Printing Business Cards That Stand Out
 It’s not a big secret – the best business cards are the ones that truly stand out. In fact, while there’s sort of the old standby professional corporate business card that many of us have come to rely upon over the years, and as boutique printing companies are now more and more accessible than ever thanks to the internet, the business card world is changing. This is especially true for those in creative professions… you know - the ever-increasing masses of web workers, graphic designers, freelancers, and other creative and entrepreneurial professions.
So what are the tactics being used to make business cards stand out from the competitors and actually get noticed? Lets’ take a look at a few…
Individual Printing For Each Business Card
Thanks to the innovative digital printing technology employed by many short run printing companies these days, printing a set of individualized card designs is a breeze. For example, a photographer might take ten of their favorite shots and have them printed in full glossy color on the back sides of their business cards. Having a variety of unique business cards to hand out almost even creates an aura of collectability and will certainly draw desirable attention.
Precision Die Cut Shapes And Designs
Along with the unique business card opportunities opened up through digital printing, additional techniques like precise die cutting are also now readily available to the short run printing market. This means that having custom-shaped business cards is no problem at all. The same goes for rounding corners or even having a pop up section to add visual appeal and get noticed. Anything is possible, but it is wise to stay within the basic business card size range in order to be business card file and wallet friendly.
Embossing And Pressed Printing
With traditional, corporate-style business cards, raised ink has typically been the standard for a quality card. However, more and more, pressed or embossed text is beginning to be used to make calling cards really stand out. These techniques create visual depth and give the card a nice hand feel too. When having an edge matters, pressed or embossed text is a classy, traditional way to be different.
Adding Appliqué To Your Business Card
Adding features such as stick on labels or stamps to add depth and variety to a normal business card is gaining in popularity lately. For example, a travel-related business card might follow a passport theme, complete with the appropriate hand-stamped decoration. Another creative design that’s been making the rounds among online designer communities recently is a dentist’s business card that actually includes a small length of floss. Many will start with an appropriately designed basic printed business card and then add their own finishing touches by hand. If it sounds labor intensive, that’s because it is; however, adding creative extra touches to your business card will bring attention to your message.
Need additional business card printing ideas? Do a search on Flickr for “business cards.” Believe it or not, there are all kinds of groups dedicated just to effective business cards. Next time you have business cards printed, why not be creative and print business cards that really stand out?
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