Business cards are an important part of presenting yourself both professionally as well as in social circles. Not only is it a vital part of introducing yourself but your business card is also the way people are typically going to remember you. More times than others, they will also judge you based on your business card design and quality. This sounds strange, but consider the fact that most people attend events such as industry conferences where you can often pick up dozens of new business cards.
Making your own business cards has become much easier over the years. Companies and even some helpful individuals have released all sorts of business card creating software packages, tools, templates, and even tutorials. I have often spoken with people who have struggled with deciding which route to take and just ended up visiting a local print shop for their custom business cards. While this may seem easier, you will end up paying quite a bit more as well as losing complete control over how your business cards will look.
So the questions remain, how do you make your own business cards and what type of computer skills will you need? Quite honestly, there are options for just about anyone to make business cards relatively easy. You don't need to be a computer expert at all but obviously the more you know the more customization you'll be able to do. On the other end of the spectrum, even if you are a computer novice you have a few great options.
For complete computer novices, I recommend sticking to the "do it yourself" websites such as Vista Print or the likes. They usually provide an easy to follow design process as well as pre-made business card templates. You pick your design, enter your text, and choose your custom options such as gloss or matte, heavy or standard stock, and even the material of the card being standard or recycled. That's really all there is to it and you will usually be able to get them delivered within a week or two.
The second option that most people, including novices and experts can do, is using software such as the Microsoft Publisher. They even provide downloadable custom business card templates on their website. You can begin this whole process by simply opening Publisher and creating a new business card. If you don't have any templates that you like it should give you an option to visit the website and download additional templates. Another fantastic feature of Publisher is that you can enter the special product I.D. of the business card paper that you've purchased and it will align the borders of the business cards automatically for your printer. One important aspect of printing your own business cards is a half way decent printer. If not, you can always put them on a CD or USB drive and take the file to a local print shop.
Lastly, for those of you who consider yourselves a computer expert I highly recommend Adobe Photoshop or another similar graphic design application. Not only do you have absolute control over the design of the business cards you're making but you have control over the resolution and bleed borders (that come into play when you or the print shop prints them.) From my past experiences, it has always worked out better when I've called the print shop ahead of time for a blank template file or the exact dimensions and resolution that they recommend. Most business card printing companies will gladly provide this to you as it helps you both achieve a better end result and business card. If you are really going after quality business cards I also suggest doing some research of different types of card stock and options. Certain business card colors will look better on gloss rather than matte , etc. Those are all aspects that you should definitely consider!
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