black cardstock printed in white is the classic combination, but white also works well on Dark Blue, Caffè, Vermiglione and Lampone. On light shades, such as Limone, Celeste and Perla, the contrast is reduced to the point that the text loses legibility, especially in thin typefaces.
Black
Black is the natural choice for light and bright shades: on Limone, Lime, Arancio, Celeste and Perla it makes even small text legible. It is the right colour when the card needs to convey information, such as a menu or a tag with price and size, while on dark backgrounds it tends to disappear.
Gold
Gold gives a refined feel and lends itself to invitations, announcements and gift packaging. It looks best on dark or saturated backgrounds, such as Ultra Black, Dark Blue, Caffè and Vermiglione, where the metallic sheen stands out from the paper. Gold printing on coloured paper in light shades is possible, but the effect is more delicate.
Silver
Silver has a cooler, more modern character and pairs well with Ultra Black, Dark Blue and Pietra; on Celeste it creates a tone-on-tone combination suited to winter events or brands with a minimal style.
Bronze
Bronze is the warmest metallic: it is a digital shade obtained from the gold base, to which CMYK colours are added to warm its tone. It enhances earthy and neutral shades, such as Caffè, Pietra and Perla, and on Ultra Black it offers a more understated alternative to gold.
| Printing colour | Recommended shades | Weak contrast |
|---|---|---|
| White | Ultra Black, Dark Blue, Caffè, Vermiglione, Lampone | Limone, Lime, Celeste, Perla, Pearl Ice White |
| Black | Limone, Lime, Arancio, Celeste, Perla, Pietra, Pearl Ice White | Ultra Black, Dark Blue, Caffè |
| Gold | Ultra Black, Dark Blue, Caffè, Vermiglione, Lampone | Limone, Lime |
| Silver | Ultra Black, Dark Blue, Pietra, Celeste, Pearl Ice White | Limone, Arancio |
| Bronze | Caffè, Pietra, Perla, Ultra Black | Lime, Celeste |
Why print custom coloured cardstock online
Ordering online lets you see the price and lead times straight away for the shade, format and quantity you need, without waiting for a quote. Each card carries your text or artwork, and the choice of paper becomes part of the project, as the most common uses show.
Invitations and announcements
Weddings, christenings, anniversaries and private parties are the most common setting for coloured cardstock. An announcement in gold on Dark Blue or in white on Ultra Black conveys the tone of the event even before the text is read. If you're looking for solutions designed for weddings, also take a look at our wedding prints, from invitations to booklets and seating plans.
Cards, tags and gift labels
The 5.5x8.5 cm format and custom formats lend themselves to thank-you cards, gift labels and tags. If you need a ready-made product, see our thank you cards. A small brand can use a Sirio Color shade as its signature colour and print its logo on top in white or black. For tags designed for garments on sale, see also our clothing tags.
Menus and place cards
For an event table, the 10x20 cm format is suited to menus, while the 5.5x8.5 cm becomes a place card. Printing menus and place cards on the same shade as the announcements creates a complete matching set. For the reception there are also dedicated pages for wedding menus and the wedding seating plan.
Invitations, envelopes and cards: complete your project
A coloured card rarely travels alone: the invitation goes in an envelope, the brand needs matching business cards, the event needs other printed items in the same style. These products help you complete your project by choosing the paper and finish for each element.
- Business cards on coloured paper: the same effect in pocket size
- Business cards on black paper: for a dark, coordinated image
- Invitation envelopes: to post or hand-deliver invitations and announcements
- Customised invitations: when the project requires colour images
Why choose Sprint24 for printed coloured cardstock
Sprint24 is an online print shop that has been operating for over twenty years, with in-house production. Printing, cutting and packing take place in our own facility, without outsourcing. This allows us to check how special colours look on every shade and to meet the lead times shown in the configurator.
Before printing, the file is checked: if the special colour has not been set up correctly, we let you know before proceeding. Customers rate our service 4.7 out of 5 in reviews.
Print coloured cardstock online: we take care of everything
With Sprint24 you follow a single process: choose the shade, format, printing colour and quantity, upload the file and receive your cards already cut.
How to prepare the file
The special colour must be specified in the file as a spot colour, on a layer separate from the artwork: this layer is what tells the machine where to apply the white or metallic toner. Step-by-step instructions are in our white printing file guide. For gold, silver and bronze the principle is the same, with a layer dedicated to the chosen colour.
Mistakes to avoid:
- sending CMYK artwork without the special colour layer;
- using rules and typefaces that are too thin: on a coloured background the minimum rule thickness is 0.4 points;
- choosing a combination with weak contrast: check the colour table.
Quantities, lead times and shipping
In the configurator you choose the quantity and immediately see the price and delivery date. Production times range from 2 to 8 days, depending on the options chosen. Order your printed coloured cardstock in a few steps and receive it ready to use.
