Business Card Design

Printed Image Must Be Clear And Readable

You’d be surprised how often entrepreneurs spend mega bucks on letterhead, envelopes and logo design without considering how these elements will or won’t work on paper. Font choices, type size and type of printing are important choices to make.

Some fonts, especially scripts, look good on a catalog page but tend to lose impact on a business card. The best fonts, Times Roman, Franklin Gothic and Palantino to name a few, have impact, especially when bolded and can be effectively used to convey the important elements of your message.

Get The Basics In Business Card Design

Company name prominently displayed, contact information clearly seen including address, phone, fax, cell phone, voice mail, Web site and email address will give your contact several options to choose from about how to reach you.

Don’t Make Your Design Too Busy

Conveying the right message doesn’t mean you should cram so much information in your message to make your business card unreadable without using a magnifying glass.

Any font can be misused by printing it too small. The business card’s purpose is to convey at a glance what you do, sell or service. Jamming the card with tiny type is amateurish and will likely result in the card being tossed. If you need a lot of information, make sure you use an offset printing process which can handle small type. Raised lettering or thermal inks are OK for most applications but sometimes tiny type fills in during the printing process.

Consider How Colors Work With Card Stocks

Ink colors works well on white stock and some colored stocks like 24# Classic Laid or Linen. But colors won’t look the same on your stock as they appear in a printer’s computer or an office supply store’s card catalog. Generally two colors is about the limit. Each color adds cost, because separate plates have to be made for each color by the printer. Each time a plate is burned, you’ll feel the impact in your wallet. And if the stock is too thin, in other words: cheap, then colors will bleed through. A good stock is 24 pounds--thick enough to have “heft” and snap when you flick it.

Shop Around For Paper Stock

The best way to make paper stock choices is to visit your local office supply store or a paper supply outlet that caters to the print trades. Ask for samples of card stocks.

You can check out the various combinations of stocks and ink colors at your office supply store’s print counter where they’ll have catalogs of thermal and offset printed business card designs for you to view.

Keep in mind that offset printed cards will probably be outsourced to local printers, so it would be worth your while to visit a local print shop and talk with the owner or production manager about the type of image you’re looking for and see what kinds of stock he recommends. A printer will know how your business card design will appear when printed. A word of caution though, the printer is in business to sell printing, so ask to see things in a budget range.

Stock Logos Are Optional

Stock images pulled from catalogs are Ok as far as they go, but remember that everybody else will be using them as well. If you haven’t yet had a logo created, then just skip it and go with a text-only card.

Ask About Typesetting

Is it done in house or farmed out? Get the lowdown on changes which are chargeable at hourly rates. Generally a typeset your business card design can be faxed to your office for a quick approval once color and stock choices are made. Ask the printer if he’ll store the plates for reorders. Reorders will be cheaper since all the printer has to do is make a print run with minimal set up. Office supply stores usually won’t have a clue about this, but may “save” your design for a limited time.

Foil Stamping Is An Expensive Option

And for those with unlimited budgets. This process stamps a thin, metallic veneer into the printed card stock. This adds expense because of set up preparations and the cost of needed dies to stamp the image. Foil stamping is done after the card stock is printed and before it‘s cut to size. They really do look sharp when done well, but will quickly eat most of your printing budget.

Avoid Business Card Design Studios

Some of these studios, not all, are graphics factories operated by those who haven’t a clue about what you need. They’ll wax eloquent about lofty “ideas” concerning images they think your business card should project based on “artsy” designs that will cost you but do little to fulfill your business card’s marketing purpose.