As the year winds down, everyone starts receiving — or printing and buying — next year's calendars. There are plenty of formats out there, so which one really suits a company, and which is the better pick for personal use?
Is a budget calendar too cheap-looking? Is a premium one overkill? Here's a run-through of several calendar designs — from everyday budget options to full-on luxury — to help you decide.
Budget calendars
The everyday standard
The most common option is a landscape A5 calendar printed on 157gsm gloss art paper. It's on the thin side, but the colours come out bright and vivid.
The stand is grey board mounted with gloss art paper — the one small compromise is that the base isn't laminated on both sides. The inner pages use uncoated book paper, which makes them easy to write on.
Recommended: ★★☆☆☆
Design difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Best value
Thick-stock calendar
Same familiar A5 format, but this time printed on 300gsm stock — both the feel in hand and the print quality step up noticeably.
Switching to specialty papers adds personality: kraft paper for an earthy, natural look, or ice-white shimmer paper when you want a bit of sparkle. Each has its own character.
Recommended: ★★★★☆
Design difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Black-base calendar
A portrait A5 calendar is another popular shape, and standing upright it takes up less desk space than the landscape version. Here the whole stand is wrapped in black card and paired with a black wire ring, so the piece reads as one cohesive design.
Designers can match the stand colour to the artwork, giving the finished calendar a more polished, considered feel.
Recommended: ★★★★☆
Design difficulty: ★★★☆☆
Luxury calendars
The premium piece
A special die-cut shape is the baseline for a luxury calendar, and adding foil stamping makes it stand out even more. The overall effect feels genuinely upscale.
This one goes beyond the die-cut shape and foil: the stand is built from black board rather than grey board, so even the edge profile looks high-end.
Recommended: ★★★★☆
Design difficulty: ★★★★★
Want pricing for other calendar styles?
Tell us what you have in mind and we'll recommend the calendar — paper, stand and finishing — that best fits your needs. We print and deliver across Hong Kong and Macau, so message us on WhatsApp at +852 3001 5678 (English is fine) or browse our monthly calendars to get started.