From the very beginning of your business, printing (unless your web based) is going to be a major expense.

You have:

* Letter heads
* Compliment Slips
* Business Cards
* Signage (shop front)

and of course marketing

* flyers
* letters to customers - don’t forget the envelopes too!
* loyalty cards
* gift vouchers
* stickers
* banners for outdoor marketing

The above list is not comprehensive, but as you can see, before you even try and sell your products or services, costs can mount up, very very quickly.

So what Id like to do as a printer & designer (previously in Marketing for nigh on 10 years) is share some tips I have discovered that will save you time & money when it comes to printing.

Ok first things first, today I’ll write about Business Cards & leave other printed materials for another day - I don’t want to bore you too much

Business Cards

Business cards are your calling card, salesforce, reminder cards & in some instances, a showcase of your work. First impressions can never be changed, and since you leave them with prospective clients, they are a constant reminder of your business.

The industry standard for printing business cards is 85mm x 55mm on 350gsm paper (also called card or artboard, but essentially the same). Printing on any higher weight will not result in better quality. In my opinion, its overkill. But the opposite can be said about cheap business cards. They are exactly that and may e loked at in this way by your potential business customers - this is the one area, where money spent is well spent, however lets look at the ways of reducing costs

There are 2 main ways to reduce cost of business cards:

* Buy smaller quantities
* Print on one side only

Smaller Quantities
While you may save long term buying in bulk due to economies of scale, I personally do not recommend this. No one person I have met has gone through more than a few thousand business cards in a year. More importantly, business factors change extremely quickly & business cards may be out of date, well before you run out. I recommend purchases of 1,000 a time is the best compromise. Of course, I’d like you to buy more, but I’m honest.

One thing we have found is that many printers are charging you for each individual name change. For example if you buy;

From the biggest players in the printing industry in the UK Vs Velvet Rising

500 Full Colour Front business cards x 4 names (you, a partner & another 2 staff members), you are being charged for individual amounts of 500. In this example £49 x 4 = £196

in the real world, changing a name does not cost anymore than having the same name on each card - yes there is a bit of set up, but not that much. We have taken the stance that we will only charge for the final quantity of business cards our customers require. In this example 2000, which we are selling at £95.

While the biggest players are perceived to be the most cost effective, in reality they turn out much more expensive. Don’t start me about handling charges etc!!!!

Print on one side only
A business card should be like a ladies mini-skirt, short enough to grab your attention, long enough to cover the main parts. A good designer can make a single sided card exciting but cover all the main areas of information needed to make an informed decision. Think of the second side as a luxury, you can have it if you really want, but do you need it.

Alternatively, you could print in black only, saving further money on printed business cards, but this is a method I would reserve for when all other options are exhausted.

I’d be keen to hear some feedback on what I have said guys. I hope it saes you some money & gives you a bit to think about when buying one of the most essential marketing pieces you can use.

And if you need cost effective, but high quality business cards please visit www.velvetrising.co.uk/business-cards

Velvet Rising

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