Painted edge · 48pt cotton · triplex construction
Painted edges on 48pt cotton: when the edge becomes a surface
At 48pt, cotton stops being a card and starts being an object. The painted edge stops being a stripe and becomes a legible surface — wide enough to read a small line of type across.
Ballpark pricing — painted edge on 48pt cotton
| Quantity | Per card | Total | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 50 cards | $3.50 | $175 | Founder run |
| 100 cards | $2.50 | $250 | Recommended |
| 200 cards | $1.88 | $375 |
Exact quote confirmed by a human before you pay anything.
Painted edges on 48pt cotton: when the edge becomes a surface
At 48pt, cotton stock stops being a card and starts being an object. It's roughly three credit cards thick, and the painted edge stops being a stripe and becomes a legible surface — wide enough to read a small line of type across if you wanted to. The card lands on a table with a distinct sound. It doesn't bend. It is the premium tier of the entire business-card category.
48pt cotton is a triplex construction most of the time: three plies of 16pt cotton laminated together, sometimes with a colored center ply for the duplex-edge look. Which means edge paint at 48pt has more physical canvas to grip, and the paint sits deeper and more durably than at 32pt. It also means one more press pass on the edges (they're painted twice as a standard) so the color reads fully saturated and even.
The trade-offs are real: 48pt cotton costs meaningfully more than 32pt at every quantity, wallets fit fewer of them, and mail-out is heavier. This is the specification we recommend for founders' cards, luxury clients, and anyone whose card is meant to be an announcement rather than a handout. If the ratio you want is 100 46pt-cotton executive cards for the leadership and 500 32pt cotton for the rest of the team, that's what most of our 48pt clients actually order — and it's usually the right call.
Common questions
- Why does 48pt cost so much more than 32pt?
- 48pt cotton is triplex construction — three plies of 16pt laminated together, sometimes with a colored center ply. It's a fundamentally different product, and the edge paint requires two passes as standard for full saturation on the wider surface.
- Do I need 48pt if my brand is quiet?
- It depends on how loud you want the card as an object. 48pt is a physical statement — it lands with a sound. If you want the specification to whisper, 32pt is likely enough. If you want the card itself to be part of the moment, 48pt earns it.
- Can I run part of my team on 48pt and part on 32pt?
- This is the recommendation we give most 48pt clients: 100 executive-tier 48pt cards for leadership, 500 32pt cotton for the rest of the team. Same brand, two registers. Costs less than blanketing everyone at 48pt and makes the difference feel intentional.
The next step
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