Buying Business Cards Online vs. Traditional Print Shops
For decades people have had no other choice but to purchase business cards from local printing shops. Just open the Yellow Pages and search for "Printing", you will see plenty of options. The Internet has opened many new doors for consumers, but chances are it will never completely replace the traditional print shop for purchasing business cards.

Advantages to Buying Business Cards Online

1. With our computer controlled automation systems and guaranteed arrival dates you can expect your cards quickly. Most print shops will charge a "rush" fee for this type of service, which can be very expensive.
2. There is no doubt that it is more convenient. You can create a professional-looking, completely customized business cards in a matter of minutes and print it out through your home/office printer. Also you can have your business cards delivered directly to your home or office. It is possible to place an order for business cards and receive them in less than 24 hours!
3. Traditional print shops will never be able to compete with our prices due to the level of software automation that we employ.

Advantages with Traditional Print Shops

1. If you need specialized effects such as thermography, foil printing, or embossing, a traditional print shop is much better suited to handle your requirements. Read below to learn more about these effects.
2. You can touch, feel, and examine examples of other customer's business cards before placing an order. We understand that it can be difficult to take the leap with ordering business cards online.
   Read our money back guarantee policy. You can also write into Customer Service and request free samples before placing an order.
3. You have the ability to talk face to face with a graphic artist or printing professional. If you need a custom design or logo created especially for you, then this may be the way to go.

Offset or Lithograph Printing
This has been the standard of color printing for over 100 years now. Lithograph and Offset mean basically the same thing. The quality of this printing process is superb! Unfortunately there are 5 long steps involved before anything can be printed. Part of these steps includes making negatives, burning photosensitive plates for each color (which are not reusable), and then making multiple passes for each color.

For small jobs such as 100 to 1000 business cards, this process will be very expensive due to the high overhead involved with setup. However, for large quantities this method is very price effective.

Digital Printing
Digital printing has made leaps and bounds within the past few years! Modern equipment can now rival the quality of offset printers. Due to the level of software automation at PrintsMadeEasy, we can even print free business cards due to the cost savings... and almost as fast as we receive the order. This sophistication leads to lower prices and quicker service.

It is also worth noting that the text/graphics printed from an offset printer has a dull/matte appearance. Laser-based printing will always have a shiny look wherever toner has bonded to the paper.

4 Color Business Card Printing
The idea works like your TV set, mix the primary colors and you can achieve limitless color combinations. Typically the colors are magenta, cyan, yellow, and black (that is also what we use). Some printing equipment uses 6 colors to achieve even a greater realism, but the difference to 4-color printing is slight.

Thermography or Raised Ink
You have probably come across raised ink business cards at some point. A special powder is added to the ink before it has dried. The paper is then heated and the powder/ink mixture dries to form a raised effect. You can feel the printing with your fingers. PrintsMadeEasy does not have this option.

Foil Printing
Foil printing is another option for creating business cards with "bells & whistles". Just like the name implies, you can make text or your logo super shiny. If you need to have this option we recommend looking for a specialty printer in your local Yellow Pages.

Embossing
This could be the considered the highest end of business card effects. A special stamp is engraved and created especially for your logo. A machine then stamps the back of each card producing an 3 dimensional impression. Setup costs are usually high but it may be worth it if you want to "stick out".

Fold Over Business Cards
These business cards are twice the height of a regular business card. There is a score line through the center that allows you to fold your card in half. This may be useful if you have a lot of information that you want to put on your business cards, such as a menu or price list. It is convenient because the card can still fit in your wallet.

Business Card Collectors
Believe it or not there are a lot of people who's hobby is collecting business cards. PrintsMadeEasy.com hopes to one day have at least one of our cards in every collectors treasure chest :)

Free Business Cards
There are a number of companies that claim to offer free business cards, but PrintsMadeEasy.com is the only one that actually does (with no strings attached). We do not print our logo on the back or surprise you with any hidden charges. 100 business cards are completely free for first-time customers. Visit the landing page for free business cards to learn more about this offer.

Great Templates for Your Application
We have compiled some of our favorite designs in each category. We try to be descriptive about the graphic artists' intentions and provide some fun-facts along the way.