Discovering the Roots of Business Cards

by: killian.martha

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Date: Thu, 19 Aug 2010 Time: 1:12 AM - 0 comments

Conventionally, business cards are used to introduce yourself, your business, and your products and services, but the design is incredibly flexible. Businesses love the promotional capability of business cards as they easily create brand awareness and recognition. When attending conferences, seminars, fundraisers, and other corporate events, these cards help a lot in the introduction process. What’s best they are cost effective to produce, easy to design, and easy to carry around. This is why cheap business cards are widely available in printing shops today.  

Business cards actually originated in China centuries ago. Back them they were referred to as visiting cards or calling cards. The visiting cards used centuries ago were usually large in size and dimension as compared to the business card that is available nowadays. The large size of the visiting cards usually gives a lot of space for visitors to write in their name, notes and other important messages.

In Europe, the visiting cards were first used in the reign of Louis XIV in the 17th century. During that time, newspapers were underdeveloped leaving all merchants looking for their own way of promoting their products and services. This paved the way for the creation of the trade card.
 
With the success of the trade cards, these cards quickly established its name as the most popular and effective way of promoting a business. Printed with the right information such as a map that point directly to the business, trade cards that time has no formal numbering as compared to business cards today. The earliest form of trade cards were usually created or printed with the use of woodcut or the so called letterpress method. This printing method was used up to the 19th century with the aid of a monotone or simple tints in it, with most people choosing to print their name and other information in plain white card with a black text.

But with the fast, idealistic and creative minds of people, in 1830, lithographic printing process was invented in Europe. These modern improvements that include option to color printing led most of the business back them to create great and sophisticated designs for their cards. However, even if these cards was used and popular in the 18th and 19th century in Europe, visiting cards slowly lose its popularity while the trade card was transformed and developed into a business card that is now widely used by all businessmen.

Now in the modern days, there is limitless range or options available for quality printing process armed with quality lithographic printers that usually manufactures great and consistent printing finish for all requirements in card printing. Moreover, because of the rise of new and quality materials and production process, it has widened so many creative options that are available for your disposal.

And because business card is a very crucial marketing tool nowadays, creating a poor and bad looking one will largely reflect on your business. This led to the improvement of materials used by a business card printer like the use of thicker paper stocks which gives business cards good and superior impression. Further improvements like the matt or the gloss lamination or the spot UV were also develop for added professional appeal.

If you haven’t discovered the marketing power of business cards, it’s time you do today. Create your own card now and experience exceptional success in business.