5x7 Greeting Cards - Cheap & thick - pre-cut or roll

[darlingm]

Client needs folded glossy 5x7 greeting cards (so, 10x7 unfolded.)  He's hoping to sell 10 packs for $25, granted with little profit, so it needs to be really cheap.  Willing to sacrifice color gamut and being archival to hit this price point.  Has to be inkjet compatible.

If buying pre-cut, large packs like 250 is no problem.

I'm thinking the only economical way to do this will be for me to purchase rolls and have either me or him cut/fold them, but I'm open to pre-cut stock if the price is right to save the labor.

I've been using a 10mil(255gsm) metallic photo paper for his prints, which he thinks is too thin for greeting cards.  He likes the thickness of a 15.4mil(300gsm) matte fine art paper, but the cards need to be glossy.

I spent a ton of time looking online at greeting card stock, and most places don't describe whether the greeting card paper is matte or glossy.  The few that say that I've found have all been matte.

I found a few places selling precut 5x7(10x7) greeting card stock at around $0.40/ea in quantity, but none say they're gloss.

[howardm]

how about............
 
$0.38 each in qty 100; gloss

http://www.redrivercatalog.com/cardshop/scored/60-pecos-river-gloss-inkjet-greeting-card.html

[darlingm]

how about............
 
$0.38 each in qty 100; gloss

http://www.redrivercatalog.com/cardshop/scored/60-pecos-river-gloss-inkjet-greeting-card.html

Have you used this?  I originally passed over it, because they say it's 11mil(230gsm).  He wants them to be stiff like a decent card in a Hallmark shop would be, and I'm worried that since the 10mil(255gsm) metallic photo paper I've used is too flimsy in comparison to that, that this one would be too.

Although, perhaps I'm thinking about thickness the wrong way.  It's really the feel & flexibility that I think I'm after.  Although a thicker & more massive paper will help, perhaps I can't straight up compare their 11mil(230gsm) to the 10mil(255gsm) photo paper.  Perhaps it's still stiff enough.

[wryphotography]

Have you used this?  I originally passed over it, because they say it's 11mil(230gsm).  He wants them to be stiff like a decent card in a Hallmark shop would be, and I'm worried that since the 10mil(255gsm) metallic photo paper I've used is too flimsy in comparison to that, that this one would be too.

Although, perhaps I'm thinking about thickness the wrong way.  It's really the feel & flexibility that I think I'm after.  Although a thicker & more massive paper will help, perhaps I can't straight up compare their 11mil(230gsm) to the 10mil(255gsm) photo paper.  Perhaps it's still stiff enough.

I use the pecos river gloss from them. The paper thickness is decent. They aren't super flimsy but they aren't super rigid either. They are a great price and easy to deal with, look great and are very popular when i go to art festivals. I think you may be hard pressed to find super thick pre-cut cards. Cutting your own isnt worth your time IMO.

[Ken Bennett]

I use the RR Polar Matte cards. They are pretty decent, again not super rigid but not flimsy. They feel pretty good in hand, and print well. RR also offers recycled paper card stock. Prices are decent.

I did run the numbers last year on whether selling cards would be profitable at small craft shows in my local market. Short answer - not so much, not without a large investment in paper, ink, and clear plastic sleeves and boxes. An investment that would take a long time to repay. Still might end up doing it, more for something to do than to make money.

We do give away sets of cards as little gifts to family and friends, and they go over pretty well.