Can one print one's own business cards on a personal printer and
is it cheaper to do so than to, say, pay Staples to do it? If so,
how does one do it?
--
Ignorantly,
Allan Adler <ara (AT) zurich (DOT) csail.mit.edu>
* Disclaimer: I am a guest and *not* a member of the MIT CSAIL. My actions and
* comments do not reflect in any way on MIT. Also, I am nowhere near Boston.

"Allan Adler" <ara (AT) nestle (DOT) csail.mit.edu> wrote

IMHO you can always tell a cheaply printed card. They smudge when they get
wet, too, if you do them on an inkjet. Pay the money and get them done
professionally if you want to appear a professional to your
clients/customers.

Ivor

Ivor Jones wrote:

It depends on one's graphic arts talent and the paper he/she chooses.
I can make a card that would more impress someone that a generic "blah"
card from an office supply store. As with any paper product, keep them
out of the rain and away from peanut butter :-)

-Taliesyn

"Ivor Jones" <ivor (AT) despammed (DOT) invalid> wrote

very few cards and am primarily interested in getting the information to
someone rather than impressing them with the professionality of the card
itself. Nonetheless, They really look quite good. I also have the
opportunity to change the text whenever I want - for change of email address
or some other information that needs to be updated. Ivor is certainly right
about dye-based inkjet cards not being waterproof. Laser printed cards can
suffer from any kind of abrasion that rubs against the printing and damages
it as well. Decent card stock and a good paper cutter work just fine. I
don't like the perf sheets of card stock as the perfs always show.

I do agree with Ivor that high quality printed cards are best for anyone who
is in business and needs a large quantity of very professional looking cards
..

"Ivor Jones" <ivor (AT) despammed (DOT) invalid> wrote

very few cards and am primarily interested in getting the information to
someone rather than impressing them with the professionality of the card
itself. Nonetheless, They really look quite good. I also have the
opportunity to change the text whenever I want - for change of email address
or some other information that needs to be updated. Ivor is certainly right
about dye-based inkjet cards not being waterproof. Laser printed cards can
suffer from any kind of abrasion that rubs against the printing and damages
it as well. Decent card stock and a good paper cutter work just fine. I
don't like the perf sheets of card stock as the perfs always show.

I do agree with Ivor that high quality printed cards are best for anyone who
is in business and needs a large quantity of very professional looking cards
..

Allan Adler <ara (AT) nestle (DOT) csail.mit.edu> wrote:
It depends on your printer, how many cards you need, and whether you
want them all the same.

If you want 5000 identical cards, have a print shop do them.

If you want small quantities with differing contents and have a good
printer that will take appropriate card stock, print them yourself.
They will cost more per card, but you can print only as many as you
need.

There are precut cards which are moderately expensive, or you can cut
your own with a knife or trimmer (a standard paper cutter doesn't work
well because it's hard to make square cuts).

--
Warren Block * Rapid City, South Dakota * USA

Yes and No

It is cheaper to go to Staples to print a generic black business card.
But if you want color and a logo and may change them from time to time
you can print really good stuff by going to Staples and purchasing
business card blanks and then using word to create a template and print
as many as you need.

Allan Adler wrote:

Ivor Jones wrote:
If you want them to be smudge proof get some Krylon Preserve it and
give them a quick spray.

Virtually all of the office supply stores, and even many print shops now
outsource business cards, and quality can be pretty low. I once bought
several thousand cards from several places and returned them all, then
printed them myself. It really is hard to find a print shop nowadays that
does good work. If you want a photo on your card the options are even
fewer.

Using a laser printer will make a big difference, but good quality photo
paper can give good results on an inkjet too. You'll also need a good
quality paper cutter.


"Allan Adler" <ara (AT) nestle (DOT) csail.mit.edu> wrote

On 04 Apr 2007 14:27:19 -0400, Allan Adler <ara (AT) nestle (DOT) csail.mit.edu> wrote:

Save your self both the hassles and the $$, check out www.vistaprint.com