Free Business Cards

Free Business Cards Require Software Templates

Some online vendors offer free business cards if you buy their software templates from popular word processing programs so you can print these cards on your own computer.

With any computer, print quality depends upon capability. Laser printers can produce the best output, depending upon fonts built into your word processing software. Ditto with inkjets. Printing templates are a good idea--if it works. Some Web sites have the capability to sample outputs, most do not. Before you choose any online vendor, do some test runs for printer compatibility.

Vista Print Free Business Cards

This vendor offers a line of free business cards and some 300 rather attractive business card designs. But these cards have the company logo printed on the back of the cards. For an additional fee, you can have business cards printed without the Vista logo. You pay “only for shipping and processing” with processing fees being a collection of third-party production costs, including credit card processing. What’s free is the raw material--the card stock and manufacturing.

You can see more of what they offer at Vista Print or get information by calling toll-free at 1-800-721-6214.

Southworth

Southworth (800-225-1839) is a quality paper manufacturer offering a premium line of stocks. The company claims its business card template designs have standard business card size formats compatible with “all common software.” The stock itself is perforated, which Southworth claims separates easily producing smooth edges.

For $13 plus shipping, you can get 25 sheets of 80 lb, 25% cotton white Vellum stock offered in an 8 ½" x 11" sheet package that will produce 250 cards. The stock is inkjet and laser compatible. Southworth cautions that some “adjustments” may be necessary for output to correctly fit the page.

Avery Business Cards

Offers Avery’s online software to print out 10 low-cost cards onto a sheet of Avery stock in a layout of your choice. Stock color logos and a variety of fonts are available. However print quality will depend upon the type of font used and your printer, so it will require some experimentation before you find a combination you like. Avery currently doesn’t support Apple printers, but you can always buy the stock and use a word processing or page layout program to design your own free business cards.

Avery Clean Edge Business card blanks are available for 13-$30 from Staples Office Max and Office Depot. Avery’s Web site’s pricing information was unavailable, but you can check their products at Avery Online Product Catalog.

Free Business Card Recommendations

“Free” business cards are hardly that. A check of online vendors resulted in no recommendations that can be made for small business owners. In fact, in most cases you can get a better deal by buying business cards locally from an office supply store or printer.

While some online vendors offer some promise, prices for added services and fees quickly offset convenience. The professional quality small business owners need seems lacking. Some business cards are indeed offered free when you purchase other products such as letterhead and envelopes. If you need a package deal, this might be the best bet.

The best free business cards are the ones that you print yourself using software you already own. This will require some expertise and costs because no matter how careful you are, some of the perforated sheets will not print straight. Feeder rollers in printers produce variations when paper is pulled through the machine.

Commercial printers experience a similar problem and must adjust their equipment to allow for typesetting variations or paper feed. These set-up costs and the resulting paper losses are factored into the cost of the product. The customer pays for this as a cost of doing business.

While several online vendors have interesting designs, most of the Web sites seem targeted to young people who are not business-minded. Having a business card representing your company with the printing company’s logo printed on it, doesn’t smack of professionalism. It’s a red flag that shouts: “Amateur!”

Take the time to visit your office supply store or take a trip to your local printer. It will be faster and you’ll have a local source for changes and reorders.