Shopping on line can be easy, simple and save you lots of money. It can also take a lot of your time, frustrate you, and result in unwanted purchases. Now the same can be said for regular high street shopping, but with the vast opportunity presented by the Internet it will pay you to spend a few minutes reading this and understanding how to better optimize your Business Card shopping experience:
1. Compare - without doubt the biggest advantage that the Business Card offers shoppers today is the ability to compare thousands of Business Card at a time. This is a great thing, but not necessarily all the time! Too much can be daunting at times so take advantage of the great comparison sites and where possible let them do the hard work for you.
2. Research - if it has been said it will be on the internet. Ignorance is no longer a justifiable reason for buying the wrong thing. Take the time to research in detail everything that you could possible want to know about
3. Testimonials - don't know anybody that has bought a Business Card? Wrong! If the Business Card is good the internet will let you know. Use the Internet as a friend and get testimonials before you buy.
4. Questions - Got a question about Business Card then search the Forums, FAQ's, Blogs etc. Don't be afraid to ask .....
5. Reputation - Never heard of the company selling Business Card? Don't worry, no reason why you should know every company in the world, but you know someone that does! Use the internet to find out what people are saying about Business Card and build up a picture of their reputation for sales, returns, customer service, delivery etc.
6. Returns - still worried that even after all of the above your Business Card wont be what you want? Check out the returns policy. There is so much competition now that someone, somewhere is bound to offer the terms that you are comfortable with.
7. Feedback - happy with your Business Card then let people know, after all you are depending on others people input in your buying decision, so why not give a little back.
8. Security - check for the yellow padlock on the Business Card site before you buy, and the s after http:/ /i.e. https:// = a secure site
9. Contact - got a question about Business Card, or want to leave a comment then check out the sites contact page. Reputable companies have them and respond.
10. Payment - ready to pay for your Business Card, then use your credit card or PayPal! Be aware of companies that don't accept them, there may be genuine reasons but given the huge amount of choice you have when buying online there is no reason at all not to buy via credit card or PayPal.
Business cards are cards bearing business information about a company or individual. They are shared during formal introductions as a convenience and a memory aid. A business card typically includes the giver's name,
types of companies affiliation (usually with a logo) and contact information such as address (geography)es,
telephone number(s), e-mail addresses and
website. Traditionally many cards were simple black text on white stock; today a professional business card will sometimes include one or more aspects of striking visual design.
Business cards are frequently used during sales calls (visits) to provide potential customers with a means to contact the business or representative of the business.
Business cards evolved from a fusion of traditional trade cards and
visiting cards.
Visiting cards (also known as
calling cards) first appeared in
China in the 15th century, and in
Europe in the 17th century. The footmen of aristocrats and of
royal family would deliver these first European visiting cards to the servant (domestic) of their prospective hosts solemnly introducing their arrival.
Visiting cards became an indispensable tool of
etiquette, with sophisticated rules governing their use. The aristocracies of
North America and the rest of Europe adopted the practice from France and United Kingdom etiquette.
Visiting cards included refined engraved ornaments and fantastic coat of arms. The visiting cards served as tangible evidence of the meeting of social obligations. The stack of cards in the card tray in the hall was a handy catalog of exactly who had called and whose calls one should reciprocate. They also provided a streamlined letter of introduction.
With the passage of time, visiting cards became an essential accessory to any 19th-century upper class or middle class lady or gentleman. Visiting cards were not generally used among country folk or the working classes.
Trade cards first became popular at the beginning of the 17th century in London. These functioned as advertising and also as maps, directing the public to merchants' stores, as no formal street address numbering system existed at the time.
Businesses used their cards as marks of distinction and thus introduced the first modifications in their design. Later, as the growing demand for the cards boosted the development of color printing, more sophisticated card designs appeared, making the cards works of art.
The trend toward fanciful trade cards was balanced by the pragmatic need of a growing group of private
entrepreneurs who had a constant need to exchange contact information. These users often started to print out their own cheaper business cards.
Dimensions
{| class="wikitable"!Standard!!Dimensions (mm)!!Dimensions (in)|-|ISO 7810 ID-1, credit card sized], Paper size sized|74 × 52|2.913 × 2.047|-|Australia/
New Zealand (most common)] (most common)|89 × 51|3.5 × 2|-|Yongō, used in [Japan (most common)|85 × 55|3.346 × 2.165|}
In print
Business cards are printed on some form of
card stock with exact parameters dependent on national or local norms, the desired effect and method of printing, and cost. In general business cards use stock that is 400g/m² (weight) or 12pt (thickness).
High quality business cards without full-color photographs are normally printed using spot colors on sheetfed
offset printing presses. Some companies have gone so far as to trademark their spot colors (examples are
United Parcel Service brown,
Los Angeles Lakers' purple, and Tide (detergent)'s orange). If a business card logo is a single color and the type is another color, the process is considered two color. More spot colors can be added depending on the needs of the card.
To simulate the "raised-print" effect of printing with engraved plates, a less-expensive process called thermography was developed that uses the application of a plastic powder, which adheres to the wet ink. The cards are then passed through a heating unit, which melts the plastic onto the card.
Full color cards, or cards that use many colors, are printed on sheetfed presses as well; however, they use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black)
four-color printing process. Screens of each color overprinted on one another create a wide gamut of color. The downside to this printing method is that screened colors if examined closely will reveal tiny dots, whereas spot color cards are printed solid in most cases. Spot colors should be used for simple cards with line art.
Some terminology in reference to full color printing:
- 4/0 - Full Color Front / No Back
- 4/1 - Full Color Front / Black & White Back
- 4/4 - Full Color Front / Full Color Back
These names are pronounced as "four over zero" or "four over four."
A business card can also be coated with a UV glossy coat. The coat is applied just like another ink using an additional unit on a sheetfed
Printing press. That being said, UV coats can also be applied as a spot coating - meaning areas can be coated, and other areas can be left uncoated. This creates additional design potential.
Business Cards can also be printed with a digital copier, which uses toner baked onto the surface of the card. Generally these cards have to be printed on lighter stocks so as to not damage the copier. To compensate for this a UV coating or plastic lamination can be applied to thicken the cards up and make them more durable.
UV coats, and other coatings such as Aqueous Coatings are used to speed manufacturing of the cards. Cards that are not dry will "offset" which means the ink from the front of one card will end up on the back of the next one. UV coatings are generally highly glossy but are more likely to fingerprint, while aqueous coatings are not noticeable but increase the life of the card. It is possible to use a dull aqueous coating on uncoated stock and get some very durable uncoated cards.
When cards are designed, they are given
Bleed (printing) if color extends to the edge of the finished cut size. (A bleed is the extension of printed lines or colors beyond the line where the paper it is printed on will be cut.) This is to help ensure that the paper will cut without white edges due to very small differences in where the blade cuts the cards, and it is almost impossible to cut the cards properly without. Just being a hair off can result in white lines, and the blade itself will pull the paper while cutting. The image on the paper can also shift from page to page which is called a bounce, which is generally off by a hairline on an offset press, but can be quite larger on lower end equipment such as a copier or a duplicator press. Bleeds are typically an extra 1/8 to 1/4 in to all sides of the card.
- Bleed Size: 3.75 x 2.25 in (1/8" bleeds) (95.25 by 57.15 mm)
- Cut Size: 3.5 x 2 in (89 by 51 mm)
Other formats
Recent technological advances have made
CD-ROM "business cards" possible which can hold about 35 to 100
megabyte of data. These cards may be square, round or oblong but are approximately the same size as a conventional business card. CD business cards are designed to fit within the 80 mm tray of a computer's CD-ROM drive. They are playable in most computer CD drives, however do not work in slot-loading drives. Despite the ability to include dynamic presentations and a great deal of data, these discs are not in common use as business cards.
Most
handheld computers have the ability to "beam" (send through
Infrared Data Association or Bluetooth communication) an electronic business card, eliminating the need for the recipient to re-key the contact information. This is also done via
SMS on most mobile telephones.
There are also specialty business cards that are made from plastic (Polyvinyl chloride), metal, cloth, magnets and even real wood. For the most part, these special material business cards are the same size as standard but typically are rounded on the corners / edges.Although paper business cards are by far the most used, these "other" material cards are popular amongst companies that require a unique look.
Collecting
There are a small number of people who collect and trade business cards, especially antique ones.
See also
- meishi
- QSL card
- vCard
- MiniCards
External links
- International Business Card Collectors
- Canadian Business Card Collectors
Business cards are cards bearing business information about a company or individual. They are shared during formal introductions as a convenience and a memory aid. A business card typically includes the giver's name,
types of companies affiliation (usually with a
logo) and contact information such as address (geography)es, telephone number(s),
e-mail addresses and
website. Traditionally many cards were simple black text on white stock; today a professional business card will sometimes include one or more aspects of striking visual design.
Business cards are frequently used during sales calls (visits) to provide potential customers with a means to contact the business or representative of the business.
Business cards evolved from a fusion of traditional trade cards and
visiting cards.
Visiting cards (also known as
calling cards) first appeared in
China in the 15th century, and in
Europe in the 17th century. The footmen of aristocrats and of royal family would deliver these first European visiting cards to the servant (domestic) of their prospective hosts solemnly introducing their arrival.
Visiting cards became an indispensable tool of
etiquette, with sophisticated rules governing their use. The aristocracies of
North America and the rest of Europe adopted the practice from France and United Kingdom etiquette.
Visiting cards included refined engraved ornaments and fantastic
coat of arms. The visiting cards served as tangible evidence of the meeting of social obligations. The stack of cards in the card tray in the hall was a handy catalog of exactly who had called and whose calls one should reciprocate. They also provided a streamlined letter of introduction.
With the passage of time, visiting cards became an essential accessory to any 19th-century
upper class or middle class lady or gentleman. Visiting cards were not generally used among country folk or the
working classes.
Trade cards first became popular at the beginning of the 17th century in London. These functioned as advertising and also as maps, directing the public to merchants' stores, as no formal street address numbering system existed at the time.
Businesses used their cards as marks of distinction and thus introduced the first modifications in their design. Later, as the growing demand for the cards boosted the development of color
printing, more sophisticated card designs appeared, making the cards works of
art.
The trend toward fanciful trade cards was balanced by the pragmatic need of a growing group of private
entrepreneurs who had a constant need to exchange contact information. These users often started to print out their own cheaper business cards.
Dimensions
{| class="wikitable"!Standard!!Dimensions (mm)!!Dimensions (in)|-|ISO 7810 ID-1,
credit card sized], Paper size sized|74 × 52|2.913 × 2.047|-|
Australia/
New Zealand (most common)] (most common)|89 × 51|3.5 × 2|-|Yongō, used in [Japan (most common)|85 × 55|3.346 × 2.165|}
In print
Business cards are printed on some form of card stock with exact parameters dependent on national or local norms, the desired effect and method of printing, and cost. In general business cards use stock that is 400g/m² (weight) or 12pt (thickness).
High quality business cards without full-color photographs are normally printed using spot colors on sheetfed
offset printing presses. Some companies have gone so far as to trademark their spot colors (examples are
United Parcel Service brown,
Los Angeles Lakers' purple, and
Tide (detergent)'s orange). If a business card logo is a single color and the type is another color, the process is considered two color. More spot colors can be added depending on the needs of the card.
To simulate the "raised-print" effect of printing with engraved plates, a less-expensive process called
thermography was developed that uses the application of a plastic powder, which adheres to the wet ink. The cards are then passed through a heating unit, which melts the plastic onto the card.
Full color cards, or cards that use many colors, are printed on sheetfed presses as well; however, they use the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow, and black) four-color printing process. Screens of each color overprinted on one another create a wide gamut of color. The downside to this printing method is that screened colors if examined closely will reveal tiny dots, whereas spot color cards are printed solid in most cases. Spot colors should be used for simple cards with line art.
Some terminology in reference to full color printing:
- 4/0 - Full Color Front / No Back
- 4/1 - Full Color Front / Black & White Back
- 4/4 - Full Color Front / Full Color Back
These names are pronounced as "four over zero" or "four over four."
A business card can also be coated with a UV glossy coat. The coat is applied just like another ink using an additional unit on a sheetfed Printing press. That being said, UV coats can also be applied as a spot coating - meaning areas can be coated, and other areas can be left uncoated. This creates additional design potential.
Business Cards can also be printed with a digital copier, which uses toner baked onto the surface of the card. Generally these cards have to be printed on lighter stocks so as to not damage the copier. To compensate for this a UV coating or plastic lamination can be applied to thicken the cards up and make them more durable.
UV coats, and other coatings such as Aqueous Coatings are used to speed manufacturing of the cards. Cards that are not dry will "offset" which means the ink from the front of one card will end up on the back of the next one. UV coatings are generally highly glossy but are more likely to fingerprint, while aqueous coatings are not noticeable but increase the life of the card. It is possible to use a dull aqueous coating on uncoated stock and get some very durable uncoated cards.
When cards are designed, they are given Bleed (printing) if color extends to the edge of the finished cut size. (A bleed is the extension of printed lines or colors beyond the line where the paper it is printed on will be cut.) This is to help ensure that the paper will cut without white edges due to very small differences in where the blade cuts the cards, and it is almost impossible to cut the cards properly without. Just being a hair off can result in white lines, and the blade itself will pull the paper while cutting. The image on the paper can also shift from page to page which is called a bounce, which is generally off by a hairline on an offset press, but can be quite larger on lower end equipment such as a copier or a duplicator press. Bleeds are typically an extra 1/8 to 1/4 in to all sides of the card.
- Bleed Size: 3.75 x 2.25 in (1/8" bleeds) (95.25 by 57.15 mm)
- Cut Size: 3.5 x 2 in (89 by 51 mm)
Other formats
Recent technological advances have made
CD-ROM "business cards" possible which can hold about 35 to 100 megabyte of data. These cards may be square, round or oblong but are approximately the same size as a conventional business card. CD business cards are designed to fit within the 80 mm tray of a computer's CD-ROM drive. They are playable in most computer CD drives, however do not work in slot-loading drives. Despite the ability to include dynamic presentations and a great deal of data, these discs are not in common use as business cards.
Most handheld computers have the ability to "beam" (send through
Infrared Data Association or Bluetooth communication) an electronic business card, eliminating the need for the recipient to re-key the contact information. This is also done via
SMS on most mobile telephones.
There are also specialty business cards that are made from plastic (
Polyvinyl chloride), metal, cloth, magnets and even real wood. For the most part, these special material business cards are the same size as standard but typically are rounded on the corners / edges.Although paper business cards are by far the most used, these "other" material cards are popular amongst companies that require a unique look.
Collecting
There are a small number of people who collect and trade business cards, especially antique ones.
See also
- meishi
- QSL card
- vCard
- MiniCards
External links
- International Business Card Collectors
- Canadian Business Card Collectors
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