Card tricks: Formatting your own data pays off
By: Linda Knapp

Business cards are one of those little conveniences like toothpicks and tissues that some of us don't want to bother with until we're in a situation that renders them essential.

Lately, however, I've begun to view the cards as rather useful reminders. I frequently refer to those received at meetings and elsewhere for the critical contact information they hold.

Indeed, I've finally come to the conclusion that it would be helpful to have some of my own. Rather than go to a printer and pay someone else to design and print my cards, I decided to try it myself, using special software and printer paper.

For comparison, I designed one card on a PC using Avery's DesignPro (www.avery.com)and another on a Macintosh using Belight Software Business Card Composer (www.belightsoft.com). Each costs $40 to $50.

I pick these programs because they include a range of design options and a long list of printer papers to choose from, which makes it easier to find one you want at a local office-supply store.

The card design I have in mind includes a photo as background, so I look for high-quality matte or glossy paper.

Avery's #8373 seems to fit that description; it's supported by both software programs and is available at a nearby OfficeMax. I buy a pack that will print 200 cards for about $20.

Now for the design. Neither program comes with a printed user's manual, so I spend more time than I'd like messing up and starting over while learning these "intuitive" programs. I probably should have started with a template. Finally, I manage to design a card with one of my photos as background and contact information in white over the dark-green forest.

A tricky part on both the Mac and PC programs is setting up the printer to print multiple cards on a page and calibrating the printer so it's perfectly aligned.

After fiddling with the alignment and printing a few practice pages on plain paper, I print a sheet of eight cards. The photo looks good and the text shows up well.

Both software programs appear to produce decent-quality cards. But that's when I notice that the cards on the sheets are separated by perforated lines.

When I carefully separate the cards, the dotted edges are faint, but visible to anyone who looks closely. I rub my fingernail along the edge to make the bumps disappear, and it helps, but the edges remain slightly ragged. That's tacky, I think.

Looking for printer paper once again, I discover that Avery also makes clean-edge card paper, so I try #8877 (matte white) and #8879 (glossy white).

The results are much better on both papers — perfectly smooth edges and the same photo quality.

To add perspective to this experiment, I inquire how much it would cost to have 100 cards made at the local OfficeMax. The quick answer is about $15 to $20, if I provide camera-ready copy.

It costs extra if the color goes to the edge, and my background photo should do that. Preparation is most of the work anyway, so a straight cost comparison isn't really a fair way to decide.

Besides, once you've invested in the software and paper, you can also design and print cards for family and friends. Self-employed adults, and offspring in the babysitting or yard-work businesses, for instance, might find the cards helpful.

If you're willing to use a template design, you can eliminate the cost of software by going online to www.avery.com/print . Enter an Avery paper number, pick a template, and customize it with a photo or logo and contact information.

It prints using Adobe Acrobat Reader, and though I had bad luck with alignment in version 5.1, when I downloaded the latest Acrobat Reader 6.0 and checked None in Page scaling, the cards printed perfectly.

While you're at it, try the postcard templates with Avery paper #8387. All their postcard paper has perforated edges, but it seems less noticeable or offensive on a postcard. There are free postcard and business-card templates at www.avery.com under the software tab.
Card templates, it turns out, are freely available from quite a few places.

To find business-card templates, for instance, click to your favorite search engine and enter keywords such as "free business card templates"

So, consider making your own business cards — like safety pins and screwdrivers, they should be handy when you need them.