Print Fellas Podcast 1- Customer Callout, All About Business Cards, QR Code Experiment

Print Fellas Podcast and Blog

This is the first Print Fellas podcast episode, and appropriately, we are focussing on business cards. In this episode we break down everything you need to know about acquiring your business cards from design, content, paper, coating and finishing options.

Design
What is too much or too little? We discuss how the design you choose should fit your audience. The most effective business card designs should be straight forward, to the point, and effectively communicate what you offer and how to contact you.

Information
Being an effective communication tool, business cards should not confuse your recipient. Many people choose to put multiple modes of contact which may put your audience in a position to choose the best way to contact you. For example, if you have an office line with an extension, a direct line, a mobile number and a home office, you do not want to list all of those numbers on your card. It will be too much information and your audience will be confused. The most effective solution is to provide one number that you can point to the most convenient phone for you. Google Voice is a fee service that will give you a local phone number that will ring multiple phones, eliminating the need to list more than one number on your business card.

Paper
Our most popular business card paper is 14 point card stock. This is a thick, sturdy card stock that has become the standard for business cards and postcards. We also provide a thicker 16 point option, as well as a 100 pound linen texture stock that is uncoated. The linen cards are much thinner than 14 point cards, but they are elegant and have a soft linen texture.

Coating
Print Fellas standard cards come with a high gloss coating. This coating is thick, protective, and makes the colors on your card very rich. Some drawbacks to glossy coating is that you cannot write on it, and against dark colors you will be able to see finger prints. Our matte coating provides protection without the high gloss look. You can write on it, and it does a good job of protecting the business card from wear and tear. Colors are not as deep as you would get with a high gloss coating, but the matte card will not attract finger prints and is a great option for designs with muted tones. Print Fellas also offers an uncoated option for a more traditional look and feel. Uncoated business cards are an industry standard that you can write on, but the card does not have any protection from scratching and water damage.

Corners
Standard business cards have a squared corner that is normal when cutting. We also offer rounded corners that are popular in creative and technology industries that want to have a unique design element to their cards.

Photos
In some industries, particularly real estate, customers want their photos on their business cards. Displaying your photo is effective if you are the face of your brand. In a competitive industry like real estate, you need to set yoursel apart and leave a business card that will remind your audience who you are. Our business card gallery features several examples of business cards with photos that will suit your needs.

What size does my photo need to be for my business cards?
In general, the larger the better. If you have the raw, untouched file from your camera or smart phone you should send that so we have the largest file to work from. Here is a list of things to keep in mind:

• A business card is 3.5″ x 2″ so make sure your photo is at least that size
• A good quality photo is going to have a file size of at least 1 MB (megabyte), which is 1,024 KB (kilobytes)
• Photos that have been optimized for websites or emails will not print clearly

QR Codes
Just as with photos, QR Codes need to be higher resolution than website images as well. One site that I found that will create large QR Codes is http://goqr.me/ - they allow you to create up to 1000 px x 1000 px QR Codes. I can spend more time on QR Codes in future episodes if you like, just let me know in the comments and I will schedule it.

Cost
The greatest benefit to using Print Fellas is the cost savings. Even our small run business card products are pennies to create so you can feel financially responsible when handing out your business cards. Large and small businesses take advantage of our pricing and save thousands per year by printing with printers like us. Remember, you are not buying business cards for yourself – your goal is to give them away to everyone you meet as a smart effective marketing piece.

Conclusion
Your business cards are an important business tool, and using this information you can streamline your business cards to be the most effective marketing tool you produce. From our years of experience in design and printing, we have extensive knowledge about what works and what doesn’t. We want you to take advantage of our knowledge and experience by visiting our business card design gallery and starting your new business card today.