Business Cards are small cards which are used to inform the reader about an individual or business. Originally used in 17th Century France between members of the aristocracy, the business card has since become widely used to promote and to inform. Traditional cards tended to be printed solely in monochrome; today there is a spectrum of different designs and colours available to suit the purposes of its owner.
In general, business cards are printed on card stock which is 12pt thick, 45kg or 350 g/m², depending on which measurement you use. However, there are cards which are made from plastic, rubber, metal, magnetic material, and many other unconventional forms of media.
While it is possible to use your own Business card templates to print off designs at home or to use a Business card printer, the preferred method tends to either to have the cards professionally printed or to print them using software found either online or offline.
Previously, the process of full-colour printing was somewhat expensive, however it is now widely used in the process of creating business card templates and designs since batch and digital printing rather than the use of a business card printer has begun to be more widely used.
Business cards which are printed in colour tend to be printed using the CMYK (cyan, magenta, yellow and black) four colour printing process, which involves layering colour to add depth and interest.
Aside from using a traditional business card printer, cards can also be made using a digital copier, which bakes toner onto the surface of the cards.
They can also be covered with aqueous coatings, laminated or covered with UV coating to protect the card and to make it more durable.
Folding or “tent” style business card templates are also a popular design. These cards fold to make the standard size. Double sided cards are also more common as printing technology has improved, and they are often printed in two languages to accommodate the needs of the growing global market.
Recently, technological advances have developed further still and it is now possible to get compact disc business cards known as business card CDs which are the same size as a normal business card, but which are designed so that they fit into the CD-ROM drive of a computer.
The IBCC, or the International Business Card Collectors, is one of several hundred known clubs involved in the collection of celebrity, antique or novel cards. Looking at card designs used by famous people throughout history can be a good way of stripping away confusion regarding design and using simplicity as an example. Dr Albert Einstein’s business card for example, is printed in a large capital typeface on simple brown cardstock.
©Copyright 1997-
©Copyright 1997-
