Metallic colors and sheens have become increasingly popular in print, and as a result new innovations in metallic printing are beginning to work their way into the mainstream in response to the explosion in demand for effects that were previously only achievable with expensive metallic foil stamping and similar processes.

Using newly developed materials and technologies for applying metallic materials to paper, a few cutting-edge digital presses have paved the way for a revolution in scalable metallic printing.

Through metallic dry ink technologies, large printers that handle high volumes of work are now able to deliver affordable metallic printing options to their most creative and innovative customers that are interested in adding something truly eye-catching to their print marketing.

Conquest Graphics recently added specialty metallic inks and gloss spot coating to our list of capabilities, enabling our customers to affordably incorporate metallic colors and gloss spot coatings into their business card and greeting card designs, all while ordering online. We also offer metallic printing on any of our products via the custom quote forms on each of their product pages. Simply let us know which products you want to use metallic dry inks or spot gloss coatings on, and we’ll be sure your order gets placed accurately so it can be delivered as quickly as possible.

Since preparing files to print metallic hues as intended is a somewhat difficult thing to do, we’ve prepared a set of digital resources and content on how to properly do so. If you still aren’t sure you’ll be able to configure files correctly after attempting to follow our instructions, don’t worry; we have a team of designers that are willing to provide the design help needed to either convert your existing files to metallic print-ready ones or we can start from scratch to give you the customized, metallic design of your dreams.

With the holiday season approaching rapidly, we decided to provide a set of free downloadable templates that have been preconfigured to print correctly on our specialty metallic ink press, so feel free to download, modify or order any of these designs to your heart’s content!

Keep in mind: while the mockups of our designs below may look fine and color-accurate fort the metallic hues they will print with, the files will not always resemble the mock-up since clear spot gloss appears as magenta on top of everything to print correctly. The gold and silver hues may also appear slightly off in the design templates, as the colors the press prefers to use to represent metallic inks in the digital format may not be an exact visual match to how they turn out on paper (usually they’ll appear as darker, while in reality, they’ll appear shiny and bright and not gray).

Holly Jolly 5” x 7” Portrait Greeting Card (No-Fold)

Print-Ready PDF

Adobe InDesign Files

This design utilizes both the gold metallic dry ink and clear spot gloss in limited areas to maximize the impact of certain design elements. CMYK color builds are also mixed with metallic dry ink to create unique, mixed pearlescent or iridescent colors. The design includes a section on the reverse side (page 2 of InDesign file/PDF) for including your intended message to the holiday card recipient. Make use of variable data printing to variably fill sections of your text with personalized information unique to each of your recipients. The correct envelope template to use for this greeting card is the A7 (7.25” x 5.25”) envelope, and envelopes are included in your order of greeting cards along with the option to print on either side of the envelope to add that finishing professional touch.

Noel 5” x 7” Portrait Greeting Card (No-Fold)

Print-Ready PDF

Adobe InDesign Files

This design utilizes silver metallic dry ink and clear spot gloss alongside heavy CMYK color builds to present a significant contrast that maximizes the impact of the metallic inks used. CMYK color builds are also mixed with metallic dry ink to create unique, mixed pearlescent or iridescent colors. The design includes a section on the reverse side (page 2 of InDesign file/PDF) for including your intended message to the holiday card recipient. Make use of variable data printing to variably fill sections of your text with personalized information unique to each of your recipients. The correct envelope template to use for this greeting card is the A7 (7.25” x 5.25”) envelope, and envelopes are included in your order of greeting cards along with the option to print on either side of the envelope to add that finishing professional touch.

Wonderful Holiday Season 7” x 5” Landscape Greeting Card (No-Fold)

Print-Ready PDF

Adobe InDesign Files

This design utilizes silver metallic dry ink and clear spot gloss alongside CMYK color builds to present striking contrast that maximizes the impact of the metallic inks used. CMYK color builds are also mixed with metallic dry ink to create unique, mixed pearlescent or iridescent colors. The design includes a section on the reverse side (page 2 of InDesign file/PDF) for including your intended message to the holiday card recipient. Make use of variable data printing to variably fill sections of your text with personalized information unique to each of your recipients. The correct envelope template to use for this greeting card is the A7 (7.25” x 5.25”) envelope, and envelopes are included in your order of greeting cards along with the option to print on either side of the envelope to add that finishing professional touch.

Happy Holidays 7” x 5” Landscape Greeting Card (No-Fold)

Print-Ready PDF

Adobe InDesign Files

This design presents a combination of gold metallic dry ink and spot gloss coating to provide a professional, rich looking holiday motif, perfect for holiday party invitations and more. CMYK color builds are also mixed with metallic dry ink to create unique, mixed pearlescent or iridescent colors. The design includes a section on the reverse side (page 2 of InDesign file/PDF) for including your intended message to the holiday card recipient. Make use of variable data printing to variably fill sections of your text with personalized information unique to each of your recipients. The correct envelope template to use for this greeting card is the A7 (7.25” x 5.25”) envelope, and envelopes are included in your order of greeting cards along with the option to print on either side of the envelope to add that finishing professional touch.

Most Wonderful Time 7” x 10” Landscape Greeting Card (Folded)

Print-Ready PDF

Adobe InDesign Files

This design utilizes both gold metallic dry ink and clear spot gloss coating to add elements that pop out among the rest and make the piece an eye catching one. CMYK color builds are also mixed with metallic dry ink to create unique, mixed pearlescent or iridescent colors. The design includes a section on the back (page 2 of InDesign file/PDF), right-hand side for your message to the holiday card recipient. This section, when folded will become the inside right section of the card. Make use of variable data printing to variably fill sections of your text with personalized information unique to each of your recipients. The correct envelope template to use for this greeting card is the A7 (7.25” x 5.25”) envelope, and envelopes are included in your order of greeting cards along with the option to print on either side of the envelope to add that finishing professional touch.

Season’s Greetings 10” x 7” Portrait Greeting Card (Folded)

Print-Ready PDF

Adobe InDesign Files

This design uses both silver metallic dry ink and clear spot gloss coating to create contrast in the visual and tactile qualities of various parts of the design, creating an overall more attractive and eye-catching piece. The design includes a section on the back (page 2 of InDesign file/PDF), right-hand side for your message to the holiday card recipient. This section, when folded will become the inside right section of the card. Make use of variable data printing to variably fill sections of your text with personalized information unique to each of your recipients. The correct envelope template to use for this greeting card is the A7 (7.25” x 5.25”) envelope, and envelopes are included in your order of greeting cards along with the option to print on either side of the envelope to add that finishing professional touch.

If you'd rather download a completely blank version of the template—without the message on the message face of the card and without any Conquest Graphics branding of any kind—please use the download links below to retrieve your files.

These files can be ordered directly as is if you'd simply like to order blank holiday cards. All you have to do is download the print-ready PDF, head over to the greeting cards page, configure the order to the specifications of the design/quantity you wish to order, and upload the downloaded file.