Almost Free Business Cards for the Self-Employed

By Michele Blandino

Starting your own business can be an expensive endeavor. Whether you are setting up a pet-sitting service, or opening a full-service accounting firm, there will be numerous expenses associated with getting your business off the ground.

One such expense is the printing of business cards. While commercial printers can produce high-quality cards for as little as $25, when you are operating on a shoe-string budget, you may be tempted to forgo this expense until the revenues begin rolling in.

Fortunately, there are services that will help you obtain professional quality business cards for a nominal fee. Whether you want the entire job done by professionals or you prefer to undertake the task yourself, there are plenty of low-cost options available. Here is a sampling:

Full Service

One such service, VistaPrint offers 250 business cards printed on high quality 80 lb card stock (the same card stock used for their premium services). While, there are 30 design options to choose from, text is formatted according to a standard template. In addition, the cards will have Vistaprint's logo printed on the back. You pay only for shipping ($4.99 for delivery in 21 days, $8.95 for 14 day delivery, $12.95 for 7 day delivery and $24.99 for 3 day "Rush" delivery).

VistaPrint makes this offer in the hope that satisfied customers will return to them for all their printing needs.

Print Yourself

Another option is 7Print. 7Print differs from VistaPrint in that at 7Print, you design the cards online using one of their templates, and then print them using your own printer. The templates are formatted to be compatible with Hewlett-Packard or Avery standard (2x5) business card forms. If you would rather the cards be printed by 7Print, you can expect to pay $19.98 for 250 black & white and $29.98 for 250 color cards.

Design and Print Yourself

For the more adventurous, you can create your own cards using a word processing program and your printer. You can buy business card forms from a business supply store such as Staples or Office Max for under $15. Depending on the look you want to achieve, you can select traditional white forms, or something more distinctive.

You will design your card using your computer's word processing program. Some programs, such as Microsoft Word or Microsoft Publisher, have "wizards" that will take you step-by-step through the design process. Keep in mind that the simpler the design, the greater the chance that the card will print correctly. Designs that include fancy borders or graphics, while sharp-looking on your computer screen, may not look as nice after it has exited your printer.