What Exactly is Edging and Bordering?

How it Works

Edge painting and Hand Painted borders are two different finishing processes.  Edge painting is applied to the actual sides of the cards- so the depth of the card determines how much color is applied, ie thicker card stocks have more color applied.  Edging works well with beveled edges and metallic inks as well as our primary color palette.

With hand-painted borders, the color is painted over a ruler along all 4 front edges of the card, so it shows up on the face of the card, rather than along the sides.  Both processes are beautiful and work well for different styles of cards and invitations, and are special techniques which require hand work and trained artisans.

Edge painting works with any color, any weight stock, although we recommend at least 120 pounds, as the thicker the stock, the more obvious the edging. A colored edge on a letterhead or an even thinner sheet is subtle and a bit mysterious — and edging is delightful on the pages of a book or notepad. A colored edge can transform chipboard or blotter paper from industrial to hip or elegant.

Our edging inks are opaque enough to cover even blackboard. Fluorescent inks are great for edging. For gilding (true metallic edging) we don’t use any ink at all, but rather a super-thin layer of silver, gold or copper leaf or colored metallic foil. Beveled edges and/or rounded corners maximize the shimmer of gilding.