I’m a paper freak. I love paper, the different textures, how it feels and sounds when you’ve written on a whole notebook of it. I like stationery, I love notebooks, and journals have a special place in my heart. I really don’t know whether I write because I love the feel of my novels printed out and bound in a book, or whether I love paper because I write. Either way, paper is a very good thing.
As an extension of that obsession (anyone remember the Paper.Obsession clique way back in the day? That was me), I have a thing for business cards. I love looking at the posts of the most creative business cards, but my real passion is just your regular 2″ x 3″ card stock.
Card Stock
A heavy weight card is imperative, in my opinion. So many people have cheap, flexible, crap business cards – some who haven’t even bothered to trim off the perforated edges of the make-them-yourself sort. Nothing screams amateur more than when you present yourself with an off-centered, raggedy edged, less than 67 lb card. It’s just nasty.
If you wonder if it really matters? It does. It completely does. There are a ton of affordable options that there really is no excuse.
Frills
Gloss is optional. Well-placed spot gloss can be amazingly effective (spot gloss is where the card is only glossy in certain areas, usually used to enhance the design). Sometimes the gloss is free, sometimes it costs you. Sometimes it just makes your card prone to finger prints. It always makes it virtually impossible to write on your cards, so think about that.
DIY
If you’re going to do it yourself because of monetary constraints, the need to be in control, or quantity limits, make sure you get the cards that will have clean edges. Avery makes a great double-sided clean-edge business card. I also am not opposed to getting a very heavy weight card stock and cutting them yourself, or taking them to someplace like Staples with a precision cutting tool that can cut a quantity at a time. But be precise. Off center = amateur.
Costs
My favorite business card ever in terms of the paper it was printed on was going to cost $200+ for 1000 cards. That’s amazingly expensive in my world, but then I’m not a customer of über high end cards, either. And they were really, really nice cards.
When ordering business cards online either from a company that will design for you or from someone who will expect you to upload your own design, make sure you get samples first. I am positively amazed at the difference in quality when looking at supposedly the same product from different companies. Since so many online business card companies offer free sample packs, go crazy. I have a tote bag filled with sample packs, and I look through them regularly to find the best quality when my agents ask questions about those particular products. It’s a very valuable resource.
Reputation
In the end, though, remember that in many occupations, you are your business card for a lot of people. You of course are best represented by your reputation, but even the best referral can be turned off by your card before meeting you.
Need help with your business card? Leave a comment and I’ll shoot you an email to see if I can help!