Advertising Information

Do I Need Raised Letter or Full Color Business Cards?


If you've been searching around for business cards that will best represent the image you want to portray for your business, then you've no doubt encountered many options. The Big Two, as I like to think of them, are "Raised Letter" and "Full Color."

What are the differences in raised letter and full color business cards? What are the price differences? What looks best for how I want to represent my business? These are all questions I hear on a daily basis.

1. The difference between Raised Letter and Full Color printing is in how the ink is applied to the card stock. Thermography is the type of printing that produces ink that stands up off the page slightly. When you run your fingers across the surface, you can feel the printing on the stock. Each color that is printed has a separate plate, and the cards have to be run through the press for each color chosen. These types of cards have a very elegant and refined look about them, especially if the colors and stocks chosen are complimentary. There are hundreds of varieties of stocks and inks to choose from.

Full Color printing is much like printing from your ink jet printer at home. All the inks are printed on the page at the same time, and combined to create hues, shades--photo images. So, one run through and the cards are printed. These cards have been traditionally used by real estate agents, insurance agents and the like. But now, with this type of printing becoming more affordable and available, anyone can choose this option. These designs most of the time seem jazzier, sharper, more upbeat.

2. The cost difference is an oddity. Spot printing (the process of laying the colors on one at a time, as in Raised Letter cards), can be much cheaper--if only one color or black is chosen. White plate (65 lb stocks) will be cheaper than a cordwain or linen. But, if you start adding more colors (equals more time through the press) then you'll start racking up the cost. If your colors touch each other (called registration--the printer must make sure the cards run through correctly) then you'll tack on some extra expense there.

If you have a full color logo, the least expensive way to go would be with full color (process printing). But, you generally have to get a minimum of 1000. You can get 250 from some places, but you'll pay about the same price. It's the setup fee from the printer that is the biggest expense. Printing them is the cheap part, which is why the more you get, the better the price.

3. To choose the look that's right for you, I would think first about the image you are projecting for your company. Are you a doctor? You probably would rather have a classier linen stock with black and gold inks. Same for lawyers and other professionals. A handsome bordeaux (burgundy) on grey fiber stock would speak volumes about your professionalism. The raised letter would add to the expensive feel. There is really no need to add more than 1 color and black in printing raised letter cards. If that's the way you're heading, then you probably have a flashier business image and would need full color cards. A doctor or lawyer is usually using cards to provide clients with contact information, not get more business.

Full color is proven to get a 30% better response rate than regular printing, but this is only a bonus if your business aims to use the business cards to get more business. If you sell a product, using full color cards would be a brilliant idea--you can have a photo of it right on the cards. If you're in a service industry like real estate, you'll want your prospects to remember your face. Add your professionally taken photo to your cards. If you're trying to express a concept of what you can do for customers, then finding the right stock photo image can speak thousands of words with just one image!

In reality, cost usually dictates the biggest part of your decision making process. However, I would caution you to consider your IMAGE first. You might find that if you choose the card that has the best representation of your image, the cost ends up being less than if you choose the wrong one.

About The Author

Business card designer, Mitoné Cooke, specializes in full color business card designs at her website http://drbusinesscards.com. You can also give her a call at 1-800-431-3407 to order raised letter cards! Mitoné can be reached by email at moi@mitone.com. Sign up for the free e-newsletter about Business Card Marketing by sending a blank email to bizcardmarketing@getresponse.com.


MORE RESOURCES:

Los Angeles Business Journal

US court upholds LA ban on billboards
Los Angeles Times, CA - 8 hours ago
The US 9th Circuit Court of Appeals reverses a lower-court ruling, saying the city's 2002 prohibition of outdoor advertising does not violate a sign ...
Laurence Tribe Tangles with Los Angeles -- and Loses! LA Weekly
Rare Victory: Sign Company Slapped Down By Court Curbed
Appeals court upholds LA's billboard ban San Jose Mercury News
Los Angeles Times
all 34 news articles


Boston Globe

New York Times now offers front-page advertising
MarketWatch - Jan 5, 2009
"In 2006 we began testing ads on some section fronts and received a very positive response from the advertising community," said Denise Warren, ...
Video: Money Minute: Times Ads, Hyundai, Construction AssociatedPress
How much are those front-page Times ads? Reuters
NY Times debuts front-page ad; new revenue source The Associated Press
Adweek - Western Standard- Shotgun Blog
all 360 news articles


Recession raises stakes for Super Bowl advertising
guardian.co.uk, UK - 23 hours ago
"The Super Bowl remains this incredibly unique advertising opportunity because you get all this focus and all this attention and all the PR buzz around it," ...


Telegraph.co.uk

Time Warner to Report Loss After $25 Billion Charge
Bloomberg - 1 hour ago
The shrinking US economy hurt advertising at the AOL and publishing units more than anticipated, the world’s largest media company said today in a statement ...
Time Warner now expects a loss BloggingStocks
Write-downs send Time Warner into red CITY A.M.
Time Warner Sees Loss for Year Wall Street Journal
MarketWatch - The Associated Press
all 513 news articles


BeliefNetworks, Inc. Launches AffinityAgent Advertising ...
MSNBC - Jan 6, 2009
Utilizing this technology, BeliefNetworks is able to help a variety of customers in the advertising and publishing world develop relevant ad concepts and ...


Dallas Pushes for More Video Board Advertising
MSNBC - Jan 6, 2009
The city council is looking to add more video advertising boards and told city staff that the five currently planned for Main Street are not enough. ...


BBC News

Iliad, France Telecom CEOs Press Senators to Cut Public TV Tax
Bloomberg - 8 hours ago
President Nicolas Sarkozy proposed a 0.9 percent levy on the telecommunications companies’ sales to make up for lost revenue from an advertising ban on ...
Is Nicolas Sarkozy really trying to Berlusconise French TV? Telegraph.co.uk
Strikes greet Sarkozy's TV reform BBC News
French unions decry TV advertising change Forbes
World Socialist Web Site - Voice of America
all 124 news articles


CBS Plans to Reduce Capital Spending to $350 Million
Bloomberg - 21 hours ago
With advertising falling in radio and local TV, New York- based CBS is seeking savings and new sources of revenue, such as today’s agreement allowing Time ...
CBS's Moonves: Scatter Pricing Stays Even With Upfront AdAge.com (subscription)
Moonves hopeful for auto ads Hollywood Reporter
CBS In Negotiations With Cablevision On Affiliate Fees CNNMoney.com
Broadcasting & Cable - Adweek
all 15 news articles


Accuray Receives Prestigious Awards for 2008 Advertising Campaign
PR Newswire (press release), NY - 4 hours ago
The ADDY Awards, presented by the American Advertising Federation, is the world's largest advertising competition. With more than 60000 entries annually, ...


Gaming Alerts

Online Casino Crosses Advertising Standards Agency
Online Casino News, CT - 6 hours ago
... context of toughness, and linked it to excessive risk taking and reckless behaviour', said a spokesperson for the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA). ...
Ladbrokes's online casino broke advertising rules Reuters UK
Ladbrokes TV ads banned for linking gambling to reckless behaviour guardian.co.uk
LADBROKES CRITICAL OF ASA RULING RecentPoker
The Press Association - Financial Times
all 28 news articles

Advertising - Google News

home | site map | Tele88.co.uk | Soscili.com | UltimateWealthCorner.com | JustDial.tk | bennyong.com
© 2006 Velocity Spark Network. Hosted by Hostonfire.com