Design your own cards with free downloadable templates online and have them shipped to you without any of the hassle of choosing paper and trying to get your cantankerous printer to print them. First, do a little research to make informed decisions regarding size, colors, designs, logos, and what information you want on your business card. An article at http://www.businessknowhow.com/marketing/bcunforg.htm provides some great insights into what makes business cards stand out to add to your marketability so check it out and get ideas. Similarly, I found a helpful tutorial on how to design a business card at http://www.southworth.com/page.php?id=189.
There are many different design options available at different sites, so if you don’t like the designs offered, then keep searching. The free part obviously limits your options. I used templates available at http://www.vistaprint.com/vp/business_cardsVistaprint.com. The instructions were easy enough for a novice user, most of the general categories you find are geared toward small and home based businesses, and the customization process is a snap. On this site you are presented with design options along with the fields to enter your personal and business information. Use the fields you need and delete the rest. Of course, most free offers are like the shiny lures that serve to bring the fish into the boat, but if your small business has a limited budget, ignore the upgrades (which will cost money) and swim on . If you do want to upgrade now, they’ll give you more design options and stock choices. Vistaprint.com is confident that the quality of their free stuff will bring you back as a paying customer.
After you’ve finished the easy step-by-step process to design your card, you just choose the type and quality of paper for them to print it on. Vistaprint sends you 250. Most of these printing companies will mail you the same amount, plus or minus 100. The cost of shipping depends on how fast you want them. Your online order will specify the type of paper to print them on. Recommendations and suggestions are abundant. If you don’t want the printing company’s logo on the back of your business card, Printsmadeeeasy.com offers a logo free option. Printingforless.com also provides an easy four step process which produced a quality end product. If you don’t mind printing your cards at home, then refer to my article, Business Cards Free and Easy on Brighthub.com.
Broderbund, Serif and Microsoft all have bundled desktop publishing software with the capability to design and print business related materials including personal business cards. Desktop publishing software like that might be a good option if you foresee lot of desktop publishing needs in your future. Brighthub.com has many helpful reviews on that type of software. However, the business cards these printing companies have available are perfect for a shoestring budget. Just be extremely careful in checking over your work and have a friend or colleague proof it before sending it off to the printers. You don’t want a whole lot of free typos.