Stop the Business Card Presses: Be Choosey!

You wear a lot of hats as a business owner. You have invoices scattered across your desk, you’re dealing with delegating tasks to your employees left and right, and the last thing you want is another issue to go into your inbox, such as having to manage the production of your company’s business cards. According to Statistics Brain, more than 27 million business cards are printed on a daily basis. An online printing service saves you the time of dealing with producing your business cards, and some even handle your designs for you. Here are a few important factors to keep in mind when you’re looking for a business card printing online company.Printing OptionsIn most cases, you’re going to look for the standard business card format and style. But what if you want to do something unusual with the design of the card, such as die cutting it into a unique shape? Maybe you’d prefer a plastic or metal business card? Talk to the online printing service to see whether they offer materials beyond card stock, as well as any die-cutting tools they have on hand. You also want to find out the various types and colors of card stock they use for printing standard business cards.Turnaround TimeThe main advantage to an online business card printing service is the convenience factor. You don’t have to take the time out of your work day to head on down to the local print shop and pick up your order. You send your files, your order gets shipped to you and you can focus on the 100 other pressing tasks that need your immediate attention. If the turnaround time on a business card order takes too long, however, you might be better off dealing locally. Find out what the average turnaround time is for your order, and account for any unusual business card elements that might increase this time.ResponsivenessCustomer service and responsiveness to your inquiries is a selection factor that often gets overlooked. When your business cards are overdue a few days before a convention, you want to have the online printing service on top of your questions and concerns. Online reviews and word-of-mouth experiences need to be checked into prior to making your final printing company selection. You might not think business cards are the most important thing in the world, but Entrepreneur recommends using these valuable networking tools every time you get a chance.Pricing and ScaleNot all businesses need a massive amount of business cards. If you’re a small business, or you don’t have a huge need for business cards, it’s good to be able to get a small amount. Even if you’re a larger business, doing a small order with a new company is the best way to go about testing them out. Find out what the minimum order is, as well as the pricing scale. If a small amount of business cards are significantly more expensive per unit than the bulk rate, make sure you go with the service that has the best unit pricing at the scale you want to purchase your cards.Have you used an online business card printing service in the past? What has your experience been?