Anyone can print out a black and white business card, but does anyone want to? For the professional, such cards smack of amateurism and don’t convey the proper image. For personal use, such cards are cheesy and more likely to be laughed off than kept for use. On the other hand, a nice full color business card with graphics and perhaps a photo convey exactly what a good business card should. Printing your own business cards from home for free is easy when you have the right tools.
Let’s be honest, the best design and layout on the planet will fall brutally flat if printed on some cheapo card stock. If your paper leaves behind the teel tale signs of perforation on the edges, get new paper. Also, ensure that the paper feels like a business card in your hand. Print on the heaviest cardstock your printer can handle.
Also, opt for something beyond regular paper. Linen cardstock or other paper textures will help to eliminate that homemade feel.
The key to a professional looking business card is bleeding. Bleeding is when certain design elements seem to run right off the page, or “bleed” over the edge. It is entirely possible to create great business card designs that do not bleed over the edges, but with the home printer already faced with so many things stacked against it, a card design that bleeds gives the impression of professional printing.
The standard American business card is 3.5” x 2”. To get a card design that bleeds set the dimensions at 3.75” x 2.25”. The extra printing will print into the space between cards on the full-page layout, and will be trimmed away when the cards are cut free.
In order to make bleeding work, you have to keep your text inside the finished dimensions of 3.5 x 2. Your graphics and colors however, should deliberately extend to the edges.
Now it is time to fill in your information. When it comes to professional business cards, let your creativity show in the background and your company logo, not in your type selection. For important text like your name, address, and phone number stick to the basics. Also, consider that many business cards are scanned, especially by busy high-level executives, so black on a light background for all important data is the way to go. Someone can pull up the image if your suite number got bungled by the character recognition software, but if your name gets botched, your card may never be found again.
Use these tips to help create great business cards that you can print for free from home without looking like you printed them at home.