Color Variable Data Business Cards with a UV Printer

I’m tired of business cards. They’re dull, they’re boring, they haven’t changed in nearly 100 years.

Oh sure, you get the occasional creative type that has a uniquely die-cut card, like a round card, a thin half-size card, or even the double-sized card that’s folded over to normal size (although to be honest, I tear off the half that doesn’t have the person’s name on it).

But these cards all look the same. They’re on white stock, have different colored inks, and have the same information on it.

Yawn.

Look people, we live in an amazing technological age: we’ve put a man on the moon, we can transplant hearts and livers into people, and we have special printers that will actually print photographs inexpensively. Why do you insist on printing one-sided, two-color business cards on white stock when you can print double-sided full-color cards for the same price?

Why not print a card with a photo on the back, full-color logo and color background on the front? All you need is the right kind of printer, like the Legend 72HUV UV curable inkjet printer. We have one of these in our shop here in Indianapolis. I’m always amazed by what it can do.

This printer is basically a huge version of your typical desktop inkjet printer. Think of all the color documents, fancy graphs, and even photographs you’re able to print on something the size of a VCR. Now imagine being able to do that on a 4 foot wide substrate. Although the Legend 72HUV is often used by sign shops and poster printers, it can also be used as a way for cut sheet printers to save costs and increase revenue. And it can be used to print some of the coolest business cards I’ve seen in a looooong time.

  • For one thing, UV printing just looks better. It’s smooth, doesn’t run or smudge, and dries immediately so you don’t get “ghost images” from wet ink on the back of your card.
  • Put your face on a business card. For example, if you’re a realtor, print your photo on your business card. You’ve got your face plastered everywhere else — your home listings, your websites, and for some of you, your For Sale signs, so why not on your cards?
  • Put photos on the cards. If you sell a particular product
  • Print short run business cards. Are you going to a trade show that needs a special offer or show discount? Print out 100 regular business cards with an offer on the back — “Special offer for the 2009 International Poultry Expo: Buy two feed bins, and the third one is free!” Or maybe you’re a car dealer, selling different kinds of cars. Print cards with your most popular models on the back. When a customer looks at that model, give them the card with that model on it, and make yourself more memorable.
  • Do variable data printing. Think of this a full-color mail merge — each card has a different piece of information on it. Print cards with special messages for a certain individual. Do you have a special meeting with an important client? Put a “Thanks for meeting with me, Bob” message on the back. Do you have a number of favorite quotes or authors? Put different quotes on the backs of the cards, and hand them out at random. As you hand out cards at networking events, people will see you have different quotes, and may even try to collect them.
  • Photo: PhotoOneGang

    One comment

    1. Your business cards should reflect your professionalism and skills. It is what people will use to remember you and contact you. Unfortunately, business cards are small, making it tough to design a card that makes an impact. So remember to create your business cards in a way that utilizes color. Make business cards stand out from the rest so you won’t be forgotten.Two UV printer options can provide fast, full-color, and variable product marking and decorating, according to maker ITW Trans Tech (Carol Stream, IL).

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