Business cards are an essential part
of a marketer's arsenal; a key to your complete stationery design. When you hand someone your
business card, they will form an immediate opinion about your
company.
Your business card does more than tell people how
to find you: it says something about your company - its mission,
its culture, and its goals. Everything from the colors, fonts, the texture,
shade, and gloss of the paper you print on says something
about you.
Business cards generally consist of a single card
stock sheet with an individual's contact information,
including name, company name, and company address,
phone, fax, email, and website address. Don't make
the mistake of trying to cram every bit of contact
information onto your business card. If you need to
include a great deal of information, use the back
side of the card as well.
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Most business cards are printed on 100-lb. glossy,
professional white or off-white stock. This is generally
the least expensive option. Many business choose to
use specialty stocks to give their business cards
extra flair.
Choose your stock carefully because it says as much about you and your company as the
words the card. You can choose a
vivid, eye-catching color, a subtle textured stock,
or stock with high recycled content, among others.
Each type of paper makes a statement about
your company.
The most common business card size is 2" x 3.5".
We recommend that you stick with a standard size due
to the fact that many business card scanners and business
card holders are made to fit this size.
Over the last several years - full color has become
much less expensive. Since the vast majority of cards
are printed in black ink on white card stock, adding
color is a very simple way to make your card stand
out.
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If you put a picture on your business card - make
sure it has an up-to-date picture.
Watch out for free business card offers on the web.
As this offer sounds very compelling, these cards often
have a logo or text on the back saying that "This
is a free business card - to get yours... " This looks very unprofessional
if you plan to hand out your cards in a business type
atmosphere.
We do not recommend making your own business cards
as this process is often time consuming and will be
much more expensive than a profssional.
It is almost garanteed you will get a lower rate by
hiring a professional in the long run.
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Letterhead
Design Packages & Tips -- A great letterhead package, with stunning business
cards, is the most critical of marketing materials.
Along with an effective logo, a letterhead package
lends credibility and respectability to the business
it represents.
Making a
Good letterhead Impression -- All the marketing
materials you produce for your business should bring you revenue.
Sometimes your business card is the only impression
a potential customer has of your business before
contacting you. A first rate business package should
make it easy for your prospects to understand what
you do and the quality of business offers.
Letterhead
Cost -- Looking for embossing, four color or foil
on your letterhead package? These special treatments
look beautiful and make a spectacular impression.
However, if you don’t have deep pockets, there
are many ways to trim costs back. Standard two color
stationery design can be affordable and
striking. Are you a start-up? We can make you look
like a seasoned veteran. Are you seeking a new corporate
image to match your success? When we designs your new look, everyone will sit up and take
notice.
Letterhead
Design -- Want
a look that is fresh and innovative? We can do it.
Looking for a conservative corporate image with flair?
We can do it. Is quirky and creative your style? We
can do it. No matter what your look, consider an inventive
approach to your business card. Two sided, fold over
and mini-brochure business cards are both cost effective
and stand out from the crowd.
Getting Started -- Once you have accepted our estimate,
we will begin the layout process. Our team
has a time-tested method for
determining your stationery design style preferences.
This means you won’t be confronted with imprecise
descriptions of your vision. After all, our job is
to take your vision from the abstract to the concrete.
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Envelopes
Commercial business envelopes come in several
standard sizes and are normally expressed by a number
such as #9 or #10. See the chart below for a list
of the most common sizes. Most business envelopes
are manufactured using 16 lb. to 40 lb. paper stock.
Personal envelopes are also available in a wide variety
of sizes and colors.
Commercial Envelopes Measurements
Commercial business envelopes sizes are often referenced
by a number such as #9 or #10. The chart below includes
all of the most common types used by printers today.
Size Width x Length
• #6 1/4 3 1/2" x 6"
• #6 3/4 3 5/8 x 6 1/2"
• #7 3 3/4" x 6 3/4"
• #7 3/4 3 7/8" x 7 1/2"
• #8 5/8 3 5/8" x 8 5/8"
• #9 3 7/8" x 8 7/8"
• #10 4 1/8" x 9 1/2"
• #11 4 1/2" x 10 3/8"
• #12 4 3/4" x 11"
• #14 5" x 11 1/2"
Substance Weights for Envelopes
• 16 lb. Used for overseas
air mail envelopes.
• 20 lb. Used for commercial envelopes where
strength and opacity is not a factor.
• 24 lb. Used for most open side official and
commercial envelopes.
• 28 lb. Used for most open and catalog envelopes
and large (i.e. 11, 12 and 14) size commercial envelopes.
• 32 lb. Used for heavy duty envelopes and
clasp envelopes.
• 40 lb. Used for large envelopes, heavy duty
envelopes or envelopes used for storage and frequent
reference.
Envelope types
Commercial - Commercial envelopes are normally
used for letterhead, invoices, statements, direct
marketing mailings, and reply mail. Come in cartons
of 2500-5000.
Booklet - Booklet envelopes (open-sided envelopes)
are often used to mail annual reports, brochures,
sales literature and small documents. These types
of envelopes are normally used in high volume because
they can be automatically inserted. Come in cartons
of 500-1000.
Catalog - Catalog envelopes are used to mail
catalogs, large booklets and other high weight articles.
Catalog envelopes (open-ended envelopes) do not have
the machine insert option. They are often hand packed.
These type of envelopes often include a metal clasp.
Come in cartons of 500-1000.
Invitation - Often used in formal occasions.
These types of envelopes are characterized by their
pointed flaps and enclosures. They can come with or
without an embossed (raised) border panel. Come in
cartons of 2500-5000.
A Size - Announcements, small booklets, brochures,
less formal invitations, and promotional pieces. These
envelopes have a square flap and come in a wide range
of finishes and colors. What happens most often is
enclosures are produced custom to fit within the envelope.
For this reason they do not have raised panels. Come
in cartons of 1000-2500.
Shipping/Packaging - These types of envelopes
are typically used for, guess what, shipping items.
These are the types that most envelope companies will
offer: Paperboard, Tyvek, Corrugated, Bubble, and
Plastic.
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Double
check contact details -- If there is a typing
error anywhere on your stationery design, you really
don't want it in your phone number or address. Triple
check the contact details and then triple check them
again.
Print business
card names in one colour -- Names and individual
contact information on business cards should be in
one spot colour (or black of using full colour printing).
This makes it much cheaper to change when the company
changes staff and need new business cards
Avoid unusual
stylish dimensions and shapes -- Printers are
designed for standard sizes of paper. Envelopes are
designed for standard sizes of paper. Wallets are
designed for standard sizes of business card. Filing
cabinets are designed for standard sizes of paper.
Need we go on?
Print it
all together in one go -- Arrange for all of your
stationery to be printed at the same time. Use the
same colours throughout and spend much less than if
you produce it piecemeal. Also, your colours will
match from one piece of stationery to another.
Invest
in good quality paper / card -- For a comparatively
small increase in cost, corporate stationery can really
stand out if it is produced on good quality paper
which will look and feel superior to the standard
photocopier paper.
Specify
laser-safe stock -- If corporate stationery is
going to be used in a laser copier then make sure
that the paper used is suitable for this purpose.
Not all of the high quality papers are suitable for
laser printing.
More is
less -- If unsure of how much stationery is needed,
make estimates higher rather than lower. Once a print
job is set up the unit cost is relatively cheap. It
can be expensive to rerun a print job at a later date
because you run out of stationery.
Cater to
faxing -- If you are planning to use letterheads
for fax purposes then reserve a space to print 'Fax
Transmission' and other fax details near the top.
Leave plenty
of room for references -- If letterheads include
space for recipients' references, plenty of room should
be made available for the purpose. Some company references
can be fairly lengthy.
Design
to Template -- If the stationery is going to used
with letter or fax templates included in a Wordprocessor
(such as those included with Microsoft Word) then
the design should fit the templates. Research this
first since it could save you time and money in the
future.
Affordable and effective Logo Design - Business Cards - Envelopes - Letterheads Design and more.
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