How to Choose Business Card Paper
Business card paper contains ready-made
business cards, perforated or glued with tape, which can be separated
manually. As a rule, a sheet holds 8 to 10 business cards.
f you plan to create new business cards, take seriously
choosing business card paper. There are many varieties of business card
paper, the key characteristics and differences of the main ones are
described below.
First of all, determine which printer you're
going to use. For cards with plain design (text with black & white
graphics) a monochrome laser printer will be fine. For color designs use
an inkjet or color laser printer. Note:
Not any paper can be used in a laser
printer. Avoid using glossy, textured and magnetic paper — it may damage
a laser printer. With inkjet printers you can use any type of paper.
Let's see what kinds of business card paper can be, how they differ and what's the best way to use them.
Separation Methods
There
are different ways to hold business cards in place on the sheet, and
they determine the look of the cards after they are separated. Perforated cards
have slightly rough edges after you separate them, however, they normally cost 50% less than smooth edge cards. Cards with smooth edges
look more professional.
Such cards are cut in advance and placed on thin base paper or secured
by sticky tape from the back. When you separate the cards, their edges
are perfectly clean.
Coating
Business
cards can be glossy, matte, textured and regular. If you have a photo
image on the card, use glossy paper. Such paper may cost twice as much
as regular paper, but the quality will be brilliant on an inkjet
printer.
Use textured paper to add unique look to your cards. Note:
Don't forget that glossy and textured cards are not compatible with laser printers!
Distance between cards
If
you want to print a card that has a background image that covers the
entire card, choose the paper with gaps between cards (normally there'll
be 8 cards per sheet). Business Card Composer will extend the
background slightly over the card, to avoid positioning problems.
Why Should I Print My Own Business Cards?
• No Minimum Order Quantities. Print as many or as few cards as you need, when you need them. So, if you only need 20 cards, then just print 20 cards (instead of having to order 500 from a printer).
• Customizable. Because you can print as few as 10 cards at a time, you can change your business cards as often you’d like. For example, you might want to feature a “product of the month” on the back of your card. Or maybe you want to promote upcoming events or advertise time sensitive promotions. And how often have you had to throw away a box of business cards because your phone # or e-mail address changed or you were given a new title? What a waste!
• Available Right Away. Uh oh... you just realized you ran out of business cards as you’re packing for a business trip or preparing for a big meeting tomorrow. Not to worry. You don’t have to wait days or weeks for a printer to print and ship your cards or pay a huge fee for expedited shipping. Just print off a few sheets of business cards and your problem is solved in minutes.
• Affordable. In most cases, if you need less than 500 cards at a time, it’s cheaper to print your own cards than to order them online or from a printer¹. Online printers may lure you in with an attractive offer, but then they often charge extra fees for backside printing, color printing, uploading your logo, proofing, better cardstock, different colors, textures or finishes, etc. Do the math--figure out the cost per card after all these fees are added.
|