Elite Flyers and Minted both market “premium” business cards, but they come from very different corners of the print world. Elite Flyers is a specialty-heavy online printer: thick silk and velvet cards, foil, spot UV, glitter, painted edges, and quick production aimed at real-world business quantities.
Minted, by contrast, is a designer marketplace best known for wedding invitations and holiday cards. Independent artists create the templates; Minted prints them on luxe papers with options like foil-press and letterpress. Their business cards are an offshoot of that ecosystem, not the core product.
In our internal scoring table, Elite Flyers lands near the top of the multi-product group with an overall score just over 4.0 out of 5 for business cards, while Minted sits below 2.0, dragged down by high prices, limited options, and frequent service complaints. This Elite Flyers vs Minted business cards comparison will unpack why those numbers look so different.
Quality (Materials and Print)
Elite Flyers is built around heavy, tactile cards. Their flagship business card line uses 16 pt silk-laminated stock, with options to step up to ultra-thick 32 pt and 48 pt silk or velvet. The lamination creates a smooth, matte finish that resists scuffing and holds up well in wallets and pockets. On top of that, you can add foil stamping, spot UV, raised UV, or glitter, plus painted or foiled edges. The end result is a card that feels solid and “premium” in hand even at higher quantities.
Minted’s strength is also quality, but in a different direction. They emphasize luxurious stationery-style papers—Signature, DoubleThick, cotton, and pearlescent stocks—paired with foil-pressed designs and, in some cases, letterpress-inspired printing. Their business cards look like something that came from a boutique studio: delicate foil accents, soft-touch papers, and very polished layouts.
Where the two diverge is consistency and intent. Elite Flyers’ entire operation is tuned for business cards and similar promo items, so the finishing and durability are geared to everyday use. Minted’s print tech is excellent when everything goes right, but it’s primarily optimized for invitations, and online feedback includes a mix of rave reviews and complaints about occasional muddy print or color mismatch.
If you want thick, durable cards that still feel high-end, Elite Flyers takes the edge. If you care more about a luxe, stationery-style look and you’re ordering a small, design-led batch, Minted can still deliver something special.
Price and Value
Elite Flyers is not a bargain-basement shop, but their pricing is very competitive once you reach typical business quantities. They regularly show up in independent roundups as one of the better choices for bulk orders, with “1,000 cards for around $50” a common benchmark for standard full-color cards. Their internal price score reflects that: mid-pack overall, but strong value when you factor in stock thickness and finishes.
Minted sits at the opposite extreme. Their foil-pressed business cards commonly price around $54 for 25 cards, with only modest per-card savings as you scale up. You’re paying not just for paper and ink but also for artist royalties, upscale branding, and the curated design marketplace. For someone ordering 25 or 50 cards to match a Minted invitation suite, that might be acceptable. For someone who needs 500 or 1,000 cards to hand out at conferences, it’s extremely steep.
In pure value terms, Elite Flyers wins easily. You get thicker, more durable cards and more specialty options at a fraction of Minted’s cost per card. Minted only makes sense on price if you explicitly value their artist marketplace and you’re ordering very small runs.
Design, Templates, and Customization
This is the one category where Minted clearly leads.
Elite Flyers offers a few hundred templates and a functional online designer, but the experience feels more like a trade printer: you’re expected to know the basics of print design or to upload a finished file. They also offer paid design help, and they handle technical things like foil and spot UV masks well, but the aesthetic starting points are more utilitarian than “wow.”
Minted’s business cards sit on top of the same independent-artist marketplace that powers their invitations. You get a curated catalog of thoughtfully designed cards with strong typography, illustration, and layout. Many designs offer color variations, alternate backs, and coordinated stationery pieces. If you have no design background and you want something that looks like it came from a boutique agency, Minted’s templates are genuinely impressive.
So for design templates and in-browser customization, Minted wins. For upload-ready workflows and advanced print specs, Elite Flyers is better suited to designers and agencies who want control over the file.
Customer Service
Customer service is one of the biggest gaps between these two brands.
Elite Flyers has a long-running reputation for responsive, hands-on support. Testimonials and third-party reviews frequently mention staff helping tweak files, walking customers through orders, and going above and beyond on tight deadlines. That’s reflected in our internal rating: Elite Flyers gets a perfect 5.0 for customer service, one of the highest scores in the group.
Minted’s reputation is much more uneven. There are loyal customers who have had good experiences, but recent feedback on review platforms and social channels includes many stories about delayed orders, difficulty reaching support, and unresolved issues—especially during peak holiday and wedding seasons. In our scoring, Minted scores at the very bottom of the pack for customer service.
If you value quick, human help when something goes wrong, Elite Flyers is the safer and more predictable choice.
Ordering Experience & Tools
Elite Flyers prioritizes flexibility over hand-holding. Product pages are dense with options: stock thickness, lamination type, foil, spot UV, edge treatments, quantities, and turnaround choices all sit in one interface. The online designer is fine, but it’s clearly built with upload-ready files and experienced users in mind. For someone who orders print regularly, that can actually be efficient. For a first-time buyer, it may feel intimidating.
Minted’s ordering flow is simpler and more guided. You start by choosing a design, then pick a paper type and printing method (standard vs foil-pressed, for example). The editor lets you change text, colors, and sometimes fonts, and you’ll usually see a clear digital proof at the end of the process. It feels friendly and consumer-focused, just like the rest of their site.
For non-designers who mainly care about picking a pretty card and filling in their details, Minted is easier to use. For people who want granular control over their print job, or who are placing recurring orders, Elite Flyers’ more “trade-printer” style interface is a better fit.
Turnaround Time and Shipping
Elite Flyers is structured around speed. Many core business card products ship in roughly three to five business days, and there are rush options on several specialty lines. Multiple independent roundups call them out specifically as a good choice for bulk orders that need to arrive quickly. That’s part of why they score 5.0 on turnaround in our table.
Minted’s production and shipping times are more variable. Standard estimates often run a week or more from order to delivery, and during busy seasons customers report missed delivery dates and orders arriving after the intended event. Combined with customer service challenges, that inconsistency is why Minted’s turnaround score is near the bottom of our list.
If you have a trade show, launch, or conference on the calendar, Elite Flyers is much more reliable. Minted is only a safe choice if you build in a generous buffer.
Use Cases / Best For
Elite Flyers is best for:
- Small businesses and agencies that need 250–1,000+ cards at a time and care about both feel and cost
- Professionals who want thick, impressive cards with finishes like silk or velvet lamination, foil, spot UV, or painted edges
- Designers and print-savvy users who want a serious production partner with good support and quick turnaround
Minted is best for:
- Solo professionals or creatives who want a small batch of standout, designer-forward business cards
- People already using Minted for invitations or personal stationery who want a matching business card design
- Situations where the card is part of a broader “brand aesthetic” and you’re willing to pay a steep premium per card
In other words, Elite Flyers is the workhorse choice for premium business cards used in everyday networking, while Minted occupies a narrow niche for design-obsessed, low-quantity orders that live inside the Minted stationery ecosystem.
Pros and Cons
Elite Flyers – Pros
- Thick silk and velvet laminated stocks that feel genuinely premium
- Wide range of specialty finishes: foil, spot UV, raised UV, glitter, painted and foiled edges
- Very strong customer service reputation and helpful support
- Competitive pricing at typical business quantities, especially on bulk orders
- Fast, reliable turnaround on core business card products
Elite Flyers – Cons
- Website and tools feel more like a commercial printer than a consumer brand
- Small runs can be relatively pricey compared with pure budget shops
- Best experience if you or your designer understand basic print terminology
Minted – Pros
- Beautiful, artist-designed business card templates with cohesive typography and layouts
- Luxe paper options and foil-pressed finishes that match their invitations and stationery
- Simple, guided ordering flow that’s friendly for non-designers
- Works well if you want your business card to match a Minted invitation or personal brand suite
Minted – Cons
- Very high cost per card, especially at business-worthy quantities
- Limited card formats and specialty finishes compared with specialty printers like Elite Flyers
- Customer service and fulfillment issues are reported more often than for most competitors
- Turnaround and delivery reliability can be shaky during peak seasons
Final Verdict / Conclusion
Looking at the full picture—quality, price, options, tools, service, and speed—Elite Flyers is the clear winner in the Elite Flyers vs Minted business cards matchup. Their cards are thick, durable, and visually impressive, their specialty finishes rival much pricier boutiques, and their pricing makes sense for real-world business quantities. Strong customer service and fast turnaround round out a very solid overall package.
Minted still has a role, but it’s a specialized one. If you love a particular Minted design, you’re ordering a small quantity, and you care more about matching your stationery than optimizing price or turnaround, Minted’s cards can be a beautiful choice. Just go in knowing you’re paying a premium and taking on more risk around timing and support.
For most professionals, agencies, and small businesses who need business cards as an everyday tool rather than a one-off art piece, Elite Flyers is the printer we recommend.