words

let’s talk about the business card. the approximately two by three point five inch piece of cardstock that tells anyone holding it your vital information while also visually conveying the look and feel of you and your brand. it’s quite possibly the most difficult of all things to design. but there is hope! and plenty of inspiration.

of course designing the perfect wallet-sized representation of yourself wouldn’t be a challenge without the constraints imposed by the printing companies. so before jumping too far into a design with pop-up book style effects, it’s best to get your bearings on what popular printing companies are willing to do.

if you’re looking for the highest quality of printing with the most vibrant colours and the blackest blacks, i’d recommend modern postcard. they’re pricy, but worth the cost when seeking photographic quality in printing. they also print showcards, so they’re an obvious top pick for artists seeking additional printed materials.

also a high quality printing company, 4by6 does postcards and business cards in a limited variety of sizes and finishes. they also have a rounded corner option and are commonly used by artists.

vistaprint is incredibly popular, affordable, and does a great deal of quality printing. there are, however, a good many horror stories from those who’ve done business with the company. vista tends to be spam-happy, and the quality of the printing is noticeably less than that of modern postcard and 4by6.

competing with vistaprint is the slightly more expensive and slightly better quality moo.com. moo even offers convenient photo uploading from your etsy, facebook and flickr accounts.

if you’re looking for less quality and more convenience, companies like 48hourprint and overnight prints do a decent job on printing standard business cards quickly and affordably.

beyond those companies, there are countless printers in local markets worth looking into. and, if you’re feeling uber-ambitious, search for traditional printers using letterpresses. sure they’re pricy, but the original product is worth it.