Edge painting
Color applied to a card's cut edges after trimming, turning the thickness into a visible accent. It works best on heavy or duplexed stock.
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What it is
Edge painting puts color onto the exposed cut edges of a finished card or book block. The pieces are trimmed, stacked and clamped, then ink or paint is applied across the stack edge. It reads best on thick stock, where there is enough edge to become a visible stripe.
Use it as a small physical accent on business cards, invitations, book edges, and hang tags. A Pantone spot-color callout gives the finisher a real target, while fluorescent or metallic edge color can do work that ordinary process ink on the face cannot.
Gotcha: edge paint is applied after the final cut, so changing the size or trimming again removes it. Porous stock can wick color onto the faces, dark paint can scuff, and rounded corners or intricate die cuts change how the finish is applied. Edge foiling or gilding is a separate process, not a shinier setting for edge paint.
Ask AI for it
Prepare an edge-painting production spec for this card using a named Pantone Formula Guide Solid Coated spot color. State finished size, finished caliper, stock porosity, painted edges, and whether corners are square or rounded. Require final trimming before the cards are stacked and clamped for paint, then call for a cured sample checked for face wicking, rub-off, edge coverage, and color match under D50 lighting.