Many companies (and private specialists too) have already appreciated how useful business cards are, especially when it comes to making new contacts. This is a really good way to be remembered by potential partners, clients, customers.
Personal, business and corporate cards: what is the difference
What types of business cards are there? If you are going to order them from a printing house, this question will certainly interest you. Conventionally, all business cards are divided into the following types, depending on the purpose of use:
- personal;
- business;
- corporate.
To understand what kind of business cards will be suitable in your case, you should know the specifics of each of them.
Personal business cards are needed in order to distribute them during informal or even casual meetings with people. And they are especially in demand among freelancers. These business cards usually include the first name, last name, phone number, and the field of activity (for example, "photographer"). But the specific place of work and address are not written on such business cards.
Business cards, as is clear from the definition, are created for distribution at business meetings and negotiations. It is very important that the contact information always remains at hand with the potential client, and with the help of this type of business cards, this can be achieved without any problems.
It must be remembered that on business cards, the first name and patronymic are indicated first, and only then the surname (this is the order that is considered correct). In addition, here you also need to register the position, name of the company and the type of its activity. On the other hand, there are things that are not recommended to be placed on this type of business cards. The owner's photo is one of those things. Chances are good that a business card with a photo (especially if the photo is not chosen well) will look silly.
When developing business cards, it is customary to use the colors and company logo. Basically, this segment is dominated by austere business card design. However, if a person wants to stand out, he should order a designer business card with an unusual layout, bright colors, etc.
We should also talk about corporate business cards separately. They are created for advertising purposes (for example, for distribution at thematic exhibitions and conferences) and, as a rule, are bilateral. A corporate business card reflects the style of the company and, as a rule, does not contain names and surnames. But on the other hand, it contains information about the company and its services.
What materials and printing technologies can be used to create a business card
There are two aspects that cannot be ignored when talking about the types of business cards. The materials used to make them are one such aspect. Now, of course, you can find plastic business cards, and cards made of wood and leather … But paper is still the favorite in this area. Moreover, the types of paper for business cards themselves, if you look at it, are also not so few. Printing houses now use coated, textured, metallized and pearlescent paper. In addition, recently, we have provided printing services on touch cover paper, whose surface has an unusual texture due to latex spraying.
And the second aspect is printing technology. And here, too, there is plenty to choose from. Perhaps the most relevant and widespread are four technologies:
- digital printing;
- offset printing;
- silk screen printing;
- embossing.
Digital printing is usually used when a client needs business cards urgently, and at the same time he is not ready to spend a lot of money on printing. The advantage of this technology is that in this case there is no need to use bulky printing equipment, printers are enough. At the same time, the client has the ability to preview and make edits to the layout at any stage. Another advantage of digital printing is the low price compared to other technologies.
But still the most popular at the moment is offset printing technology. This technology is characterized by high productivity and allows you to achieve an impeccable quality of the final product. The fact is that thanks to offset, it becomes possible to use the widest possible range of colors. And in general, this type of business card printing is perhaps the best choice for those who need large print runs.
As for silk-screen printing, this technology involves printing images on a stencil applied to a special mesh with cells. By pushing paint through this mesh, you can get a high-quality print with clear contours and rich colors. Silk-screen printing is considered one of the most expensive printing technologies, therefore it is used to create elite printing with unusual images.
And the technology of embossing (or stamping - as it is also called) is also not the cheapest pleasure. Thanks to this technology, the paper surface can be decorated with indented and raised inscriptions, individual letters and images.
It should be added that work on a business card is not limited to printing only. Modern printing houses can additionally cover them with selective varnish (this is when only certain areas of the card are varnished, as a result of which it begins to look more expensive), lamination or laminating.
