How To: Order Business Cards

by: Jen Udan | ChooseWhat.com

Business cards are one of your most effective and inexpensive forms of marketing. 

When you give someone your business card, you are immediately legitimizing your business, while giving that person a physical reminder of your meeting with information that allows them to contact you or learn more about your business.

Uses for Business Cards:

• Promotional materials for your company

• Networking (hand out at conferences or trade shows, or simply when meeting with people for lunch)

• Stay in touch with business contacts and customers

1. Assemble information you want to appear on your business card.

   • Business Name

   • Company Logo

   • Phone Number

   • Fax Number

   • Email Address 

   • Business Address

   • Website URL / Domain

2. Plan your basic business card design.
   
   You should know generally how you want to lay out the your information on your business card. The images and text you choose for your business card can convey professionalism, creativity, or uniqueness. For a crash course in designing your business card, read our STARTicle: A Guide to Designing and Printing Your Business Cards.

3. Decide where to get your business cards and order them.
   
   

4. Online Printing Services Online printing services are low-cost and give you an easy-to-use online design editor to create your cards, as well as a variety of card options and upgrades. They usually send you a “proof” or sample of your design as a PDF. After you’ve designed your cards, they will print and ship your cards to the address you specify. Many online printing services offer other printed materials, such as booklets, brochures, calendars, greeting cards, posters signs, letterheads, etc. Price Range:  Starts at $15 for 250 double-sided cards.  Most services included backside printing for free, while some may charge an additional fee. Advantages:  Significant cost savings (They offer seasonal discounts, promotions and coupon codes that offer additional savings to already low base prices.) Variety of card options and upgrades, such as “raised print” or “die-cut” cards Ability to customize and order your business cards yourself on your computer Saves time, since you don’t have to drive back and forth from the printing shop Disadvantages:  Shipping and delivery fees Standard turnaround time of 1-2 weeks. If you need your cards in 24 hours or in 1-2 days, you’ll have to pay extra. Who Should Use This Option?  Anyone who wants to save money on their business cards People looking for special types of cards at low prices People wanting to order cards from the comfort of their home or office People who don’t need much assistance with design or ordering Top Service Providers:  *See our Business Cards Comparison and Reviews page to compare top service providers.

   Copy & Print Shops Copy and print shops are typically part of large chains, like FedEx Office (formerly Kinko’s) and Office Max. Like with specialty print shops, you can walk into any copy shop and give them a design or “proof” (they usually ask for a PDF file) that they will print for you on card stock. Many of the large chain shops also offer a design center, where you can design your cards from scratch, using their design software. Price Range: From $30-$60 for 250 front-only color cards; costs roughly 50% more for double-sided cards.Advantages:  24-hour or 1-2 day turnaround time included in the price No shipping fees, unlike when you order cards online One-on-one assistance from in-store reps when designing your cards Some places offer custom card designs that they outsource to contract designers  (Office Max gave us a quote of $22.99 per custom design; this option may take longer than 1-2 days) Disadvantages:  Higher card prices than with online printing services (We found that double-sided printing is either going to cost a lot extra or is not available with these shops.) Limited options for card stock and finish (We found that most of the shops offer only 10 pt. or 12 pt. card stock, which are on the thinner side, and a choice of only matte or glossy finish.) Who Should Use This Option?  People who need their business cards printed within 1-2 days for upcoming conferences, networking events, or promotional events People who want one-on-one assistance from someone who can help them create or design their cards  Top Service Providers:  FedEx Office (formerly Kinko’s) Staples QuikPrint Office Max

   Specialty Print Shops Specialty print shops have special printing equipment and offer a variety of print services, such as: Offset Printing: uses plate-making equipment to make high quality prints Digital Printing: uses high-speed printers to make a fast, quality print Wide-Format Printing: makes larger prints for banners, posters, etc. Display Graphics: three-dimensional signs and plates in steel, copper or aluminum You can walk into any specialty print shop and give them a design or “proof” (they usually ask for a PDF file) that they will print for you on card stock. Price Range:  We called a specialty print shop in Austin, TX, and were quoted $85 for 250 front-only color cards; costs roughly 50% more for double-sided cards. Advantages:  Wide range of print and paper options High-quality cards from their offset printers 24-hour or 1-2 day turnaround time included in the price No shipping fees, unlike when you order cards online Supports local businesses (if you go with a homegrown print shop, rather than a large chain store) Some places have in-house graphic designers who can design custom cards (We were quoted $85/hour for in-house design work; this option may take longer than 1-2 days) Disadvantages:  Most expensive option of the all the options detailed in this article Not as many discounts or promotions as with larger chain shops or online printing companies Who Should Use This Option?  People who want high quality business cards with a quick, 1-day turnaround People who want a nearby, one-stop shop for printed marketing materials Top Service Providers:  Search Google for specialty print shops in your area.

   DIY Design & Printing Creating and printing your business cards using your own software and printer is a viable option for many businesspeople, especially those who want to save money or want complete control over the customization of their cards.Price Range: A pack of 250 blank cards from your local office supply store usually costs $15-$25. The cost of ink is about 5-7 cents per page (assuming you have 10 cards per page of card stock). Advantages: Quickly update your business card information as it changes Save time and money by printing only as many cards as you need at one time, instead of buying the “minimum order size” from local and online print shops  Greater control over the customization of your cards (e.g. creating multiple cards with different designs) Disadvantages: You need existing software programs and/or design skills. You don’t get the benefit of using online software and design tools or an expert to help you design your cards. Usually takes more time than going to your local print shop or ordering your cards online Who Should Use This Option? People who are expecting their info to change soon People who don’t give out many cards due to their type of business People who are creative or have some design experience DIY Design & Print Tips: Use a program like Photoshop to design your cards. If you don’t have Photoshop or a similarly costly program, you can use the business cards wizards/templates on Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher. Don't use the perforated cards, as they're flimsy, don't hold up well, and come across as cheap. You should use "clean edge" card stock (a pack of 250 “clean edge” cards will cost $15-$25). (We found that Avery offers the best card stock to print on.) Color inkjet printers, especially photo printers, are the most suitable for printing business cards. They provide high quality colors and great image quality. Read our guide about How to Select an All-in-One Printer. Use high-resolution images to make sure they come out well.  Use glossy paper if your business cards contain a photo or picture with gradient colors. If you’re in a creative field or simply want to impress your contacts, create unique business cards. Check out the best and worst business cards designs in our article: 7 Most Useful (and 7 Terrible) Business Cards Design

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• Use QR Codes and business card apps.  Since many businesspeople are now using smartphones, the new trend is to use apps for quickly sharing contact information. One of these apps is Bump, which is available for iPhone and Android. Another trend is to use QR codes, which are like bar codes, that people can scan with a QR code smartphone app to download contact information or other information about your business. There are lots of free QR code generators online, so just search for them. Here is a good list of QR code generators.