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Cheap Business Cards

Feature Advice by Add-Ons

Design Advice Our #1 Favorite Business Cards If you are unsure of what paper type to go with, our staff by a majority loves our soft touch 19pt suede business cards. Cheap Business Cards Print Low-Cost Business Cards without Sacrificing Quality

Despite the presence of online stores, websites, and social media accounts, there still seems to be no getting away from business cards. If you want to exchange business information with someone, imagine how awkward it would be to scribble your email address or business name on a piece of paper. Without having a business card handy, the whole transaction would be ineffective, not to mention awkward. This is precisely the reason why it still pays to print affordable business cards. If you think that this endeavour can be quite costly, the good news is that there are plenty of cheap business cards that you can order online. But just because you want them to be cheap does not mean that the quality also suffers. Remember that these promotional cards are part of your branding efforts, so they should be visually pleasing. Give customers low-quality business cards and they will equate it to the quality of products or service that you provide. To do away with this, you must do your research and look for low-cost business cards that will not in any way affect the quality of the product. Designing and Printing The Cheapest Business Cards Before everything else, you need to know how to effectively design business cards. You might have the best material, finish, and print quality but if the design does not suit the image you want to portray as a brand, it will still not be considered an effective marketing tool. Perhaps the number one thing that you need to think about when designing affordable business cards is the image that you would like to portray as a brand. Are you cool, conservative, young, geared towards men or women, formal? If your target market is millennials, a design that will grab the attention of their generation could be an image that you can start with. If you have a more mature clientele, you might want to go with a formal, conservative design. Make sure that the look and feel of your logo and all your printed promotional materials are consistent all throughout. This way, one look at a notepad, letterhead, or business card that you made would easily be recognizable as “your brand”. You should also have an idea of what you want to say as a brand. This is not just through words but using your colour scheme, design, and images as well. Next, the information included in your business cards should be complete and accurate. The basic information in a typical affordable business card are: Your business name

Your name and/or job title

Your office address

Phone number (include the hours when you are available for calls)

Email address

Website and social media accounts (Facebook name, Instagram handle, etc.)

Scannable QR code which will lead users to your website when scanned

A short marketing message which could be a slogan or a tag line Given the limited space that you have with business cards, you can skip any of these details and include only what is important for you. If you must include a photograph, illustration, or logo, make sure that the image is sharp and professionally designed. Stay away from stock photography which will ruin the professional look you’re going for. As far as the typography is concerned, pay attention to even the smallest details! Again, you have a very limited space to work with so if you will use a complex font, it might not be pleasing to the eye when combined with bright colors or a bland background. Choose the font and size carefully – it should be readable, and the text must not look crowded against the small space. The colour and other elements of the design should all blend together to make one pleasant, eye-catching whole. How to Look for Cheap Business Cards You might think that you are sacrificing quality when ordering cheap business cards but that is not necessarily the case. With much resourcefulness and knowing exactly what to look for, you can find business cards cheap online companies that will print good quality contact cards for you. Here are a few tips on how to do just that: Determine the printing process used. First, determine the printing process used. If you’re a bit desperate, you might think about printing business cards yourself using the desktop printer that you have at home. This might be good for about a dozen or so copies, especially if you have photo-quality printer and ink. However, the results of at-home and professional printing are never the same. Those with a background on design, printing, or computer graphics would know whether you had a DIY (do-it-yourself) job of creating those affordable business cards – or if you had them done by a professional. For business cards cheap printing companies, the printing process can either be desktop digital or offset. Your first instinct if you are looking for cheap business cards might be to go with the more cost-effective digital printing. But you might want to think this over, because digital printing has less than half the quality of offset prints. If you need to have a huge number of business cards printed out, its capacity is also limited, and the speed of delivery might not be up to par with offset printing. All in all, desktop digital printing might be a good way to buy cheap business cards but there are better yet equally cost-effective options out there. Really, the best option would be offset printing. Printed promotional products using offset printing utilizes high-end colour technology applied on printing presses. Aluminium plates are used to transfer images onto another material, after which it is rolled out onto the paper material.

Unlike digital printing, there’s no direct contact between ink and paper. Once set up, offset printing is faster and more efficient than desktop digital printing. It also produces sharper images, more accurate colours, and an overall look that is more professional. Compare the costs offered by different printing companies. Next, if you are look for really cheap business cards and you only need a small quantity produced, digital desktop printing might be good enough. Another benefit of digital printing is that you only need to print a certain number of copies of business cards when you need to. Offset printing, on the other hand, turns out to be a lot cheaper if you need to print large quantities. In fact, the more copies of business cards you need, the cheaper the per piece price would be if you will go with offset printing. There are many offset printing companies out there. To look for one with the best price, make a list of sites with good reviews. Compare the costs of three or four printing companies, then make an informed decision from there. Check on the cheap business cards options that they offer. After narrowing down your options to two or three companies, check on the varieties of low-cost business cards that you can order from them. When it comes to the type of material, what are your options? If you want a straightforward, good quality business card, one that is made from linen with 43% the thickness of a credit card is a good option. Despite falling under the category of business cards cheap, these cards are made using offset full colour HD printing. The finish is super smooth, and you can go for unique features like a rounded corner or spot UV gloss option where a certain portion of the design is highlighted. Another basic business card package is using 14-pt. paper stock which has about 20% the thickness of a credit card. Still, this is made using full colour HD printing and you can take your pick from either a glossy or a matte finish. For the most popular business cards cheap package, you can order ones made with 16-pt. paper which has 50% the thickness of a credit card. These can be made with coloured metallic ink or spot UV gloss. There’s also the rounded corner option, and glossy or matte finish. Read the reviews. You want to have a smooth, fast, and hassle-free transaction so check out the reviews when considering several printing companies. Do they offer good customer service? Do they respond quickly to customer inquiries? What do other customers have to say about them? Do your research and check out the reviews so that you would know exactly what you’re getting into when dealing with a specific printing company. Know how fast they can deliver. If you are not in a rush to get your hands onto a set of the cheapest business cards that you need, you can wait for seven to ten business days for the delivery. This would not incur any extra costs on your part because there is no rush with the processing and delivery. But if you do need to place an order and get the business cards as soon as possible, you must pay a bit more for 24 hours delivery. Other options include two to three business days; three to four business days; and five to seven business days. If you are Ways to Ensure that the Low-Cost Business Cards Have Good Quality Let’s say that you have already chosen which printing company to order business cards cheap from, what else can you do to ensure that the albeit low-cost business cards have good quality? Despite having reasonable prices, there are companies offering good quality prints so you can get the best bang for your buck. Here are the ways to ensure that the low-cost business cards you will order have good quality: Check on the material used. If you want, you can ask the printing company to send you samples of their previous work. This would give you an idea about the material that they are using, as well as the quality of print. For the material, most low-cost business cards are made using linen paper with thickness that’s less than that of a credit card. As long as the material feels solid and substantial to the hand, this is good. You should also base the thickness of the material on the design, colours, and overall look and feel of the cheapest business card that you will print. Check on the finish. For the finish, you can choose from glossy or matte. Business cards with a glossy finish shimmers and shines against the light; while matte has a super smooth finish that does not glisten. A glossy finish usually looks more expensive and elegant, but matte works well for other paper materials, too. There are no right or wrong choices here, it is all a matter of personal preference. Check on the print quality. There are pros and cons to choosing either digital or offset printing but it all boils down to the end result. If you think that you are getting the best quality print possible despite having a limited budget, then you should go with the printing company that offers the best business cards packages. It does take a bit of research and it involves a lot of decisions about the nitty-gritty of printing, but it pays to make the right choices when it comes to ordering business cards. Being cost-effective should not equate to poor quality. You are, after all, also a business who is offering affordable products or services with high standards. The same thing should apply to your business card, which is a representation of what you are all about as a brand. How to Pick The Right Paper Feature Our lead setup technician of 14 years, Angela Moskal, speaks on picking the right paper features. Hint: Raised spot uv gloss on suede material. ANGELA MOSKAL: Hey guys! I am so delighted to help you with picking the best paper finish. As a designer myself, i often go back and forth on paper features such as gold foil, spot uv or rounded corners. My go-to always is the raised spot uv on the soft touch suede 19pt business cards. It is simply perfect for anyone looking to impress. PAPER FEATURES: • GOLD FOIL STAMPED BUSINESS CARDS (the ultimate wow card): I absolutely LOVE the look of our gold foil stamped business cards - offered on our 17pt silk laminated business cards, 19pt soft touch business cards and our 32pt business cards. Nothing impresses more than gold. May it be on jewelry, watches, business cards or any luxurious trimmings. Like all things in life, the time and place has to call for it. Gold has inspired civilizations for thousands of years, stemming back to Ancient Greece and Egypt. For business cards, the industry you are in has to call for it. It has to represent you and must be done tastefully. An all-black or all-white business cards with minimal gold foil in areas such as your name or web address whispers elegance. If you are looking to dominate an image, gold foil stamped business cards will get compliments 10 out of 10 times. You cannot ever go wrong with it but your company theme and your personality must support it. Flat foil stamping is available for our 17pt silk laminated business cards and our 32pt business cards. We also have a raised gold foil business cards on our 19pt soft touch business cards which is my personal favorite. The perfect feature that applies to all industries is the raised spot uv gloss which i discuss next. Our foil stamping also comes in many other colors such as red foil, blue foil, copper foil, or silver foil. • SPOT UV GLOSS BUSINESS CARDS (the perfect all-around feature for all industries): There is the flat spot uv gloss and the raised spot gloss effect that we offer. The raised spot gloss is a feature that allows you to add gloss only to desired areas in a heightened feel, such as a logo outline while leaving the rest of the card a natural matte finish. The flat spot uv gloss is the same effect but without the added height to the gloss. The names self describe them. Many clients do not want much flash on their card and the absolute best business card feature to always go with is the spot uv gloss. It adds a major wow effect without going overboard. It makes your logos pop much nicer. The flat spot uv is very neat but the raised spot gloss business cards are in a class of their own. You will always get the best compliments on raised gloss no matter your industry. Raised spot gloss is available on our soft touch business cards, also known as suede business cards. • ROUNDED CORNER BUSINESS CARDS: Rounded business cards have been around forever and are very popular among clients that want to show a more playful side without getting into complex features such as gold, silver, spot uv or metallic inks. You can say it is the easiest and simplest feature to a business card. The rounded edge business cards are available for most of our paper finishes such as our 14pt, 16pt, 17pt, and 19pt card stocks. • THE PERFECT BUSINESS CARD FEATURE (for all above average occasions): If I was going with just one feature it would no doubt be the raised spot uv on the soft touch business cards that have the 19pt thickness. I have yet to hear a client say they do not like them. Many call them the best business cards they have ever printed or felt. Pairing both soft touch suede and raised gloss makes it subtle but ultra-unique to the fingertips. You have to try it to appreciate it. Even clients who had no interested in anything impressive end up sticking with it on all their reprints. It does not disappoint! I hope i have helped share some of my insight and experience on my personal favorite, our staff's favorites and our client favorites which universally seems to be our soft touch suede with option raised spot uv gloss. Dream big, Angela Moskal How to Design The Perfect Business Card Our lead graphic designer of 11 years, Michael Parker, speaks on picking the perfect design. Hint: Perfection is what represents you! MICHAEL PARKER: My dear friends! A pleasure to share my lifes work with you. I have designed for clients such as NASA, Lego Toys, Whole Foods, Arm & Hammer and Warner Brothers Studios to share a few of my projects. GRAPHIC DESIGN TIPS AND ADVICE: • BEST COLORS TO USE: Colors undoubtedly play a big role in human psychology. Red says urgency, blue says safe and calm, black purs luxury, shades of green speak peacefully, orange and yellows are friendly and optimistic while gray says balance and neutrality. The colors to choose depend on the emotion to wish to evoke. Restaurant owners should always stick to black, reds, and yellows as those are warm colors that tie into food. A banker or real estate agent tends to do well with blues or greens. If you are in a creative or fun line of work, you can incorporate any color that you personally desire. There is no right or wrong, purely preference but if you are looking to add color to business cards that you wish to be safe with, it is best to follow the color emotion rules that are proven in psychology that i share above. Muted colors show a calmer tone to your business. Neon colors show excitement. If you are in any professional business the colors you choose also fall into the personality of your business. What i like to do when designing the perfect business cards is i create 2-3 very different versions and i ask the opinion of 10 people. I ask them how they feel or percieve the business based on the look. I like to stay nuetral to my work and not fall in love with it so asking others for their option in the end will be the ultimate guide to knowing if you have chosen the perfect colors. • HOW BIG TEXT SIZE SHOULD BE: TThere is no right or wrong text size but there is certainly the rule of never going below the 11pt size. Big text can always be seen as fun or creative but very small text can be frustrating and be seen as poor design work. Small text is certainly creative and modern. Small text is subtle but too small of text is a failed attempt at a modern look. The perfect font size for people of all ages, young or mature is around 12pt. If you wish to get creative you can always pair a large font at around 22pt but you should always stick to no more than 2 font suizes in one design. If you have 7 lines of text and all 7 have different sizes your business cards can look very cluttered. • WHAT CRUCIAL INFO SHOULD BE PRESENT: All contact method of your choice shall be added on there. If you do not wish to have clients call you at random hours of the day, its best to leave operation hours or an email only. Some of our clients leave just a web address as they want to drive traffic to their site and not to a phone rep. One thing for certain is you should always add your logo, the rest is purly up to you and how you wish to operate your business contacts. • WHEN TO ADD PHOTOS: Real estate agents and sales agents tend to always add photos of themselves to their color business cards as the service provided is branded to them personally. Photographers also add a landscape photo to their business card printing. Rarely ever does a photograph belong on a professional business card but if you choose to add a photograph it is always best to add it to only one side. • OVERALL PERFECTION: The perfect business card feedback i receive from clients is always one with neatly organized text that is minimal in colors (2 colors max). The best business cards tend to be simple, minimalistic but with add on features such as spot uv gloss or enhanced paper such as silk laminated business cards or soft touch business cards with suede laminate. A simple business card design can become many times more impressive just by boosting the paper thickness and feel. In all my years of designing business cards, i have found one thing that works best - when in doubt, keep it simple and go with a nicer paper. To be creative is to be truly alive, Michael Parker