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Ordering Business Cards – Usеful Tips

January 27, 2012 in business card printing, business cards, the business card blog

Matt business cards by Alexandra Design

Quality matt coated business cards by Alexandra Design

Are уоu planning оn ordering your fіrst business card? Cards аrе sоmеtіmеs termed аs mini-billboards carried аrоund іn thе wallet. Тhеу lеt уоu advertise уоursеlf аlоng wіth уоur services оr thе organisation уоu represent. Вut mоst importantly, а business card represents recognition оf whо уоu are.

While уоu аrе trуіng tо decide оn thе design аnd оthеr іmроrtаnt aspects оf уоur business card, уоu nееd tо consider а fеw things. Аs thе situation іs today, entrepreneurs dо mаkе mistakes bу ordering tоо many business cards, оr sауіng tоо lіttlе in thе small space allotted fоr describing thеіr specifications.

Consistency

Let us assume thаt thе business card уоu аrе planning оn producing іs mеrеlу а раrt оf thе total package whісh includes key print collateral lіkе letterhead, envelopes оr postcards аnd sо оn. It’s rеаllу іmроrtаnt thаt dіffеrеnt integral features lіkе colors, fonts оr imagery аrе іn balance.

CHEAP = DULL

Take а fеw moments tp pull оut thе stack оf business cards thаt уоu’ve collected fоr mаnу years. Separate the cards whісh аrе appealing from those whісh аrе blah. Chances аrе high thаt these will bе blackish print оn whitish card stock.

So lots оf card ordering people follow thіs route јust bесаusе thе black and white іs cheaper. Аt thе оthеr еnd оf thе spectrum, thеrе аrе people whо consider adding а rich splash оf vivid colors. Unfоrtunаtеlу thоugh, thе lаttеr group mіght аs well еnd uр wіth ineffective аnd dull cards.

Do уоu rеаllу want уоur cards to stands оut? Тhеn уоu hаvе tо consider printing уоur card іn а unique, уеt interesting color. Оr уоu саn consider adding аn interesting theme tо thе current black and white design. It’s hard fоr mоst entrepreneurs tо imagine thе huge impact оf putting some extra cash into the design аnd printing оf their business cards.

Another fatal mistake entrepreneurs is going for flimsy or poor quality card stock, whісh hаrdlу holds uр оvеr time. Lots оf thоsе sо called DIY kits belong in thіs category. Тhеsе kits соmе wіth light-weight stock, whісh mіght асtuаllу feed thrоugh typical hоmе printers. Sounds pretty odd thоugh, but thе main reason thеу mаkе thе letters sо light weight іs bесаusе thе makers оf thеsе lightweight kits wаnt tо mаkе surе thаt thе printed cards pass оut easily thrоugh printers.

Additionally, suсh cards hаvе perforated edges thаt аrе torn оff. Тhе messages thеу communicated tо recipients іs – thеsе cards wеrе home-made аnd dо nоt belong tо professional grade.

Consider quality and choose a business card supplier who offers good value for money, rather than simply going for the lowest price and you’ll end up with a professional business card you’ll be proud to hand over.

Business cards as calendars

December 28, 2011 in business card design, business card printing, business cards, the business card blog

Printing business cards with a calendar on the back increases their chances of being held onto.

A handy pocket size calendar will be referred to again and again throughout the year, so for the cost of a set of business cards, you can get a whole year’s worth of advertising.

Many business cards go straight into the bin, so think about how you can turn your business cards into something useful that people will want to keep.

Business cards – how much is ‘too much information’

November 30, 2011 in business card design, business card printing, business cards, the business card blog

Business cards are traditionally a means to hand over your contact details and should display the minimum of your logo, name, business name, phone number and web address.

In the age of information overload, it’s tempting to squeeze an essay into the tiny 90x55mm space; but as the saying goes, “less is more”, and this is a good approach when deciding exactly what information to include on your business card.

The modern entrepreneur tends to have lots of online profiles and it’s great to include those urls on your business card, but keep it simple and small, preferably on the back. You can also use the back as a space to write appointment times or price quotes.

The front of your business card should show only the key information mentioned above, and perhaps a short marketing message or tagline. If you have 12 email addresses, include just the main one.

An important thing to keep in mind for your business card and any kind of marketing collateral, both in print or online, is to grab the attention of your audience in 3 seconds or less. Overload them with information and reading your business card will become a chore.

Business cards to keep

November 12, 2011 in business card design, business card printing, business cards, corporate id, the business card blog

Most business cards end up in the bin, let’s face it. So what can you do to give your business card a better chance of survival?

It’s not about gimmicks. Wooden business cards, metal business cards, etc. may be a conversation piece, but it may be the card itself people remember, not you or your business.

A great business card will simply be well designed, well printed on a quality card stock, and show the reader just three things:

  1. Your logo / business name
  2. What you do / sell
  3. How to contact you

Anything else is just over-kill. Well, mostly.

For a networking card, include a great photo of yourself so people can put a face to the name. If your online presence is important, include your social media profiles with icons for Twitter, LinkedIn, etc.

Just remember, when it comes to business cards…”less is more”. Our wallets are already full of clutter, so keep it clean, to-the-point and nice to look at.

About the Business Card Blog

November 11, 2011 in business card design, business card printing, business cards, the business card blog

The Business Card Blog offers you some insight into the weird and wonderful world of business card design and printing.

The sheer volume of business card printing services can be overwhelming for many business operators. How do you sort through the trash to find a printing deal which offers true quality at a good price?

At the business card blog, I’ll help you understand what constitutes a good business card, what to look for when researching business card printers, and offer some tips on using business cards as an effective marketing tool.

 

Eco-friendly business cards

November 11, 2011 in business card printing, business cards, the business card blog

Eco friendly business cards can help you ‘do your bit’ for the environment, with no loss of quality.

Alexandra Design’s eco friendly business cards are printed on a waterless press, which produces vibrant, consistent colour throughout the entire print run.

Now you really can have the best quality offset print available and ‘do your bit’ for the environment.

To further reduce your impact on the environment, only high quality, sustainable card stocks are used to produce your eco friendly business cards.

> Find out how to order eco friendly business cards online.

Personal business cards – it’s all about YOU!

November 11, 2011 in business card design, business card printing, business cards, the business card blog, WAHMs

 

 facebook twitter cards

A business card that’s all about You.

 
Personal business cards are great for networking events or enhancing client relations.

Invite visitors to your blog and social media profiles, add your photo, your expertise, your business – whatever you like.

Make it easy for others to find you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn Flickr and more.

Plastic Fantastic – Business Cards, that is.

November 10, 2011 in business card printing, business cards, the business card blog

Plastic business cards have been around for a while; they’re nothing new. What IS new, however, is a new generation of premium quailty business cards – printed on plastic – which manage to convey both quality and quirkiness.

Back in the 1980s, a plastic business card was just plain tacky. The ink was easy to scratch off the shiny surface, the edges were a bit rough and the plastic colours were gaudy, at best.

Not so today. The plastic business card stock used by Alexandra Design is smooth and classy with a soft matt finish; allowing you to stand out from the crowd with an unusual plastic business card, without making yourself – or your business – look cheap.

These plastic business cards can even be cut into custom shapes, giving you lots of scope for exclaiming your individuality through a business card.

They’re even eco-friendly!

The card, which is printed on recyclable polypropylene plastic stock, takes advantage of the waterless offset functionality of the KBA Genius 52 UV press.

The Genius press significantly reduces emissions of harmful compounds into the atmosphere. It produces less waste, uses no water or chemicals and allows us to print on on a variety of stocks, such as this 0.6microns thick polypropylene.

If you need a truly unique way to hand over your contact details to clients, consider a high quality, eco-friendly, plastic business card.

Facebook business cards – put your social media links on a business card

September 7, 2010 in business card design, business card printing, business cards, the business card blog, WAHMs

 

 facebook twitter cards
Your entire online presence at a glance.

Invite visitors to your online profiles with a social media business card. Separate to your usual business card, this card is all about You.

Your social media urls, your photo, your expertise, your business – whatever you like.

Make it easy for others to find you on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Red Bubble, Posterous, Flickr and more.

Great for networking events or enhancing client relations!

The importance of quality printing

October 7, 2009 in brochures, business card printing, business cards, corporate id, flyers and such, postcards and dl cards, the business card blog

When shopping around to order printing online, your decision may come down to the simple matter of quality vs price. Remember any printed item you distribute is a direct reflection of your business standards, and of course yourself.

Quality printing doesn’t necessarily mean expensive printing. There are many cheap printing offers around, so it’s just a matter of checking samples to ensure you really are getting a high standard for that discount price.

Check the specifications for paper weight, shown in ‘gsm’ or grams per square inch. For a brochure or flyer, 150gsm is the most popular paper stock.

If you need a lot of flyer printing done cheap for a letterbox drop, a lighter paper may be suitable and save a few dollars. Of course you can also go the other way. Flyers and brochures can be printed on heavier stock and finished in matt cello, for example, to give it a classy appearance and feel.

Business cards should be printed on 420gsm card with a choice of finishes. There are hoards of printers and designers offering cheap business cards printed on 310gsm or even lighter. 

Many of these will be printed digitally, reducing the quality of the finished card somewhat. This is fine is you’d like a quick and cheap way to get your message out, but for your main business card, it may be important to convey professionalism with a higher quality card, printed on a press with premium card stock.

Also, don’t assume the advertised price is final. Check for extra costs that may not be included, like freight, GST or artwork setup. A custom printing quote should include all these elements clearly, with a final total.

Finally, know what you want your printing to do for your business. The level of quality required will depend on the desired results.