Colored edge business cards · Standard and Custom
A line of color around every card. You see it in the stack, in the card holder and between someone's fingers before they read a word.
From $165 for 250 · $0.29 a card at 1,000
Ships in 3–4 business days after proof approval (estimate), with free shipping within the continental US.
Ships in 3–4 business days after proof approval (estimate), with free shipping within the continental US.
Gold is gold paint, not foil. For metal on the edge, see gilded edges.
Quantity
Want any Pantone, or cotton? Custom edge from $230 for 250 ↓
Painted edge business cards have a solid line of color on all four sides of the card. We clamp the cut cards into a tight stack and paint the exposed edges as one surface. Standard cards on 32pt stock come in six colors from $165 for 250 and ship in 3–4 business days after proof approval (estimate). Custom edges match any Pantone.
Three ways to put color on the edge of colored edge business cards. We'd start most people on the middle one.
CustomOur pickStandard
StandardNot sure? Price it with everything, then scale back. Our sample pack has a painted edge in it ($8).
Someone takes your card and reads the front. Then they turn it, and the color running around the edge catches. That delay is the point.
At 32pt the card is about as thick as a credit card, and the edge reads as a clean line you can see across a table. Run your thumb along it and it's smooth and matte: the paint sinks into the cut paper rather than sitting on top like a coating. At 48pt the line thickens into a band of color.
Most painted-edge disappointments are decided before the card is printed. We check all three on your proof.
Art that runs into the edge.
Foil, or anything that must stay crisp, needs to stop 3 mm short of a painted edge. Foil that runs to the trim blocks the paint and leaves a ragged line. Our fix: Background color can bleed off; foil and type stay inside. We move it on your proof if it's too close.
Shapes the edge can't follow.
The stack is painted as one block, so color can't follow notches, windows or tight curves. Our fix: If you want a custom shape and an edge, we keep the shape and confirm the edge, or keep the edge on a simpler outline.
Painted edges with rounded corners: our production team confirms before we promise it. Gilded (foil) edges can have square or rounded corners.
Expecting metal from paint.
Gold paint is a warm, matte color, not a mirror. Our fix: If you want the edge to flash when the card moves, that's a gilded edge: foil pressed onto the edge, on 32pt or thicker, square or rounded corners. See gilded edge business cards.
A dark card printed on white paper shows a white line at the cut. A painted edge is the easiest fix for that.
Red, black, blue, gold, pink and orange, painted on 32pt stock with full color on both faces. Pick the edge that matches one color already on your card and the whole thing feels planned. Standard or square size; ships in 3–4 business days after proof approval.
As a Custom card we mix the edge to your brand's Pantone, matched to the uncoated book because the paint sits on raw paper. On cotton it reads a touch deeper than on a screen. We show the mix on your proof.
Any thickness can be painted. At 16pt the edge is a hairline, at 32pt a clear line, at 48pt a band you can see from across the table. We'd choose 32pt for most cards and 48pt when the card is the announcement.
A fluorescent edge on a quiet white card is the loudest quiet card there is. Neons read brightest in daylight and soften slowly in direct sun, so they suit cards that live in wallets more than on sunny desks.
Paint disappears into black or deep-colored stock, so on dark paper we foil the edge instead: gold, silver or copper pressed onto the edge, flashing as the card turns. Square or rounded corners.
Foil instead of paint: a metal band that flashes as the card turns. It needs a sealed edge on 32pt or thicker, with square or rounded corners, and 48pt gives the strongest gleam. It's also the edge we use on black and dark stock. Gold and silver are the classics; we confirm other foils before we promise them.
Edge painting pairs with whatever's on the face: letterpress on cotton with a red edge, a gold foil logo with a gold gilded edge. See letterpress business cards and foil business cards.
Upload your logo and our Studio shows your card with a painted edge in a couple of minutes, with the paper, edge color and price spelled out. It's a rendering for direction; a person rebuilds your file and sends a real proof before anything prints.
Every price includes printing both faces, the edge, a proof checked by a person, and free shipping within the continental US. Prices checked 1 Oct 2026.
| Quantity | Standard, 32pt, 6 colors | Custom edge, any Pantone (from) | Triplex black core | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 250 | $165 ($0.66/card) | $230 ($0.92/card) | not offered | |
| 500 | $202 ($0.40/card) | $340 ($0.68/card) | $126 ($0.25/card) | |
| 1,000 | $292 ($0.29/card) | $540 ($0.54/card) | $171 | |
| 2,000+ | Get a price | $865 | Get a price |
Custom options: 48pt +$105, foil accent +$70, spot UV +$60, rounded corners +$30 (painted or gilded edges). Gilded edge instead of paint from $250 for 250.
Need under 250? Get a price.
Four ways to put something on the edge. Each row is honest about where the other option wins.
| Painted edge | Gilded (foil) edge | Triplex core | Dyed-through stock | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Look | Solid matte color | Mirror metal that flashes as it moves | A colored stripe inside the paper | The whole card is one color, edge included |
| Color choice | 6 Standard colors, or any Pantone | Gold, silver; other foils confirmed first | Black core (Standard) | The paper's own color |
| Thickness | Any; 32pt reads clearly | 32pt practical, 48pt best | Built-in, about 32pt and up | Any |
| Corners | Square; rounded confirmed by our team | Square or rounded | Square or rounded | Square or rounded |
| Price at 250 | $165 (Standard) | Get a price | not offered (from $126 for 500) | Custom, Get a price |
| Lead time | Ships in 3–4 business days after proof (Standard) / about 3 weeks | About 3 weeks | Ships in 3–4 business days after proof | About 3 weeks |
| Best for | A brand color you want people to notice, on white or light stock | Wedding-adjacent, law, jewelry: anything that should gleam; the edge for black and dark stock | A crisp, permanent line at the lowest price | Black or colored cards that should look solid all the way through |
| Where it loses | Not metallic; not offered on dark stock | Costs more | One color only | No contrast at the edge |
Real jobs from our case studies. Each one links to the full story and to the same materials, locked in our Studio.
Bright white 100% cotton, two-color letterpress, PMS-matched red painted edge
32pt soft touch, gold foil ibex, edges painted PMS 654 navy, rounded corners
Charcoal uncoated stock, gold foil beetles, gold foil-stamped edge
Choose a color and quantity, or configure a Custom card.
Upload your file, or ask us to set it up. A person checks it and sends a proof.
Approve the proof. Nothing prints before you do.
We print the faces, trim, then clamp the stack in a vise and paint the edges as one surface. Standard ships in 3–4 business days after proof approval; Custom takes about 3 weeks (estimates).
We ship. Free shipping within the continental US; we also ship to 30+ countries.
If you're not happy, we reprint. How reprints work
Order the sample pack · $8, with $10 back on your first order.
Order the sample packBook 15 minutes with Austin. Bring your file and your deadline.
Talk to our teamFree proof, checked by a person, before anything prints.
How it worksStandard painted edge cards are $165 for 250, $202 for 500 and $292 for 1,000. Every price includes full color on both sides, one of six edge colors, a proof and free shipping within the continental US. A Custom card with any Pantone edge starts at $230 for 250.
Standard ships in 3–4 business days after proof approval (estimate). Custom cards, with any Pantone edge, cotton or 48pt, are about 3 weeks after proof approval. If you have a date, tell us when you order and we'll say honestly whether it's realistic.
It's a business card with color on its four cut edges, so a line of color shows from the side. Colored edge business cards are made by clamping the trimmed cards into a tight stack and painting the exposed edges as one surface. The faces are printed as usual.
Any thickness can be painted; thickness only changes how bold the edge looks. 16pt gives a hairline, 32pt a clear line (our Standard thick business cards with colored edge are 32pt), and 48pt a band. Gilded (foil) edges are different: they work best at 32pt or more, and 48pt gives the strongest gleam.
As a Custom card, yes. We mix the edge to your Pantone, matched to the uncoated book because the paint goes onto raw paper, and we show it on your proof. Standard comes in six set colors: red, black, blue, gold, pink and orange.
Paint is a solid matte color. Edge foil, or gilding, is metal pressed onto the edge, so it flashes as the card moves. Foil needs a sealed edge and at least 32pt stock, and costs more. Paint works at any thickness and in any color, on white and light stocks; on black or dark stock we foil the edge.
Gilded (foil) edges can, with square or rounded corners. For painted edges with rounded corners, our production team confirms your job before we promise it. Standard painted edge cards come with square corners.
The paint soaks into the cut paper rather than sitting on it as a film, so it doesn't peel. Like any card edge, the corners take the most wear in a back pocket. Neon colors soften slowly if a card sits in direct sun for a long time.
Not on notches, windows or tight curves: the stack is painted as one block, so the color can't follow internal cuts. For a custom shape we keep the shape and confirm whether an edge works on its outline.
No. The edge color is chosen in the order, not drawn in your file. Background color can run off the edge, but keep foil and type at least 3 mm in from the trim so nothing fights the paint.
Three ways. Upload your logo to the Studio and see a concept in minutes (direction, not a proof). Order the sample pack for $8, which includes a painted edge. And after you order, a person sends a real proof before anything prints.
Yes, to 30+ countries. Free shipping within the continental US; international shipping is calculated at checkout.
Who orders these: tattoo artists, illustrators and painters with a signature colour. See our artist business cards.