I’m sure it seemed like a really good idea at the time. You were probably walking through Office Depot and saw those packages of sheets for making your own business cards and though it would be a cheap and easy way to get your business cards printed. Before you run off and try to save a little money by printing your own business cards there are some things that you need to be aware of:
- You will pay more money per card when you print them yourself. Each pack of business card sheets runs about $15 (not taking into account the cost of your printer ink and your time) and contain 200 cards.
- The stock on these cards is flimsy and unprofessional looking.
- Many of these products have perforated edges rather than the clean edges of professionally printed business cards. This doesn’t present a good image to your clients.
- The ink from your ink jet printer will run when it gets wet.
- You are not a graphic designer.
By trying to save money on something as important as your business cards (which don’t cost much to begin with) you are sending a strong message to your clients/prospects and unfortunately it’s not a good message. Whether it’s true or not, you are giving the impression that your company doesn’t have the financial resources to utilize a professional to design and print your business cards. This will affect your credibility in a huge way. Think about how you would feel if you called the police and the officer that showed up identified himself using a badge that he made at home with construction paper and crayons…chances are you would ask for a different officer to be sent out immediately.
Invest a little extra money up front and present the right image.
