PC hardware is nice, but it’s not much use without innovative software. I’ve been reviewing software for PCMag since 2008, and I still get a kick of seeing what’s new in video and photo editing software, and how operating systems change over time. I was privileged to byline the cover story of the last print issue of PC Magazine, the Windows 7 review, and I’ve witnessed every Microsoft win and misstep up to the latest Windows 11.
EliteFlyers offers a wide selection of business card stocks and textures, quality printing results, powerful online card design tools, and timely delivery turnaround.
EliteFlyers, as the name suggests, prints more than just business cards, but the Florida-based company does indeed offer a panoply of business card options, with no fewer than 30 card stocks available. The pricing isn’t the lowest of services we tested—unless you purchase a large quantity of 1,000 cards, but the quality is right up there, and the design tools hit all the right spots.
EliteFlyers’ most entry-level business card option is the Short Run 16pt, which costs $20 for 100. Note that 16pt is heavier than most entry-level cards, which tend to be 14pt. If the whole “pt” business mystifies, you it’s simply a measure of weight or thickness. A point is one-thousandth of an inch; competitor GotPrint has a helpful explanation of cardstock weights(Opens in a new window) if you need some background. For $35, you can get 500 14pt cards with matte finish. Linen-textured cards (14pt) cost $40 for a 500 count.
The company’s loftiest-priced offering is the 3D Lenticular Business Card, which will set you back $425 for a run of 100. Just as it sounds, those cards produce a 3D image that moves as you turn the card. The heaviest standard card option is the 48pt, available in either Velvet or Silk, at $225 for 250 cards. The green, recycled option, Brown Kraft, costs $40 for a 250-card print run.
For comparison, pricing at Editors’ Choice Vistaprint starts at just $15 for 100 14pt cards, and GotPrint charges just $6.16 for the same. Moo starts at $19.99 for just 50 16pt cards, the thinnest option offered. Vistaprint sells linen cards for $30 for 500, and PSPrint charges $31 for the same (with higher prices for faster delivery). GotPrint, Moo, and Staples don’t offer linen.
To try to even the playing field, here’s each service’s lowest price for 1,000 16pt cards:
EliteFlyers
$35.00
GotPrint
$19.60
Moo
$230.00
PSPrint
$27.37
Staples
$39.99
Vistaprint
$33.00
EliteFlyers doesn’t offer Moo’s NFC wireless info cards, but to be honest, I consider those a gimmick, with printed QR codes being just as effective. Nor does it offer plastic, like Vistaprint does. It does, however, like most services, offer square in addition to the traditional rectangular option, with choices of 2-by-2 inches and 2.5 by 2.5 inches, adding $10 and $20 to the price for a 1,000-count order. Rounded corners are also an option, which takes the price up by $35. You get a choice of 1/8-inch or 1/4-inch rounding and 2 or 4 corners—the price is the same for any of those options.
The company can design your card for you for a reasonable $35. Otherwise, you submit your own design or use one of the site’s templates. Prospective customers can order a free sample pack showing the company’s various printing capabilities. In addition to cards and flyers, EliteFlyers can produce notepads, mouse pads, T-shirts, wristbands, stickers, mugs, and many other types of objects.
Though it’s on the busy side, with a list of 33 card types down the left side, I do like how EliteFlyers’ ordering interface lets you make all the pertinent choices on one page: card stock, size, quantity, one or two-side printing, coating (matte or glossy), rounded or square corners, and shipping options—always updating the price along the way as you make selections.
I got a little scare when I clicked on the Templates option in the middle of the page, since this doesn’t take you to a selection of designs for different business types and styles, but rather just opens a PDF that shows the size of the card with the printing surface borders. In fact, not all cardstock types let you select from predesigned templates—even Linen doesn’t offer this, though the more standard 16pt, and even Silk do. I couldn’t figure out why some cardstocks let you use templates and other don’t. Thankfully, even for those that don’t offer templates, you can still use the excellent designer interface to build your card.
If you don’t choose to have EliteFlyers design your cards, or upload an image file (JPG, GIF, PNG, EPS, AI, PDF, or PSD) that you or your designer has created in Photoshop or other image editing software, you can browse designs or start from a blank canvas to design your own card. Some templates are free, and some cost from $3 to $5. You can search on templates, but there aren’t any categories for business type. When I searched “lawyer” and “singer” I got no results. In fact, I couldn’t get any search term I tried. I contacted a company representative about this, but didn’t get a clear answer.
The design interface is very good, however: There are buttons for adding text (with a generous selection of fonts), shapes, images, and backgrounds. It shows you rules for alignment and has indicators for the bleed edge of the printing area. It even offers a QR code creator, which I find helpful in this smartphone era.
In the shopping cart, you can preview your cards in an enlarged view. Like all these services, you have to check an approval box that you’re happy with the preview. You can’t order a printed proof as you can with some other services, however. There is a “blind shipping’ with a $5 surcharge, if for some reason you don’t want the recipient to see the order’s origin.
I tested EliteFlyers by ordering a basic card with two-sided printing, and a fancier order of thick 32pt Core stock (meaning three-layer cards with a colored middle layer). I included logos and images to compare color and sharpness rendering with other services. The second order was similar to one I’d placed with GotPrint, which charged $26.60 for 250 cards using the premium triple-layer stock. With EliteFlyers, the minimum order for this cardstock is 500, which cost me $165. The lesson is, that if you’re looking for a smaller quantity of high-quality cards, you’re better off with another service. Even the very expensive Moo sells premium cards in smaller quantities, so I was able to get 50 similar triple-layer cards for $34.99.
Moo (top), EliteFlyers (center), and Vistaprint (bottom)
My first test order arrived in just two days; I’d only paid for the 3-day guaranteed shipping, so I was happy with that turnaround. The print quality was very fine, with even a photo looking convincing. I did find two cards in the pack of 100 with minor streaking, but that’s hardly worth mentioning. My second, higher-end order, arrived well within the shipping window, too. It came in a heavy corrugated cardboard box. Again, the print was sharp on the triple-width cards with a black center layer, as you can see in the photo below, taken on an angle to show the card thickness. The only qualm I have is that a lighter blue showed up much darker than in competitor’s printing.
Even though the cards use different fonts, you can get an idea of the print quality, especially in the logo. EliteFlyers was darker, especially in the center blue of the shield.
If you want basic business cards in small quantities, EliteFlyers can supply your needs. But if you want plush, premium cards, you need to spend more at EliteFlyers than you would at competitors such as GotPrint, Moo, or Vistaprint, since EliteFlyers only sells those in larger quantities. The EliteFlyers interface is mostly easy to navigate and offers flexible design tools, though templates aren’t available for all cardstock types. Shipping is timely, and print quality is sharp, though one color in our tests was off. We don’t hesitate to recommend EliteFlyers for your business card printing, but our Editors’ Choice remains Vistaprint, which costs less and delivers top-notch goods.
EliteFlyers offers a wide selection of business card stocks and textures, quality printing results, powerful online card design tools, and timely delivery turnaround.
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PC hardware is nice, but it’s not much use without innovative software. I’ve been reviewing software for PCMag since 2008, and I still get a kick of seeing what’s new in video and photo editing software, and how operating systems change over time. I was privileged to byline the cover story of the last print issue of PC Magazine, the Windows 7 review, and I’ve witnessed every Microsoft win and misstep up to the latest Windows 11.
Prior to my current role, I covered software and apps for ExtremeTech, and before that I headed up PCMag’s enterprise software team, but I’m happy to be back in the more accessible realm of consumer software. I’ve attended trade shows of Microsoft, Google, and Apple and written about all of them and their products.
I’m an avid bird photographer and traveler—I’ve been to 40 countries, many with great birds! Because I’m also a classical fan and former performer, I’ve reviewed streaming services that emphasize classical music.
Read Michael’s full bio
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