Finding the right company to produce your business cards can be difficult.

With the wide variation in pricing, service and quality it is becoming increasingly important to find the right supplier of business cards and stick with them.

Buying on cost only, often ends in tears!

The number of print companies that have gone out of business over the last few years only serves to remind the buyer that what might seem like a good deal one day could end up creating more headaches in the future.

Buying your business cards from one supplier, your letterheads from another and your brochures from yet another will probably leave you with stationery that looks as though it has been produced by multiple suppliers!

In other words the consistency of colour may be sadly lacking.

If you take your corporate image seriously then it’s very important not to immediately go with the lowest quote. If you do, then the results may not be to your liking.

Business Cards – free, or paid for?

Free business cards, or nearly free business cards.
If you are not too worried about the feel or quality of your business card, then the many free business card offerings available could be just right for you.

It’s worth remembering though, business cards that have been designed, printed, quality-checked and delivered to your home address will often reflect what you have paid for them. If you’ve only paid a few pounds, or dollars then you will probably end up with a very thin piece of board that can be embarrassing to see your name on.

• A minimum weight you should be looking for on a business card is 335gsm.
• A top-quality board will be around 400gsm.
• A free one, or ‘cheapie’ could be around 200gsm and will usually ‘advertise’ the supplier’s name on the reverse!

Read more on free business cards here.

Templates vs. bespoke

Many web-based suppliers now offer business card templates for the user. There are advantages for you, and the supplier. If your design is very basic you can quickly locate a suitable background, choose the correct font style and produce your own card in real time.

You then ‘proof’ the business card and hit the submit button, followed by your payment details. Any mistakes would be down to you. The advantage for the supplier is obvious. The artwork is pre-made and pretty much ready to print. As there is no personal service involved, the costs can be kept to a minimum.

If using a template-based system for designing your business cards is not your cup of tea, then you would need to use one of the other types of online printers, who offer a complete bespoke service. Many corporates and small businesses prefer this type of service as they can interact with a real person and get exactly what they require. For instance, laminated business cards are very popular at the moment but quite often help is required with the artwork and layout, so if you’re not comfortable doing this type of work yourself then having this done for you takes the worry out of the situation.

Another plus point is that the whole of your business stationery package can be controlled from one supplier, as many of the template sites really only just sell business cards and letterheads.

At the end of the day, it’s all down to personal choice.

What can go wrong? Read more . . .