subject: 7 Ways to Save Money on Your Business Cards [print this page] 7 Ways to Save Money on Your Business Cards
Printing can be an expensive business! If you've ever gone to an offline printing company and tried to get business cards or a letterhead printed, you've no doubt been amazed at how much a few pieces of cardboard or paper can cost.
1. Think about color. You obviously want to have your business cards printed in color, but how many colors exactly? Full color looks great, but it does cost more, and some businesses just don't need a full color card to stand out and look professional. If your logo is blue and white, then you often won't need more than two colors in your print job.
2. Stickers aren't just for kids. Save money when printing Rolodex cards for your clients by printing Rolodex sized sticker labels, which can be put on a blank card by the client themselves. A thousand Rolodex cards will cost a lot more than a thousand stickers, because the stock is thicker and they need to be cut out with a specific design.
3. Print more, save more. You may only think you need 50 or 100 cards right now, but think down the road some, when you run out of cards and need to panic buy, paying setup costs and delivery once more, driving the price up unnecessarily. Doesn't it make sense to bulk buy now, save money on postage and setup expenses, and get a discount for the extra cards?
4. Reconsider your local print shop. Local printers have more overhead costs - rental of their building, payment to their staff, advertising, ink and stock costs. An online printer has far less in the way of overheads, and is used to delivering printing products to all parts of the country - fast. The fact that an online print company has to spend money getting bad print jobs sent back to them and replaced means they're a lot less likely to spoil a job than your local guy is too.
5. Logo or No logo? If you don't have a specific logo that needs to be handled by a printer and prepared for the print run on film, why even bother going to an offline printer in the first place? Business card websites can prepare your business card print run overnight, based on the online design template that you submit in minutes. Pick your own background, write your own text, and use templates to ensure the final product will look just how you want it to.
6. Film is forever. When printing at a local print house, they'll often put your card design to film. This reduces your setup costs if you need a new run, but if your details change, for example a phone number, or a job title, that film might as well get thrown out there and then, because you're going to be paying for a new one. On the other hand, online print companies do everything digitally, which means you can make alterations any time and pay no extra money.
7. Don't wimp out on card stock! A thin cardboard card will fold and crease in your wallet, not to mention feel cheap in the hands of a client. The difference between awful stock and quality stock isn't a lot, pricewise. Look for an online company that uses a heavier cardstock without bumping up the price. You won't regreat it. It just looks, feels and wears better.
Follow these 7 simple tips and you won't spend a fortune the next time you need business cards printed.
