Month: May 2020

On a Tight Budget? Inexpensive Business Cards to Choose from

You already have an eye-catching design and you only plan to order inexpensive business cards. But if you want to make a lasting first impression, you need to think about the base material as well. The overall look of your business card will be remembered by the recipient of the card, so you need to come up with a cost-effective option that still looks mighty impressive. So what are your options? The good news is that there are many inexpensive materials for business cards, as well as finishes that would not cost so much, but the end result would still look great.

Here are a few examples:

• 14-pt. Business Cards

There are printing companies that can create inexpensive business cards for you, without compromising on quality. 14-pt. card stock business cards have 43% the thickness of a credit card. In terms of finish, you can go for smooth matte, glossy, or silk spot UV. Smooth matte business cards are a simple but elegant option. If you want a bit of flare, choose glossy business cards – especially if your design has photos or illustrations on it. The application of gloss enhances the colors in a photograph. For designs where there is a stark color contrast, silk spot UV business cards are your best bet. For this, a flat gloss layer is added onto the logo or a name, to highlight that specific portion.

• Cheap Business Cards with a Pearl Metallic Finish

Another elegant yet inexpensive option is pearl metallic business cards. These also use 14-pt. paper stock, while the base material is a metallic cotton blend. The resulting texture is that of a brilliant pearl color with a metallic sheen to it – similar to what is used in wedding invitations.

Even if you are on a tight budget, you do not have to end up handing out cheap-looking, cardboard-thin business cards. By choosing a suitable material, coming up with a striking design, and choosing a reliable printing company, you can have elegant-looking cards that will truly impress your business clients.

Steps to Follow when You Order the Best Business Cards

Would you like to order the best business cards but don’t know where to start? Here are a few easy steps that you can follow:

1. Know what information to include in the business card.

Whether it’s your first time to design a business card or if you simply want to update your existing one, it pays to do your research and learn which information to include. Business cards are a representation of your work as a professional or your company if you’re an employee. For entrepreneurs, it is important to include your company name and logo – as well as your name and position. If you’re an employee, the company logo and your job position should be included.

Also consider including your website URL, telephone or mobile number, office address, and email address. You don’t have to include everything, however. If you are running a purely online business, for example, there is no need for you to include an office address. You can also include cool features like a QR code which, when scanned, will lead customers to your website.

2. Come up with a design.

Next, come up with a design that suits your brand’s image. If you are printing out personal business cards and you’re in real estate, for example, you might want to include your photo or a collage of the properties you recently sold. If you are selling handmade jewelry, make sure that the design of the card is as creative as your line of products. Those in the legal industry may opt for a more formal design. The gist is that you should use a design that complements your brand and industry.

3. Decide on the paper stock, size, and finish.

Next, choose the size of the business card. The standard is 3.5” x 2”, but you can go with square business cards or European size which is a bit larger than the standard US size. In terms of paper stock, the thicker the paper, the better. When it comes to finish, you can choose from linen, suede, cotton, silk, brown kraft, metallic ink, foil stamped, spot UV – the possibilities are endless. You also have the option to go with a non-landscape orientation or rounded edges to make your card stand out.

4. Look for a reliable printing company.

Finally, when you order business cards, make sure to look for a reliable printing company with extensive experience in the field. There are digital and offset printing service providers out there. Digital printing is good for small batches but if you’re ordering in bulk and you want more professional-looking results, offset is the way to go. These make use of huge printing presses and can produce hundreds to thousands of copies almost instantaneously once the design is set. Also check on the turnaround time, costs, minimum order, and quality of customer service offered.

By following these steps, you can order the best business cards to represent your brand with.

Luxuriously Smooth: Soft Touch Business Cards

Did you know that with a special lamination process, paper can be turned into something with a fabric-like texture, examples of which are suede business cards? Similar to silk and linen, suede business cards are finished using a lamination process to achieve that fabric-like effect. When you give business cards like these to your clients, they will truly be impressed because of how luxurious the material feels once held. Another advantage of going with soft touch business cards with a fabric-like finish is that they are made from thick paper stock. Soft touch suede business cards, for example, are made using 19-pt. laminated cardstock which has 60% the thickness of a credit card. When combined with high-quality offset printing, you can have an impressive business card that will last for practically a lifetime.

Special Add-On Finish for Soft Touch Business Cards

When looking for printing companies to create your soft touch business cards, make sure that they use the offset printing method. Unlike digital printers, offset printers can handle complex laminating processes – and the printing results are more professional-looking. If you would like to order soft touch laminate business cards from printing companies, here are the top three finishes that you can choose from:

 

1. Ultra-Soft Touch Matte Suede

If you think that your design would not look good on shiny surface, go for ultra-soft touch matte suede business cards. These have the same thickness as other soft touch business cards, minus the shine or gloss.

2. Raised Spot UV Gloss Suede

For elegant business cards with a formal design, raised spot UV gloss suede might just be the finish you’re looking for. The uncoated surface is designed with chrome foil on top to achieve a metallic color which can be gold, silver, or copper.

3. Raised Foil Stamped Suede

If you want to have an almost engraved effect on your business card, go with the raised foil stamped suede finish. Unlike raised spot UV gloss, this effect can be done in non-metallic colors like blue, orange, yellow, purple, red, or pink. This is perfect for business card designs for more creative industries.

If you’re planning to have business cards made, which of these soft touch finishes would you choose?

High Impact, Low Maintenance: Why It Pays to Invest in Silk Cards

When you compare handing over a business card printed in thin linen cardboard with thick, laminated business cards that have professional-looking print – which do you think will impress customers? The latter, of course. These days, branding is all about image. If a customer perceives your business card as cheap and haphazardly put together, they will equate the same characteristics to your business. On the other hand, if your business cards are luxurious, thick, and professional-looking, customers will be equally impressed with your brand. This is precisely the reason why it pays to invest in silk cards.

Silk Cards are High Impact, Low Maintenance

Depending on the design and colors that you will use, here are the types of finishes that you can go with when having silk business cards printed out: Depending on the design and colors that you will use, here are the types of finishes that you can go with when having silk business cards printed out:

1. Matte Silk

Matte silk business cards are non-shiny, but the surface retains that silky-smooth finish. If you want something that’s straightforward, this is for you.

2. Foil Stamped

Silk If you want to highlight your company name or logo and you have a bold business card design, foil stamped silk is the way to go. This lamination process uses heat rolling to add red, blue, silver, gold, black, or copper-colored foil on the card. This is great for those who want their business cards to stand out.

3. Silk Spot UV

There’s also the spot UV treatment where a flat layer of gloss is added to specific areas on the card. This could be the border, the brand name, or logo. This is a great choice for business card designs with highly contrasting colors.

Silk cards are usually made from 17-pt. cardstock which has 54% the thickness of a credit card. This feels thick to the hand, while the silky-smooth surface of the laminated paper feels extra luxurious. Another advantage of going for this type of business card is that the lamination process makes the material ten times stronger than non-laminated cards.

All in all, silk business cards high impact – which means that they leave a lasting impression and they’re also low maintenance because of the durability of the material. What more can you ask for from a printed promotional material?

Smooth Matte Custom Business Cards: An Oldie but Goodie

There was a time when the default choice for printing custom business cards was linen cards which could be made from either thin or thick paper stock. These days, you can choose from different sizes, materials, and finishes. If you want to go with an oldie but goodie, however, smooth matte business cards are a great option.

Here are the characteristics of smooth matte business cards if you are interested in having them printed out:

• As the name implies, these business cards have a smooth matte surface. Unlike glossy business cards which have a shiny surface or uncoated business cards which have no shine at all, smooth matte cards have zero glare when placed under the light. They are also smooth to the touch, making them a still luxurious option when it comes to business cards printing.

• You can take your pick from different paper stocks: – 16-pt. premium paper- 17-pt. silk laminated paper – 19-pt. soft touch suede paper These paper stocks have varying thickness and different finishes. The most popular is the 19-pt. paper stock, although you can always go with the thinner varieties.

The smooth matte finish may be a classic choice, but you can add a twist to it by going for special features. For instance, instead of choosing a standard-sized card measuring 3.5” x 2”, you can go for square business cards, slim skinny business cards, or European size business cards. Instead of a landscape orientation, you can design the card in such a way that it is laid out with a portrait orientation. You can also go with a unique material like clear or frosted plastic, with rounded or straight edges.

When looking for a business card printing, don’t hesitate to go with a seemingly traditional choice like smooth matte. It may not be as showy as super-shiny business cards, but it does not hurt to stick with a classic. With smooth matte business cards that are well-designed, you can leave a lasting impression to whomever you will give the card – one that also reflects perfectly on your brand.

A Wide Array of Ways to Use Custom Postcards for Marketing Your Brand

Did you know that according to the United States Postal Service, custom postcards are marketing materials which are most likely to be scanned or read? Also, more than half of customers said that they have read postcards over sales letters, and more than 23% said that they have responded to postcards which are relevant to them. These numbers mean that if you are not using postcard printing as part of your promotional campaign, you are clearly missing out.

Numerous Ways to Use Postcards for Marketing

As you may already know, postcards are printed marketing materials sent to customers over the mail. There are many printing companies that can create cheap postcards and even mail them out for you. The question is, how will you use the postcards in order to push your marketing agenda? Here are a few creative ways to utilize them:

• Distribute postcards to announce an in-store or website event. Whether you have a physical or online store, you can mail out postcards to announce a store opening, an online store sale, or similar event.

• Turn postcards into discount vouchers or coupons.

Customers will not even bother reading your brochure or flyer if they will not get anything out of it – so use postcards to offer benefits. If you’re using an envelope, indicate that there is a discount coupon or voucher inside. Recipients are more likely to open the mailer and keep the postcard for future use if there’s something in it for them.

• Use them as greeting cards to build customer loyalty.

Postcard marketing is effective if you will send out postcards with just the right frequency: not too often that it feels spammy, but not too infrequent that they will totally forget about your brand. One way to increase the frequency of your mailers is to use postcards as greeting cards, especially during the holiday season. This is a great way to establish customer loyalty.

• Send a postcard birthday greeting to your customer, and make sure to include freebies.

Who wouldn’t want to receive freebies during their special day? When you are first getting the mailing address of a customer, have that person include his or her birth date and mention that you send out freebies for such occasions. It can be a discount on your products or services, or a buy one get one offer.

• Use postcards to introduce a new program, product, or service.

When you’re cooking up something new, introduce it using postcards. These are cheap enough to produce but are really effective marketing tools.

With a multitude of creative uses, there’s no reason for you to say no to the prospect of using postcards for marketing your brand to your target audience.