The manufacture of birthday cards varies greatly depending on the size of the corporation. Successful birthday cards companies put a great deal of importance on business research, marketing, and creative design because these help determine what cards will sell well.
1. Research and marketing, Generally, before the artists and verse writers begin to put pen to paper[paper?:paper sample maker cutting machine], large companies support in-house researchers that learn all they can about potential buyers. These researchers find out all they can about consumers' wants, needs, and concerns that can be addressed in a birthday cards not already in production.
2. Designing the birthday cards, smaller birthday cards companies sometimes contract designers to provide sketches and ideas they feel will be good sellers and fit their niche markets. However, in larger companies, the Research and Marketing departments work closely with the Creative Department in order to collaboratively devise a new card. These larger companies employ an in- house creative staff that includes artists, graphic designers, photographers, writers, editors, and copywriters.
3. Graphic design and production, When the designs are approved to for production, graphic artists and technical production assistants are key to translating original artwork and scrawled words into a pleasing, coordinated product that can be mass produced. Thus, graphic designers might re-size artwork to make it fit a card, add color underneath or on top, combine images with appropriate typefaces for the verse inside, etc. The graphic designers must understand the capabilities of the printing[printing?:printing cutting finishing solution] machines and use only those numbers of colors that can be successfully and economically printed.
4. Producing the printing plate. The printing process in controlled digitally. In the most modern printing facilities, plates are created directly by exposure to lasers. A computer disk has "recorded" the image to be reproduced. A plate is run through a machine in which a computer is used to direct lasers to burn an image onto the metal plate.
5. Printing the birthday cards, It is important to note that before an entire run of birthday cards is processed, a couple of examples are run off and submitted for "proofing." The designers, marketers, graphic artists, press operators, etc. examine the card and check it carefully to ensure the imprint is of acceptable quality. Minor color corrections or ink adjustments occur before the print[print?:printing image graphic cutting solution] run can proceed. When the proof receives the sign-off, mass-printing begins.
6. Cutting apart and packaging[packaging?:DCP-H series packaging sample cutter plotter], After the sheeted birthday cards are completely dried, they are cut into individual birthday cards from the larger sheet by a die cutter. The sheets are inserted into the die cutter and an apparatus that resembles a cookie cutter cuts them apart in one stroke. The cards are now a long strip that is yet unfolded.
7. The birthday cards is then sent to the folding machine where it is creased and folded automatically. Cards are often packed by hand and assembled with their envelopes in carton[carton?:carton box sample cutting machine] quantities.
