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How To Make Your Own Business Cards

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Let your business cards reflect how special your business is.

 

This lens is all about doing it yourself with business cards. Designing them and printing them, coming up with a card that is uniquely you.

Even in this digital age the business card is still important. They can be left just about anywhere, tucked into orders, given out to potential customers or clients, etc. They are your advertising introduction to people you meet.

So be creative with your business cards, design something special. Especially if you work in a creative business such as art, design, or crafts. You should have business cards as unique as your business.

More Handmade Business Lenses 

Designing Your Cards 

So you're ready to design your own cards, what do you need?

Essential Contact Information:

Your name or business name (or both)
Phone Number
Email
Website for online business, physical address of offline business, both if necessary.


Okay so you know you need that information so what about making your cards special? Your business card should reflect your business, if you are an artist or crafter use an image of your work or maybe the tools you use.

Business cards don't have to be plain black on white, don't be afraid to use color. Maybe vary the shape a little, use an oval, round the edges, punch holes, etc. Above all, be creative.

Free Software to Design a Card With 

OpenOffice
OpenOffice.org: The Free, Open Source Office Suite
GIMP - The GNU Image Manipulation Program
GNU Image Manipulation Program
Businesscardland - The Free Online Business Card Maker
Free Business Card Maker, Free Business Card Templates, and Free Gift Tag Maker. Easy way to make free printable business cards that work with Avery and other brand pre-cut business card papers. After you have designed your cards, you can create a PDF file to print, save, or take to a printshop to have printed.

Free Business Card Templates 

Free Business Card Templates Design
Free Business Card Templates for personal or commercial use. Templates are well categorized according to business nature and downloadable in compressed zip file. Easily editable with most design softwares.

Book on DIY Design 

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Printing Your Cards at Home 

If you've set up your cards correctly in Open Office or whichever software you've chosen to use all you need to do to print from home is choose the paper to use and hit print.

Paper
You can get pre-cut business card sheets just abotu anywhere that sells office supplies. They typically come in white, ivory, or gray and once you've printed your cards you just punch them out of the sheet.

If you want something a bit different and don't mind cutting your business cards yourself there's a big range of card stocks and art papers in just about every color and texture you could want. A paper cutter works best but a good straight edge and sharp x-acto style craft knife will work as well. If you want a different shape than the plain rectangle you can find large shape punches in most crafts stores.

Printing
Printing should be done with a good quality setting. Normal is fine for black and white but you'll want higher print quality for images. Make sure your print cartridge has plenty of ink and all the printer settings are aligned well.

Business Card Paper and Card Stock 

You can by perforated business card paper that you don't need to cut to print cards onto or get heavy card stock such as bristol.

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Or Try Art Papers 

There are a number of good heavy art papers that would look beautiful used in business cards.

Canson Mi-Teintes Drawing Papers
Canson Mi-Teintes Drawing Papers

Hahnemühle Premium Velour Paper

Hahnemühle Premium Velour Paper

Fabriano Roma PaperFabriano Roma Paper


www.DickBlick.com

Having Someone Else Do the Printing 

Memorable & Unique business cards

Printing cards at home can be hit or miss, it depends a lot on the quality of your printer, how fresh/full your ink cartridge is, etc. If you don't want to do the printing yourself you have some options.

Print Shops: Most good sized towns have a print shop, either a small independent business or one of the large chain printers like Kinkos. They can usually print you off some cards for a reasonable price.

Online Printers: There are a number of companies online that will print your cards for you and usually for around the same amount as a printshop or less.

MOO does some really beautiful photo business cards. If you're budget is really tight you could try out VistaPrint's Free Business Cards all you pay is shipping.

Creative Business Card Examples from Flickr 

Shikaku Business Cards by Accent Creative

ID / Business Card design. Cardstock with Spot Gloss UV Varnish on transparent ...

Scrapblog Business Card (front) by mringlein

My Creative Team business card by hhoover

My Homemade Business Card by Aquarianfuture

homemade...they take a while but people seem to like them and they're unique..

recycled business cards by arimoore

we made these to promote our new site and our blog specifically - they're repurp...

Beat Creative Business Cards by Life of Megan

Business cards for a nightclub events promotional company

22squared Business Cards by Shinebox Print

This ultra-hip advertising agency designed two different covers to distinguish b...

Blue Grape Studio Business Cards by Shinebox Print

Every surface is printable in vivid full-color. The more, the merrier.

Moo Minicards by Riz Ainuddin

Yay! This is one of the coolest business cards prints I've had. Thanks to Moo! &...

8 by johnblogbeta

just wanna save my favourite card design from

11 by johnblogbeta

just wanna save my favourite card design from

Emerson Taymor Business Cards standing up- Front/Back by etaymor

A back and front view of my business cards after being "opened up&q...

Leave a Card 

Comments, questions, etc.

CustomBusinessCards wrote...

Great article

ReplyPosted October 22, 2008

gr3tch3n wrote...

Recently, I used Vista, but paid, since I added personalized pens, and used a special template which cost me. But the cost was little, and I am very happy with the results. These will be around for ages! They look really keen. I'm an artist, so the visual impact is essential for me.
Good ideas here. I might try Avery Clean Edge for fun sometime.

ReplyPosted October 01, 2008

TerriLorah wrote...

very interesting and creativie. I like your ideas!

ReplyPosted September 13, 2008

Jewelsofawe wrote...

You are very creative, full of ideas. Great lens@ 5*

ReplyPosted September 04, 2008

Joan4 wrote...

Enjoyed this! I make my own cards, and also have ordered from Vista free. I do use Avery Clean edge when I make my own. After reading this, though, I may venture out a little to heavy art papers. That sounds like fun!

ReplyPosted August 08, 2008

 

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