Business Cards

[Dreamlife Hero]

Hi guys,

Can anyone suggest a good site for business cards?

I've had a look but everything seems a bit 'samey'.

I'm looking for something very classy and 'luxury' rather than thin and boring.

Also I'd rather have fewer, but better quality, rather than the usual 'order 500 and get 500 free' sort of deal.

Any ideas greatfully received.

Thanks,


DLH

[Lucas]

Originally Posted by Dreamlife Hero

Hi guys,

Can anyone suggest a good site for business cards?

I've had a look but everything seems a bit 'samey'.

I'm looking for something very classy and 'luxury' rather than thin and boring.

Also I'd rather have fewer, but better quality, rather than the usual 'order 500 and get 500 free' sort of deal.

Any ideas greatfully received.

Thanks,


DLH

Becker Signs
330-659-4504

Contact Brian or Karen for a quote and tell them that Lucas from BNI sent you if they ask. They do great work, and on a national level (they've done stuff for a couple Food Network celebs)

[smartile]

Hi Dreamlife Hero,

Check out these guys - I got a great deal from them. Biz Depot Plus

Stephen Martile — Personal Development Made Simple

[mustard76]

I used VistaPrint - Business Cards - Full Color Printing - Digital Printing Company | VistaPrint

They have a nice online biz card designer tool.

[mclark1234]

Business cards by ooprint : Business cards, Letterhead, greeting cards, invitations, birth announcements, promotional flyers

They have a huge variety of formats & designs. The cards are very high quality and the printing is excellent.

[Vanessa]

That luxurious feel you get from some business cards is because they use a heavier paper weight than the average business card weight of 12-14 point, might use raised ink so that you can feel the letters when you touch the cards and has a matte finish.

I really like the Moo.com cards. They are half sized business cards and have good paper quality and full color photo printing. 20 bucks gets you 100 of the moo cards.

If you're looking for a traditional 3.5 by 2 card, use a 15pt paper weight. If you're looking to have a full color/ photo on your card, a glossy finish works.

Finally, here are some good business card design inspirations from Flickr and Seth Godin's take on business cards.

[Doku]

My experience with business cards:
Don't get glossy on both sides... At business meetings, etc. people WANT to write on the back. Whether it is notes about your business, a meeting time, or jotting down the location/time/... so that they will remember the face and conversation that went with the business cards. If you make both sides glossy, you have one heck of a time writing on the back.

Don't print on both sides. (again, so people can write on it)

Have a professional business logo. Same logo on the business cards/website/shirts. And when you go to meet someone for a business meeting, wear a company shirt. MUCH easier than trying to describe yourself, or looking like an idiot by asking 30,000 people "Hi, I'm John from John's stuff. Are you Mike?"

Unless you are doing something graphics related, my opinion is that the business card should have the company logo, company name, and your contact info, and not much else.

Then again, that's just my personal experience of attending about 50-60 business development gatherings, and comparing notes with other business development/advertisement/sales people.

--Doku

[bravebluemice]

While I agree with Doku about the glossy both sides, the card that has etched itself into my mind and given me the most lasting impression of all time is Joe Locher's business card.

JS Online: Cutting down to the bones, marrow of yes-man's ideology

Somewhere around here I have the actual card, but I think it does a great job of summing it up. And yes, it does actually come with that list. The list is as entertaining as the card.

While I'm certain you aren't looking for something inherently dangerous, the point is, a lot of things can be noticed as a business card.

I myself am a fan of the business card CDs, which I have had very good luck with in terms of promotional material, however, they're getting harder to find.

Good Luck,
~BraveBlueMice.

[Jcs]

Originally Posted by bravebluemice

I myself am a fan of the business card CDs, which I have had very good luck with in terms of promotional material, however, they're getting harder to find.

Lovely when people put these or the 80mm sized ones in a slotloading drive . Happens quite a lot.

[ken nubo]

You can also check out local print shops; mine is pretty good and cheap

[simplystephen]

I have found the most competitive to be Staples/Office Depot and the quality is really good for under $25...though that is in Toronto.

Local print shops are still the way to go but consider what business you are in and the direction it is going. A lot of printers are starting to use recycled products or more earth friendly such as inks and dies, this is a promotion to how you do business. It shows that you care, and this is reflected to the customer!

Just my 2 cents. Local is still the best way to go, it saves the delivery and all that consumption. Good luck with whatever choice you need to make.

[Gene]

Originally Posted by simplystephen

I have found the most competitive to be Staples/Office Depot and the quality is really good for under $25...though that is in Toronto.

I use office max and staples in the states and for some things simply use my color laser printer and business card stock, especially for specialty cards when I need a few dozen. An example would be my grandson wants to babysit in peoples homes for extra cash and I do a short run of nice looking cards for him to pass out.