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Despite having smartphones and email signatures, people still have, and regularly use, business cards as a quick way to exchange contact info and leave a lasting impression on one another. But who produces the highest quality cards at the best price? Our review dives in to find out.
Article Overview
- Why You Need A Business Card
- Why Physical Cards Are Here To Stay
- Who’s The Best?
- Comparison Table
- Other Companies
- How To Design Great Business Cards (Video)
- How To Make And Print Your Own Business Cards
Top 5 Reasons To Get A Business Card Now
You don’t have to be a CEO at a large corporation to have a business card. Here are a few reasons to get business cards:
- All roles and levels at companies of all sizes need (and deserve) to have a business card.
- It makes you feel and seem official.
- They are a highly effective way to gain prospects that lead to sales. According to an infographic from The Design Inspiration, for every 2,000 cards distributed, there’s an increase of 2.5% in sales.
- They’re cost-effective.
- Even if you don’t have a job or own a business, having personal business cards is a fun way to share your contact info, including email address, cell phone number, and social media links.
Why Business Cards Are Here To Stay
Did you know that business cards have been around in one form or another since the 15th century?
While it feels like they’re a dying breed in the digital world we live in, experts agree that business cards are a physical reminder of the person-to-person business relationships you’re developing. For this reason (and trend analysis suggests this as well), they don’t appear to be going away anytime soon.
Where Can I Get The Best Business Cards Online?
While you could go to your local FedEx Office, Office Depot, or Staples to get cards printed, you’ll save quite a bit of money if you buy business cards online. And most have a pretty fast turnaround time, so you’ll have your new cards in no time.
Winner: MOO.com Review
MOO.com offers the most premium business card printing service for the price. It is hands down the best business card printing site on the web. MOO has many modern and sleek designs to choose from and an inspiration gallery where you can browse other people’s designs.
MOO is best known for its mini cards and “Printfinity” printing services. However, they also offer additional features, like luxe cards (3x the weight of normal cards with a colored edge), “MOO size” cards (slightly more square than standard business cards), gold foil, and letterpress printing services.
Another great thing about MOO is, if you have a company with ten or more employees, you can sign up for a business account for simple ordering (and reordering), complete with a dedicated account manager. What started as a business card company has now grown into a full-service printing site that does flyers, postcards, letterhead, and more.
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Pricing
- Standard cards start at $19.99 for 50
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.39
- Turnaround Time: Overnight delivery is available for an added charge. Otherwise, the standard (and most cost-effective) turn around time is 9 days
Note: Approximate price per card is the starting price, not including shipping fees or sales tax (it could be lower if you increase your quantity).
Runner-Up: VistaPrint Review
Vistaprint has been giving small businesses the tools to market themselves for over 20 years. The added value of using Vistaprint? Their great value and a helpful customer service team to answer questions and help with issues (such as finding a typo or misprint after you already placed your order).
Vistaprint offers several printing solutions in addition to business cards (including website creation, digital graphics, and apparel printing). Over the years, Vistaprint has increased their business card printing features and now includes unique add-ons like raised print, spot gloss, and metallic finishes.
If you’re looking for a great deal on business cards with support along the way, then you can’t go wrong with Vista Print.
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Pricing
- Starts at $15 for 100 glossy or matte cards (usually closer to $9.99 with ongoing promotions)
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.09
- Turnaround Time: Fastest shipping option is express (3 days) or select economy shipping (starts at $4.99) + printing time
3rd Place: Zazzle Review
Zazzle is a more traditional print company that just happens to do business cards too. They pride themselves on being fast on almost all products (including business cards), and if you don’t love it, they have a no-questions-asked return policy for an exchange or refund. They even provide you with a prepaid return shipping label. Unlike Moo and VistaPrint, all Zazzle designs come pre-made to customize your name and company.
There are more than a million sleek, modern designs to choose from (including loyalty cards and referral cards), and you can add your logo and select colors and fonts (or upload your own design). While they offer support, it’s limited to email and phone. Overall, Zazzle will dazzle you with designs and get you a card that you’ll be proud to share.
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Pricing
- Starts at $20.95 for 100
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.21
- Turnaround Time: 3 business days for express up to 7-10 days for standard (shipping and manufacturing)
Comparison Table
Before we get into the other companies, here’s a side-by-side comparison of our top picks. It allows you to see how they stack up against each other in pricing and turnaround time.
Note: These are the lowest prices for the smallest quantity; the price usually goes down significantly when you order more volume.
Winner: Moo | 2nd Place: Vistaprint | 3rd Place: Zazzle | 123Print | Business Card Star | GotPrint | iPrint | Overnight Prints | PsPrint | UPrinting | |
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Standard Cards Price Per Card (excludes shipping) | $0.39 | $0.09 | $0.21 | $0.11 | $0.73 | $0.08 | $0.09 | $0.19 | $0.53 | $0.33 |
Minimum Quantity | 50 | 100 | 100 | 100 | 25 | 100 | 100 | 25 | 50 | 25 |
Fastest Turnaround Time (excluding shipping) | 9 Days | 3 Days | 3 Days | 1 day | Same Day | 3-6 Days | 3-8 Days | 1 day | 1 day | 1 day |
Letterpress/Gold Foil/Special Shapes | ||||||||||
Design via | Upload your own or templates | Upload your own or templates | Online editor | Upload your own or online editor | Online editor | Upload your own or templates | Upload your own or templates | Upload your own or templates | Upload your own or templates |
What About 123Print, Business Card Star, GotPrint, iPrint, Overnight Prints, PsPrint, & UPrinting?
While these didn’t make our top three, they are still worth considering as they may have an offering that fits your particular business’ needs the best.
123Print | Business Card Star | GotPrint | iPrint | Overnight Prints | PsPrint | UPrinting
123Print Review
123Prints is as simple as one, two, three. There are three ways to make your cards. Either pick one of their hundreds of templates, upload your own file or use their online editor to create a design. No matter which route you go, you have a variety of paper options from 14pt uncoated matte or gloss-up to 32pt ultra matte or 150pound premium satin finish.
Like most other companies, pricing depends on the stock of paper, quantity, and shape (standard, square, or mini). And if you’re in a hurry, they offer a quick turnaround time, shipping most orders within 24 hours. If you want a low-cost, no-frills place to print business cards online, this is a terrific option.
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Pricing
- Starts at $10.89 for 100 quantity standard cards
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.11
- Turnaround Time: 24 hours + shipping
Business Card Star Review
Business Card Star is exactly what the name states: a business card printing service. It’s simple to use and easy to navigate — the site walks you through the process step-by-step. Select one of their pre-designed layouts, enter your contact info, then customize your colors and fonts or upload your photo. Choose the type of paper and shipping method and check out. You can even print your design at home using Avery pre-cut paper.
This makes it super easy to design your card and use your own printer without using or downloading any software. This company doesn’t offer much support or tutorials, but their site is practically foolproof, so you shouldn’t need it.
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Pricing
- Starts at $18.95 for 25 single-sided cards
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.76
- Turnaround Time: Same day (or print at home) up to 4 days max
GotPrint Review
At less than eight cents a card, it’s pricing that gives GotPrint an edge over the competition. And, with four international printing facilities, they can offer a quick turnaround time. Another great feature is their flash-based, advanced designer, which is basically like having Photoshop right in your web browser.
There are hundreds of templates to choose from, but they are pretty basic and on the cheesy side, so not recommended if you want people to take you seriously. GotPrint actively promotes their GotGreen printing products and is proud to use soy-based inks and printing processes that are as environmentally friendly as possible. If you want business cards fast and cheap, you can’t come close to beating the price with Got Print.
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Pricing
- Starts at $7.63 for 100 cards
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.08
- Turnaround Time: 3-6 business days after approval and processed payment (additional features add extra days)
iPrint Review
iPrint is an affordable solution for anyone looking to print business cards and other paper products. You can use their 3-step tool to create your card and then check out as a guest if you’re in a hurry, or create an account and come back later to order or print more.
The major plus for iPrint, in addition to their great pricing, is that they offer free standard shipping. This could be worth the extra savings if you’re willing to wait. There aren’t many options other than design (paper type or special printing feature), so don’t get too excited about going crazy with your look. iPrint is a solid choice if you don’t need anything fancy.
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Pricing
- Starts at $8.01 for 100 cards for basic
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.09
- Turnaround Time: Rush delivery for 3 business days or up to 8 business days for standard shipping
Overnight Prints Review
Overnight Prints… just about anything… overnight. After all, that is their name, right? They are big on their “BITGIT” policy, meaning Buy it Today, Get it Tomorrow,” so if you’re in a hurry and can fork over extra for shipping (sometimes as much or more than the cards themselves), then Overnight Prints could be a good solution for you.
No matter which shipping option you go with, their waterless printing method is environmentally friendly and produces a higher-quality result than traditional offset printing. And with 15pt stock, it will have a thick, premium feel. Overnight Prints is fast, reliable, and offers a good-quality product for the price.
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Pricing
- Starts at $4.89 for 25 premium cards (usually a sale going at OvernightPrints for additional savings)
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.20
- Turnaround Time: Overnight up to 14 business days
PsPrint Review
PsPrint makes ordering business cards a breeze. You can upload a design and select all the various product features, including paper type, size, and quantity, and get pricing and turnaround time on one page. If you have a question, there are pop-up windows that explain the details without leaving the screen.
Since they’ve been in the printing business for 25+ years, they must be doing something right, including a 20-point quality check (including design suggestions) with every order at no additional charge. PsPrint is a consumer-driven, “print-happy” company dedicated to delivering a high-quality product on time, and they stand behind their promise with a guarantee.
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Pricing
- Starts at $26.57 for 50 cards
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.53
- Turnaround Time: Same-day production (plus 2-day shipping) up to one week
UPrinting Review
Founded in 1997, UPrinting makes it easy for you to print – just like the name implies. They have one of the best customer service policies, 24-hour chat assistance, and will even refund you 20% for each day for any late orders. If you live in Los Angeles, CA, they offer free pick-up. UPrinting is highly rated on the Better Business Bureau and was ranked on INC Magazine’s 5000 2009 list as one of America’s fastest-growing companies.
What are the downsides to U Printing? They are on the slower side for turnaround time and on the higher end of the scale when it comes to pricing. Basic cards are not too bad, but the extras can add up fast. They also don’t have any ready-made templates, so unless you already have a design, be prepared to spend some time using their online editor to create one.
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Pricing
- Starts at $8.49 for 25 cards
- Approx. Price per Card: $0.33
- Turnaround Time: 1 week up to 2 weeks.
How To Design Great Business Cards (Video)
If you want to laugh out loud (and some motivation to design something unique), this video is worth a watch. Business and sales coach Joel Bauer talks about the importance of not having cheap business cards and shows how his design sets him apart from the rest of the crowd.
How To Make Your Own Business Cards
When selecting a company to print your business cards online, you can get pretty creative and not spend a lot of time or money. But, if you’re still struggling with a design using their templates, try designing your own using graphic design software and then upload yourself (just make sure you get the specs first to ensure you are using the correct dimensions).
Using online business card services, you can print and ship your cards and start marketing your business in no time. And in case you don’t have a business logo or are looking to update your current one, we’ve got you covered – check out our review of the best online logo makers.
What shape of business card do you like most? Let us know in the comments!
Tagged With: Branding, Comparison