Where can I get my digital cards printed professionally?

[Suzanne Johnson]

I started with SU! MDS and moved to MMS when SU! retired MDS. I always had great results when SU! printed the cards I created. MMS did not offer as many size options, but I when I did my cousin's Christmas cards for 2016 I had MMS print them (could not find another printing source) - the quality had several problems and they refunded us half the cost; now they have dropped the greeting card printing service completely!
I talked to the printing service at Kinkos and in theory they can do it, but might have to do it from a JPEG and I know that diminishes quality. I also know from single page printing they've done that the colors come out way off.
Other companies I've found online seem to only offer printing a custom design for the front of the card, not the inside or back. And again, seems to be based on a JPEG.
I am hoping that some of you are still getting your digital cards professionally printed somewhere with quality results - please share your recommendations! Printing 50 or more cards on my little home inkjet printer is NOT an option!
Thanks!!

[paklein58]

What is MMS?

[Suzanne Johnson]

MMS is My Memories Suite. It is the Storyrock company's program for creating photobooks, cards, and other things digitally. This company created My Digital Studio for SU! and based it on their MMS program. Their digital components and MDS ones are compatible. When SU! dumped MDS, MMS was offered at a super low price to eveyone who was going to convert over. I did it, however I still also desing in MDS because it has some tools MMS doesn't have. I am really stuck not being able to get cards printed however.

[arlenevita]

Won't your local print shop make cards for you? Have you tried saving your file as a PDF? When you make a jpg you do need it to be at least a 300 dpi to get better quality prints. We own a small print shop in CNY and do this type of two-sided printing for customers all the time. Color is a difficult thing because no computer matches the color you see on your own computer screen and what prints out on our laser printers can be different than what you see on the screen. It takes expensive software to color match, I believe, which we haven't felt we need to buy. We always like customers to see a printed proof before we print the whole job. Good luck with your quest!

[Suzanne Johnson]

I've looked into local places that will print, but there are some drawbacks. As you mention, color is one issue. Cards that are done from a saved image end up losing some dimension and look sort of "flat." Also, they tend to be set up for just card front images, maybe also the inside where the sentiment goes. With MDS and MMS print services, I was able to design all four of the card surfaces and the printing was the same price.

[arlenevita]

Was it one-sided printing that you then folded in half and then folded in half again? That would be what we call a French fold printed on thin paper not cardstock. We haven't been asked to make French fold cards in years. That was mostly done for graduation announcements. One-sided printing is less expensive. Interesting about the image looking "flattened". I don't have an answer for that part.

[Suzanne Johnson]

No, not a French fold. Printed on good quality cardstock.
I know that there were people out there who had made a business of using MDS to do wedding invites etc. and I wonder if they have just given up.