Buying Business Cards
I’m starting to get low on business cards, I’ve been handing them out like they were candy and unfortunately the company I used to go through decided to update their pricing, so I’ve been surfing the ‘net looking for a few new places. I came across GreatFX Business Cards, and they look rather promising. I already have a template created, and luckily they give me the option of uploading the template to their server and they print them from there. I think I’m going to go with a glossy card this time, the basic flat design that I was using before isn’t really saying much to me anymore. Yes, I know “Krissy, it’s just a card with info” but based on how I like to control every aspect of things, of course I’m going to make sure it’s an interesting looking card to hand out.
It’s kind of like the card my step-father gave me in regards to his tattoo place. One of the artists drew a design, they sent it in for their two-sided business cards and they glossed it over. Based on that alone (instead of the very dull boring one I got from my tattoo place) I found this other place a little more appealing. It sounds dumb, I’m sure, but a card is a card and unless there’s something unique about it, I don’t pay much attention to it.
This GreatFX place also does magnets too, I don’t know if I’d ever get into the magnets business. However, I’ve seen fridges that are LOADED with them because it’s easy access from the kitchen phone to search for your favorite eatery and find the number. I can get about $1,000 cards for $69, which really isn’t a bad price at all. I was paying about $80 through the previous company and if I wanted a glossed image that would probably cost me about $100, so saving $30 is always a good deal to me.
In order to bring in some business I keep them pinned up on pin-boards in almost every supermarket and store I visit that offers that kind of advertising to their customers. I can’t tell you how many clients I’ve had in the past that only found me because they walked past my card when they were on their way home from the store. So it’s an inexpensive way to bring in some decent business. I think one of the largest accounts I landed through business card advertising was in the $15k range. Most people don’t make that in a year, I did it in a month. Thank goodness for cheap advertising that’s visually appealing – right?
Nice Blog Krissy. I am a controle freak too.
There is a new company specializing in business cards and postcards out there call Bizcard.com they have tens of thousands of really cool designs templates to choose from, most of them are totally customizable with this really cool advanced editor that really puts you in control over the entire look and feel of your designs. Its like some fancy Desktop Publishing software except I don’t have buy it and it takes just minuets to learn. You can change the sizes, the colors, of everything including the designs them selves not just the text like many other online printers and you can change all the text too including the layout the fonts and so much more.
I am starting a new business and I have done a lot of work with them in the past few months, they have no upload fee’s for the images make my self with a digital camera or in photo paint and they produce a good quality product on quality paper. The best part is they have a color managed workflow so if your like me don’t know if your are files set-up correctly for print and often get weird dead looking images from your RGB digital camera files or other graphics I made my self, their system detects the file settings and automatically optimizes it for CMYK printing and shows you a PDF preview of your uploaded design with the color simulated as it would look when printed in CMYK on their printing presses so you know what it is going to look like (good or bad) before you execute the order. Like that blue in Microsoft word that always looks dead when printing it, they show it to you dead before you print so you can fix-it and re upload it. Very Nice! They keep adding new feature like every couple of weeks & I know they were talking about adding a lot more paper options and rounded corners and new products in the future maybe they have those features now.
Krissy krissy krissy… Why did you not come to me?! I can get you printing – AWESOME quality at cost – Nice satin finish business cards or spot UV or whatever… MUCH cheaper. Write me, we’ll talk… trust me I’ve been in the business a long time!!
By the way… LOVE this month’s blog design!! What font is that?!