Visiting Cards - where can I get the best bang for my buck?

Why don't you ask FNB where he had these made up:



Given all that he has revealed about himself, they are doubtless of very high quality.

LOLOLOLOLOLOLOL.

To the OP, forget about visiting cards; they're a baaad idea. Just learn to talk to people in a normal, non-needy way.

Someone having "visiting cards" is a sure sign of doucheness.

You know Labelking is going to read that

Jon.

I hadn't considered "visiting cards" before. However, I am really hoping to settle on a design for some "personal" business cards. Something sans contact information with a simple and classy design. I have heard in the past, that if you pull a card out and hand write your contact information on a card, the recipient will be more open to contact later on. They'll see the hand-writing and have a visual memory of you writing on it. It's also good to say something like, "This is my personal line. I don't print this on my cards, but I want you to have it." There's a Flickr pool out there with a bunch of unusual business cards of artists and graphic designers. Should be a good source of inspiration. Found it. http://www.flickr.com/photos/dailypo...7594104389710/

Having working in the stationary industry for a while, I recommend Crane. Their stocks are very substantial and made of 100% cotton, which is salvaged from the textile industry so they are environmentally responsible. This is not the cheapest option, but does provide you with the best bang for the buck. Crane can be quite expensive, especially if you choose engraved or letterpress printing. If you go with thermography (a modern method that somewhat simulates engraving) or flat printing they are fairly affordable. If I remember correctly the first 100 is around $90. Crane also drops the per piece price quite steeply as order size increases (economy of scale). If you do make the decision to have cards printed, you will have a lot of design options (stock color, ink color, typestyle(s)... One aspect that I find people are unaware of is the format(size and shape) of the stock itself. Standard Business Card Format: kind of boring, but practical as nearly every professional has some system for organizing Modern Calling Card Format: This is as wide as a business card, but 1.5 times as tall and provides a little more visual interest Square Format: Narrower and taller then a business card, it is basically the modern calling card trimmed to be square. Traditional Format(s): Stationary tradition goes back centuries and calling card formats came to very based on the owner. Which format one would use was based on age, gender, and marital status.

Unusual perhaps, but far less douchbaggey than using a business card in your personal life. When someone hands me a business card in a social situation one or more of the following thoughts come to mind: Is this person showing off their big important job? Is any of this sincere, or am I being smoozed as a potential client/lead/asset? Is this person too focussed on their professional life?

However, I prefer to refer to them as calling cards though. It seems a little less contrived.

One thing I am concerned about is how I can know if the paper they will be printing my Visiting Cards on is flimsy or not. I notice that in the business cards I've collected over the years, some are really flimsy and unappealing to touch. Yet others are firm and great to touch. If I am shelling out lots of money for Visiting Cards, I wanna be 100% sure I'm getting the firm variety for my money. How can I determine this prior to placing my order?[/quote]

After rereading your initial post I infer you may be considering ordering stationary sight unseen. DO NOT order online unless you are reordering from a vendor you have used in the past. Any good stationer will have samples for you to inspect as you make your decision to place an order. If you are in a major metropolitan area you will have your choice of retailers. I other areas you may have fewer options, but you should still be able to find something.

You're over thinking this. Just ask your office's Purchasing department for the number of the printers that made your business cards, and call them up.

I don't have such things--the less people know my contact, the better.

egads!

No, no, no and a thousand times no. If you're considering any normal commercial printer, you'll be better off buying a business card kit from office max.

Try crane, dempsey & carroll or a few others. Your card should be made of cotton cardstock. If you are in a major metro, you should be able to find several places where you can touch the paper. Get real engraved cards.

Ask andy has had several threads about this and you might want to run a search over there.

I assumed that this was anachronistic enough to be right up your alley.

Jon.