Will You Really Save Money with DIY Inexpensive Business Cards?

If you’re a small business owner, you might think that you are saving money by purchasing a desktop printer for all your printed marketing needs instead of ordering inexpensive business cards from professional printing companies. Although there might be some advantages to taking the DIY or do-it-yourself route when it comes to printing promotional materials, there are a few downsides to it as well. In the next section, we will look at the pros and cons of DIY versus professional printing.

DIY versus Professional Printing

• DIY Printing 

DIY or do-it-yourself printing involves purchasing a decent desktop printer so that you can print out business cards, postcards, brochures, flyers, and similar marketing materials. Using a computer desktop printer may allow you to produce inexpensive business cards but when it comes to results, nothing beats the quality of professional printing. Business cards will make a huge impression to your customers because it’s a representation of your brand. If your desktop printer can only produce business cards that look homemade, your clients and customers will definitely not be impressed. Perhaps the only exception is when you are offering affordable products or services, so you want to create business cards that are quite simple.

Another disadvantage of DIY printing is that you still have to spend money on the hardware, paper, ink, and maintenance. If you have inexperienced staff, they might not set up the printer properly so instead of saving money, you might end up wasting even more of it due to rookie mistakes.

Professional Printing 

With professional printing, you can order inexpensive business cards without compromising on quality. There are many professional printing companies that have a purely online ordering process, so you won’t even have to visit their office. You can make use of their online design tools or downloadable templates so that you can create a design for inexpensive business cards. They might be inexpensive to order, but the results are still professional-looking and impressive.
In the end, any extra investment on hiring a professional company to print inexpensive business cards is still worth it. By leaving it to the pros, you can have high-quality business cards that will impress your customers – without spending any more than what’s necessary.

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.

Effective Ways of Designing Custom Business Cards

Inexpensive business cards could be thin with barely readable text, while custom business cards could be thick and have razor-sharp print. If you have a limited budget but you still want high-quality cards that will impress your customers, how can you design a card that’s a cross between these two? Here are a few ways to design inexpensive business cards that do not compromise on quality and aesthetics:

• Look for a reliable printing company.

Inexpensive business cards do not need to look cheap – there are plenty of printing companies to choose from, and they can give you great rates for professional-looking results. When looking for one, set a budget first then know which options they can give you for your asking price. From there, you can decide which material and finish to go with so that you can have the best-looking custom business cards.

• Know which information to include in the card.

You might think that you need to include all your contact information when creating custom business cards, but you can edit it in such a way that only the essentials are included. If you’re an online business, for example, there is no need to include an office address. If you’re a mom-and-pop establishment, the physical address is important as well as your contact number – especially if you don’t have an online presence.

• Design the card in such a way that it reflects your brand.

Next, there are designs for custom business cards that you can create which are a direct reflection of your brand. Take advantage of downloadable templates or online tools so that you can come up with the perfect design for your business card.

• To make your business card stand out, include unique features.

If you want to use the second page of custom business cards , you can include a tiny calendar or a box that a person can write notes in. If you customize women’s jewelry, you might want to use metallic ink when designing inexpensive business cards. If you’re in the legal industry, design cards which are a bit more formal and will appeal to a more mature clientele. Other unique features that you can go for are rounded-edge business cards, or standout materials like plastic or recycled paper.

• Distribute those cards!

Finally, after designing and having the inexpensive business cards printed out, you should know how to distribute them. Always bring a stack with you so that you can hand them over to potential clients, suppliers, and business partners. Include them in mailers, post them on public bulletin boards, have a stack in your office’s reception area for customers to pick, and distribute them in trade shows and similar events.