Stunning Business Cards
on a Shoestring Budget
A Creative Alternative
for Artisan Entrepreneurs
How to get 200 full color cards for a grand total of 99 cents!
I recently reevaluated my business card, the first design just wasn't doing it's job. My card wasn't truly representative of where I wanted my business to be going, or even really where it had been.
I realized that the traditional utilitarian contact card wasn't going to cut it for my business. My best advertisement was my artwork itself, why wasn't I using it?
Does your current card...
- Show examples of your art?
- Get noticed on a bulletin board?
- Have people saying, “Wow, that's unique!”
- Compel others to show it off?
- Command more than a two second glance and toss?
When was the last time your card...
- Led to a sale?
- Made someone ask you for an extra to give to a friend?
- Left a lasting impression?
Have you ever...
- Thrown out a card because you couldn't remember why you had it?
The most important tangible reminder of my company and how to reach me was failing. What I needed was an inexpensive, memorable, and charismatic wallet sized advertisement to draw in potential customers. The key being inexpensive.
The Traditional Approach
and
Why it Doesn't Work for Artisans
There are a ton of companies offering some exciting sounding deals on business cards. But they all had the same boring templates and charged an outrageous price per piece, or charged a more reasonable rate but you had to commit to thousands of them. The templates didn't fit my business, and neither did the cost. There are other companies that can design a custom card, or will charge you to upload your own design. Those didn't fit my criteria either.
Is your card a good representative of your business? Using generic logos, clip art, and templates used by thousands of others doesn't convey the idea that your products or services are unique. How many times have you had a conversation about what you do for a living? When you hand someone a card are they compelled to hold on to it or shove it away at the first free moment? What is your business card doing to save itself from the recycling bin?
Affordable, Full Color, Glossy Coated
Business Cards from An Unlikely Source
I met a family friend who happens to be a photographer, and her contact cards were collages of her best work digitally printed as a 4x6.
Digital Prints are the perfect choice for unforgettable business cards. The print quality is excellent, the paper is hefty and glossy, there is an actual image of what you are offering. People don't have to search hard to find your card, it stands out among the sea of many. When it has a great image people are more likely to show it to someone else, or pass it on, and that person is more likely to follow through with contact and eventually a purchase.
The print size of 4x6 is too large for normal applications, but 2x3 is the perfect fit- in-the-wallet size, which just happens to fit on the 4x6 four times. Actually, this is the way wallet size prints are delivered, as an uncut sheet of 4 images. If you rely on the photo lab to convert your image to wallet size it can cost many times more than if you convert the image yourself. The introductory prices from online photo labs make the cost of digital photo business cards affordable. Many offer up to 50 4x6 prints to new customers for only the cost of shipping. That comes to 200 wallet sized cards for as low as 99 cents!
The keys to a successful design
Think of your new photo business cards as little pocket ads. Make it a design you don't mind pinning to your coat or adding to a tee shirt. Flip to the back of a favorite magazine and look at the ads and at what techniques stand out, what are your eyes drawn to, what do you skim over? Describe your artwork and services. Put key words in bold lettering. You have only a few milliseconds to catch someone's eye from a bulletin board, take a look at one blogger's observations about what makes a business card stand out.
Transforming One into Four
Working on a shoestring means that there is some preparation time involved to arrive at the finished product.
The prints are only as good as the images you upload. The files must be at least the print resolution of 300 dots per inch or 300 dpi. Normal images on the internet are 72 dpi, and will appear grainy or pixelated. To take advantage of the introductory priced offers, combine 4 business card sized images to one 4x6 file. You don't have to use four of the same image, my business combines many styles. One person may be drawn to the flower jewelry, while another would be drawn to chainmaille; so I have a card for each. Also, since my business is primarily online, I don't have the need to display a physical address or phone number; but if your business has a store front, by all means put the address on the front or the back.
Many of the photo labs automatically crop images. If most of your info is away from the edge that is fine, but if you don't want important aspects cut off, you will have to shrink the image a little before submitting. If you want to test how much will get cropped try getting a 4x6 print at your pharmacy. I have also created a template that has worked well for my needs, and it is available by contacting me via the email link below.
The online labs sometimes print the file name or company name on the back for easy reordering. This can be remedied by covering the back with a sticky label. This can also be a nice place to put more info, like a physical address, email addresses, phone numbers, or even a tracking/discount code.
When the cards arrive you have to cut them apart. Use a paper trimmer or a ruler and rotary cutter to get easy, straight, precise cuts. I make the long center cut first, as my trimmer has markings that line up with the center line. Then I trim any blank edges followed by the final short center cut.
Before you order: Ask yourself...
- If your new cards fit the criteria from the beginning of the article.
- In a world full of artisans and entrepreneurs, how does your card stand out from the pile?
- How do I distinguish your individual style from everyone else's if I retrieve your card from my wallet?
Where to Buy
I ordered prints from 4 different labs in late November 2007, all samples were of very similar quality and arrived very promptly. Most of the online photo places require you to place your order for free prints within 7 days of sign up, so don't sign up until you are ready with your new business card design.
| Image Processor | Number of Prints | Final Price |
| York Photo | 50 | $5.44 |
| Clark Color Labs | 40 | $2.95 |
| dotPhoto | 50 | $3.85 |
| Wink Flash | 50 | $0.99 |
Support the Site
If this article has inspired you to make new business cards, you can support this site by allowing me to refer you to some of the different print labs. This one time mailing per lab earns the referer more free prints, and you were going to sign up anyway... so please consider it. I also have been receiving some special coupon codes for up to 20% off an entire order, and some other promo codes for $5.00 off without a minimum purchase amount. I can pass these coupon codes on as well as the template I used to create my cards. Just send an email. Thanks so much, and enjoy all the new business!
If you need any help with your design, photo editing or wording on your card, I would be glad to consult with you. I can create 2 completely different card designs at print quality (300 dpi )as long as you supply your own original images for just $25, or 4 designs for only $40. The images would then be yours to print as many times as you like.