by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
You business card and/or your calling card, next to your personal appearance and demeanour, are what will make the first and lasting impression at any meeting, whether business or private.
Being environmentally conscientious I am sure you are looking for a way to be green with those cards too and there are many printers that claim to be using recycled paper – how much post-consumer waste please, for often recycled means pre-consumer waste, that is to say mill and print room waste – and green inks but the claims are not really all that there.
The greenest way to do your business- and calling cards is to do them yourself via your PC and printer. Avery has software for templates and the ready paper for it and there are compatible blanks available too.
But you do not even have to do that. You can design your own on the templates and then use waste paper – I do all the time – such as from press releases and such like to make your own cards and cut them using a guillotine (paper trimmer) or just a metal ruler and and craft knife.
I reuse every piece of paper that comes my way, so to speak, and if people insist to use 100gsm or even 110gsm paper for press releases printed on one side only I will use the other side to make business- and calling cards from, for my business and personal use.
When making my cards I make one not so environmentally friendly concession which, however, makes the cards to last that much longer, and that is that I use laminating pouches for the full page and then cut them cards out from that.
I, obviously, could just cut the cards out and leave it at that but most of that paper would not be strong enough on its own and I would, probably, have no other real reuse purpose for those pages, and also the fact that most ink jet printer ink is not water fast and does smudge and run.
The fact that the back of the card happens to have text on it makes often a great conversation piece as to green living and working.
Sure something to think about, methinks.
© 2009
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