by Michael Smith (Veshengro)
Do you really needs those fancy printed business cards? And all that other fancy printed stationery?
Impressions, I know, count and in business first impressions are all important but... and here comes the “but”. When you wan to to convey that you have a green business can you really warrant having your business- and calling cards printed on even though it may be recycled paper and with soy-based inks that are environmentally friendly?
Many a green business is looking for all the right Ts to cross and Is to dot and then, in my view, falls down on the way it uses stationery.
The question then comes to mind of the CEO and business owners as to “green” printing and to checking the criteria of the various so-called green and environmentally friendly printers. But why even go to such an extent.
With today's technology, such as computers and the possibility of publishing from the PC, there is no need to have stationery designed and printed “out of house” and in advance.
Letterheads and other “forms” can be designed by the user and then, as and when needed, printed on the computer's printer.
When it comes to business- and calling cards they too can be printed from the computer using templates or, better still, cards cut to size via a guillotine from cereal packs and such like and then have your details printed upon them via a stamp.
While in the days of old the physical postal address was important on such card nowadays that no longer is such and therefore a simply “Ideal” stamp with the details, bar the physical address, for instance, makes for great cards.
By making your own cards in such a way you convey a real green message and one, as far as green business is concerned, that is positive and says “I care about the environment”.
Those stamps of the brand name “Ideal”, the ones that rotate the stamp bit down from the ink pad, for lack of a better way of describing the stamp and the action, do not cost much and pay for themselves within the first set of 50 or 100 home-made green cards.
Personally, I have made cards, printed them from a template created, for the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW, and other parts of TATCHIPEN MEDIA on press releases that were sent to me on strong paper, laminated them and then cut them up.
However, for the GREEN (LIVING) REVIEW I have now acquired, from an Idea of Tom Szaky, the CEO of TerraCycle, a stamp, as described – Tom uses one for a business card – and make my cards now that way on waste stock retrieved from a variety of sources, such as cereal packs, tea packs, and such like.
While the looks of the cards, as in color and such, may not be uniform, the green message, I believe, however, is conveyed loud and clear.
Although the stamp I am using is but text of 5 lines at 12pt logos are possible, as are other kind of designs, at a cost though.
Another great advantage of a stamp for business card is that, if you carry it, that is, you never run out of cards. If you run out of home-made blanks on a show or visit then some other bits of paper or card will do as well, such as and including beermats.
The “card” that I have got from om Szaky of TerraCyle, is on a beermat from a bar where we met in London in early Fall of 2009. While this makes a little – now there is an understatement – awkward, as far as size goes, to fit that card into my card file it makes it stand out though and memorable.
I do know, before anyone suggests it, that there is a electronic business card equivalent, the vCard, but most people are not capable of receiving such so we still need the physical card and here my advice, for what it is worth, to go and get a stamp made up and then create your own home-made card stock upon which to print your cards.
In my experience those cards make great conversation pieces and convey a real green and caring message and that is what we do want, I am sure.
© 2009
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