Why Business Cards Are Still Relevant

While many networking and marketing tools are going digital, the traditional business card doesn’t seem to be going anywhere. Here are three reasons why it’s unlikely to be replaced, and why you should always keep a stack with you.

1. They ensure a smooth transaction.

When you’re meeting someone new, fumbling with your phones to exchange contact information can be awkward. Handing off a business card is quick and smooth — you don’t have to break eye contact or interrupt the conversation. 

2. They show that you're prepared.

When someone asks you for a business card, make a good first impression by being prepared. Searching for a pen and paper can interrupt the flow, so don’t miss an opportunity to connect. A business card will convey legitimacy and professionalism.

3. They'll make the meeting memorable.

Digital information may be stored and then forgotten; business cards stick around. Furthermore, people will have important information about you at their fingertips. Instead of just a name and email, your card might have your title, website, social media, and any other pertinent information that you choose to include.

Related: 7 Tips for Designing Your Business Card

 

Coated vs. Uncoated Paper

The decision to use either coated or uncoated paper will affect the overall feel of your final product. What’s the difference between the two? Here are some of the basics.

Coated

Coated paper–as the name implies—has a coating applied to both sides. It provides a smooth finish, which will vary depending on the type of coating used. “High gloss” has a very shiny finish, while “matte” has a subtle shine.

Coated is the best choice for printing art, photos, magazines, and book covers because the ink doesn’t get absorbed but stays on top of the paper, resulting in brighter colors and a glossy finish. 

Coating is more resistant to wear, dirt, water, etc. One thing to keep in mind is that it’s difficult to write on, so some people choose uncoated business cards for this reason.

Uncoated

Uncoated paper has a more natural feel to it. It offers an elegant, classic look and is often used for letterhead, stationary, restaurant menus, and college booklets.

More ink is absorbed and less light is reflected, making it the preferred choice for jobs with a lot of text, as it’s easier to read. It comes in various texture options.

Understanding Paper Weight

What do we mean by 120lb. cover business cards, and what does a paper’s weight refer to, exactly? Here are some of the basics to understanding different paper types.

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Paper is measured in pounds per 500 sheets (one ream of paper) of a standard-size sheet of a particular paper grade.

A paper grade is a category of paper with its own uses and characteristics. The base ream is the size and quantity used to measure a particular paper grade, and the basis weight is the weight of a particular grade using its base ream measurements.

Some commonly used paper grades include cover, text, bond, and book.

Cover is a heavyweight paper stock most commonly used for business cards, postcards, invitations, and paperback book covers. It ranges from about 60-130lb.
base ream: 20x26”, 500 sheets

Text is a lightweight paper stock used for envelopes, resumes, and letterhead. It typically ranges from 60-100lb.
base ream: 25x38”, 500 sheets

Bond is an uncoated rigid stock commonly used in offices for letter heads, photo copies, and for laser printer paper. The standard weight is 20lb., but you may also see it offered as 16lb. or 24lb.
base ream: 17x22”, 500 sheets

Book paper is commonly used for posters, booklets, and catalogues. It may be coated or uncoated. It’s offered in as low as 30lb. (“bible stock,” a very thin paper mostly used for bibles) and as high as 115lb.
base ream: 25x38”, 500 sheets

Paper may also be measured in calipers, which refers to the thickness of a single sheet expressed in thousandths of an inch. So with 14pt. cardstock, for example, the paper is .014 inches thick.

4 Popular Print Finishes

In addition to the many cardstock options available, there are also a number of printing finishes you can add to your business cards and other print jobs. There are a variety of effects, which people use for different reasons: to add protection, to give their cards texture, or to draw attention. See below for some commonly used finishes.

Spot UV

Spot UV refers to a glossy coating applied only to some parts of the cardstock. People use this finish to add interest or draw the eye to specific places. A varnish is applied and then sealed with UV light, resulting in enhanced colors and a glossy final product. The coating also adds protection.

Foil Stamping

Foil stamping is malleable metallic material applied to certain elements of a card — often the text or logo. It will add a reflective surface to your card, helping it to stand out. The foil is often gold or silver, and many consider it to be a luxury finish. 

Embossing

When something is embossed, parts of the page (such as images or text) are raised, creating texture and emphasis. This effect adds a tactile dimension to your card — you can actually feel the text and images.

Letterpress

Letterpress is sometimes referred to as “debossing,” or the opposite of embossing. Instead of raising certain parts of the card, letterpress indents text or images. Just like embossing, this finish creates a three-dimensional effect, producing shadows and highlights. (Letterpress and embossing can both get pretty pricey.)

These are just some of the basics to get you started. If you have any questions, or if you'd like to stop by our office to look at some samples and additional finishing options, get in touch.

Choosing a Cardstock

When you’re choosing paper for your business card, there are endless options available. Here are some of the basics you may want to know when choosing your cardstock.

First, “cardstock” is the proper term for the paper used for business cards. There are different thicknesses available, which is often measured in “points,” or the thickness of the sheet in thousand of an inch. For example, 13pt. card stock is 0.013 in. thick. It may also be measured in “grammage,” which describes the weight of the paper in grams per square meter.

Commonly used cardstocks for business cards include coated, uncoated, linen, laid, and silk laminated.

Coated

Coated cards have a glossy, shiny finish. They offer a polished, contemporary look. They feel firmer to the touch than an uncoated card, and provide greater protection from water damage and tearing.

Uncoated

Many people like the texture of uncoated cardstock. It has a traditional, elegant look, as these cards used to be the norm before digital printing and coating was introduced. Unlike coated cards, they’re easy to write on.

Linen

Linen cardstock has a subtle grid woven pattern, and is made to look like a linen cloth. It has very slightly lifted grooves, and its texture will leave both a visual and tactile impression.

Laid

Laid cardstock subtle, slightly lifted horizontal lines. It has a robust texture, and is similar to linen. Both the look and feel of the paper will help your card stand out.

Silk Laminated

Silk laminated cards have a soft, smooth finish that mimics the appearance of silk. They provide some extra durability, and are water- and tear-resistant. They have a sophisticated look, and the gloss is more subtle than standard coating. You may be familiar with it from product packaging, such as on boxes for Apple and Google products.

These are just some of the basics to get you started. If you have any questions, or if you'd like to stop by our office to look at some samples and additional finishing options, get in touch.

Setting Up a Print Bleed

Whenever you’re creating a file to be printed, it’s important to include a bleed area in your design. A “bleed” allows us to account for any slight movement or mechanical variations when we’re cutting your cardstock. It serves as a buffer area, essentially. 

In the image above, there's a safety line (the dotted line) and a cut line. Anything outside the safety line, in the bleed area, may get cut off during the trimming process. You should keep all of your important text and images inside the dotted lines.

To ensure that there are no unprinted edges in the final trimmed product, all background colors or artwork should extend past the cutline to fill the bleed area (the blue area in the above image). If you send us a file for your business card that has a background and you don’t include a bleed, this may potentially result in a white edge on your card.

A 1/4-inch bleed will give us sufficient room to work with. If you look at the image above, this includes everything from the dotted safety line through the blue bleed area. The cut line measures 3.5" x 2" (standard U.S. business card size); the bleed area extends 1/8 of an inch past the cut line, and the safety area is an additional 1/8 of an inch inside the cutline. Using these guidelines, the file you send us should be 3.75" x 2.25".

Adobe InDesign and Illustrator allow you to specify the bleed amount for each side when you set up a new file. For Photoshop, we recommend checking out this tutorial video or downloading our template below. If you'd like to see the safe area, trim line and bleed area as you're creating your design, download one of our templates below.

download:

Adobe Illustrator Template
Adobe Photoshop Template

Questions? Don't hesitate to get in touch.

7 Tips for Designing Your Business Card

Business cards are an opportunity to lend credibility. It might be the first item people receive from you, and you have a quick chance to make a good impression. We’ve put together some tips for an effective design. (Keep in mind that these are only suggestions, not hard rules.)

1. KEEP IT CLEAN AND CLUTTER-FREE.

Simple is better. Don’t be afraid to make use of white space. Important information should be easy to spot at a quick glance. Someone should immediately be able to find out whose card it as and what company it’s for.

2. KEEP IT READABLE.

Choose fonts and colors that are easy to read. Don’t make the text too small. It should be at least 8 pt. — anything smaller may look fine on your monitor, but it can appear fuzzy when printed.

3. BE THOUGHTFUL ABOUT WHAT INFORMATION TO INCLUDE.

Again, you don’t want clutter. Generally, the most important things to include are: your name, your job title, company name, phone number, and email. If you have room, include your website. Physical addresses are less important on cards these days so if you’re short on space, don’t worry about leaving this out.

Use the front of your card for your most important information. The back of the card can be an opportunity for extra branding — a statement, tagline, image, etc. Don’t include any messages that might be temporary.

4. THINK ABOUT COLOR.

Bold, bright colors can help you stand out. You also can’t go wrong with a black and white for a striking, professional look.

If you need help choosing colors, COLOURlovers.com is a helpful source where people can create palettes and users vote on them.

5. CONSIDER YOUR CARD'S PRACTICALITY.

The standard business card size 3.5”x2” (55x85mm). Some people like to use a different size to stand out. Keep in mind that if you choose to do this, your card won’t fit in standard holders.

6. BE CONSISTENT.

Try to choose a design that matches your website and other marketing materials (just make sure the fonts and colors are readable). Let it reflect your brand identity.

7. THINK OF YOUR BUSINESS CARD AS A MARKETING TOOL.

In addition to being a tool for distributing your contact information, it can also be a marketing opportunity. Think about what your goals are. Do you want to stand out? Try thick cardstock, a unique design, and unexpected colors. Or you can use a sleek, minimalistic design that conveys your professionalism.

Still not sure where to start? If you need help with your design, let us know.