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Programming IT Technology

Business Cards, Labels and Unix? 24

Posted by Cliff from the be-your-own-printing-press dept.
Scott Taylor asks: "I've recently started my own company, and after reading The Pragmatic Programmer, and Unix Power Tools I'm interested in removing the need for Microsoft Word to make my business cards and labels. I would like to use a command line solution. One where I can update a configuration file, run make and out comes a label or business card from the printer. Unfortunately I have little experience with text formatting tools other than LaTeX. What would be the best Unix tool to use to create proper templates for Avery labels. Can it support color and graphics? What about printing to color ink jet printers?"
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Business Cards, Labels and Unix? More

Business Cards, Labels and Unix?

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  • For the first time in while, I got stuck interviewing job applicants and reviewing loads of resumes. Thirty-one of 53 people had laser-printed business cards.

    Hello? Am I missing something? Here in the UK, business cards are used for giving your contact details to others you meet in the course of business. I've never heard of them being sent with a CV (resume). Is this common in the US? Surely all your details are on the resume anyway -- why would you need to supply a business card?

  • LaTeX can use the envlab.sty package which knows a lot about avery labels already, and you can easily tell it dimensions of different labels.

    Business cards might be a bit more difficult, but the bizcard package claims to do it. Never tried it.

    Both are available on CTAN.

  • My main reason for wanting to print my own, was simply that my company will be moving to a new address in a few months

    Talk to your local printer. All the printers I've worked with have been flexable. They understand that businesses have printing needs and if they can do you a favor now, they'll get your business later.

    If only the address and phone number will change between printings (not the graphics, layout or the paper stock), you may be able to talk him into a split run (half old info, half new). If not, I'm pretty sure that he will cut you a break on printing a second batch when you move. The greatest cost in printing business cards is the setup time not the raw materials. If the setup is done, printing can be done cheap.

    InitZero

  • Laser Printed Business Cards are Sloppy (Score:3)

    by InitZero ( 14837 ) on Sunday October 15, 2000 @12:47PM (#704601) Homepage

    For the first time in while, I got stuck interviewing job applicants and reviewing loads of resumes.

    Thirty-one of 53 people had laser-printed business cards. These struck me as tacky. They didn't feel right, some didn't fit in my business card holder and many smeared.

    Maybe I'm a business card bigot so take this advice with a grain of salt... For crying out loud, spend the $35 (or less), go to your local printer and have professinally designed and printed business cards.

    I didn't nuke any of the candidates because they had unprofessional cards but it was certainly wasn't a point in their favor. All else being equal, I'm going to hire the dude who better presents himself because I believe that he will also better represent the company.

    Your mom might be impressed because you made your business cards all by your little self but I doubt those looking to hire you will.

    InitZero

    (Note to moderators: though this post may seem to be of the troll variety, please file it under 'hard truth' or 'good advice'. Thanks.)

  • Not even $35. I went to www.businesscards.com [businesscards.com] and got more than I'll use in my current job for only $20.

    Not an employee. Just a satisfied customer.

  • While I agree with those who are suggesting that it would be better to have the cards professionally printed, if you really want to print your own cards, PostScript is the way to go. There's a script to take a EPS image and put it on a business card at http://www.chena.net/~jkirving/pub/ [chena.net] ;. If you use that as the basis, you should be able to add what you need to put the text you need on the cards as well.

  • Re:Laser Printed Business Cards are Sloppy (Score:3)

    by doggo ( 34827 ) on Sunday October 15, 2000 @05:18PM (#704604) Homepage
    "Maybe I'm a business card bigot so take this advice with a grain of salt... For crying out loud, spend the $35 (or less), go to your local printer and have professinally designed and printed business cards."

    Good grief! I'd seen those pre-cut business card things, I think Avery makes 'em, and my dad even made some up, but I couldn't imagine someone seriously using the damn things.

    I think I'd laugh in someone's face if they handed me one of those.

    For God's sake, if you take your work seriously, have some business cards printed up. They're not that expensive, and they're essential to being taken seriously. Same with letterhead.
  • Postscript won't make them terribly happy either---it's very difficult to deal with anything less than a perfect postscript file. Acrobat, however, is workable.

    ----
  • Two words: outsource it. Most printers will look at you funny if you come in with a file from StarOffice let alone a latex file. (Actually, they'll laugh at you in the latter case.) It'd be better to find a graphic designer who can do the lay in Quark/Pagemaker/etc. for you, or ask the printer to do it yourself. It'll be less of a headache in the end.

    Or, just fire up the GIMP and give the printer a 300 dpi eps file with spot channels. Business card size is 3.5"x2", but remember to keep text around 1/8" away from the edges and, if you want full bleed, give them 1/8" beyond the cut size.

    ----
  • The fusing process ain't perfect. If you put a laser-printed thing under a plastic sheet (like in a binder) much of the toner will stick to the plastic better than the paper and come off.

    My bigger problem is wallets. When something's that close to your body (whether it's in your wallet, in your shirt pocket, in a jacket pocket, etc.) it's picking up body heat. The additional body heat will break down with some of the fusion process, and you'll get bits of toner which fall off.

    It's not pleasant, and I try to avoid it when possible.

  • For God's sake, if you take your work seriously, have some business cards printed up. They're not that expensive, and they're essential to being taken seriously. Same with letterhead.
    For business cards, you might try iprint.com [iprint.com], I was satisfied with a batch of cards I ordered there.

    As far as mailing labels or envelopes, I just stick with plain text. I figured out how many spaces to tab over to line things up and made template files, which I edit as needed and send to the printer with lpr. If I did more postal mail I'd make a Perl script to stuff the command line parameters into the output appropriately.

  • Two words: outsource it. Most printers will look at you funny if you come in with a file from StarOffice let alone a latex file.
    Which is why you'd come in with a Postscript or PDF file.
  • I've actually used these avery preprinted stock for cards for my father. The paper stock isn't quite as good as "real" business cards, but we stuck with a simple design and a black and with laser printer (HP LasJet 6P) and the cards came out very professional looking).

    Additionally, Laser doesn't smear, inkjet does.


    --Ben
  • GEEZ. Give an answer that no one ask, will ya?

    I think there are a lot of cool things you can do with laser bussiness cards. Some people print things for fun. Yes. Fun. For example, I would print a bussiness card with a URL on it and it goes like :

    "Hi beawutiful, visit this web site to fill an application form for a chance to go out with me."

    "I am going to be in North Carolina for 3 weeks and here is how to contact me."

    Needless to say, labels have more uses.

    I understand that you intend to help. But we must face the fact that there is a problem here. There isn't any good label printing software under UNIX.

    I have tried to download some postscript based package from freshmeat. it was not very practical.
    And face it, most people don't use TeX and a lot of people knows no good way of editing postscript graphics. I say this as a pure TeX user and as a graphics designer. There is a need for WYSIWYG label printer program. Current solutions are not very useful/practical.
  • I used them for my latest bunch-o cards, made a quick'n'dirty logo in gimp (make sure you do it at 3-600dpi) uploaded it, text gets typed directly into netscape, paid the extra for expensive paper and raised ink - the results look as good as many 'professional' cards I've seen and certainly don't cry out 'cheap' (now if only I was an artist :-). I'm sure there are cheaper ways to do this but from my experience they get my seal of approval
  • Star Office might be able to do it for you. Many of the business card sheets include templates to tell Star (or Word, or whatever) to generate the page. Print to PostScript, then you have your command-line file, suitable for printing to color laser printer (best quality) or B&W ink jet (lower quality).
  • Often times your business card is your first and hopefully not your last impression. It's nice to be able to change things quickly but leave that to your web page. Try Ace Business Cards [acebusinesscards.com] I use them and their 4 color process is CHEAP.
    Want your smiling face on your card, less then a $100. Seems they got this big German(?) press they load with one type of paper and then go to town. If you want some special paper then you pay...
  • Hello? Am I missing something? Here in the UK, business cards are used for giving your contact details to others you meet in the course of business

    Well, of course. But unfortunately human interaction and communication is very much based on impression. That's simply a fact.

    Personally I wouldn't necessarily trust a professional providing a cell phone number, a hotmail address and a geocities homepage as contact information to do a professional job.

    And I certainly wouldn't trust a company that has to save a couple 100$ on their printed matter to be professional.

  • Scott, I can see your reasoning why you don't want to have the cards printed now.

    Still, go to a printer and have a small batch printed. Nothing fancy, maybe just a simple helvetica typeset with your contact information. You can worry about design after your move.

    What does that cost you ? It can't be more then 600 crowns. How does that relate to your hourly rate? Can you afford the cost of alienating just one potential customer, who is a bit picky on issues like egg smear on a tie or Birkenstocks for business meetings? Same person might also be picky about business cards.

    In a nutshell. Make it simple, but have it made professionally.

    Sidenote for all wail-wail folks accusing me of brownnosing. Start a fucking business yourself, risk your own hard earned cash and get out of your comfi cubicle where nobody gives a damn if you didn't shave for a week or work in pyjamas, because you don't ever see one of those folks coughing up for your monthly guaranteed pay checks, called customer

  • First off, congratulations and good luck for your venture. I went this path a year ago and here's my two cents on your issue.

    You are no more a programmer, that's just part of your job now, but you' re in the business of selling (like it or not). You have to convince your prospects or your customers about your professionalism.

    That doesn't jibe with home printed business cards or letterheads. They inadvertedly look cheap, no matter how you do it. Giving your prospects the impression that you have to save a couple hundred bucks will destroy more business for you then the savings are worth it.

    Personally, I was in the lucky position of having a friend who was in the CI business with the most reputed firm in town for three years, who went independent. He partnered with a long time veteran from the same company who directed CI campaigns for global companies. For a mere $2000 I got a great corporate design. I also realized that there's a hell of a lot more then fiddling a couple hours with GIMP into it. The print job added another 1000$ to the bill (business cards, greating cards, postcards, letterhead).

    Was it worth it ?
    Hell, yes! Every damn cent and then some. It makes a great impression to the outside world, it makes me proud to send an invoice to the customer and it differentiates me from a lot from my competitors, although I'm not necessarily doing a better job; but I make a better impression.

    You don't necessarily need a CI agency, but I certainly advise you to consider how you communicate in print and on a web site. And then get it done by a professional.

  • I'd have to agree that you should get them professionally printed. Do-It-Yourself cards usually do look and feel inferior. You may want to try vistaprint.com [vistaprint.com]. They have a deal where you get 250 full-color cards for free, you just hafta pay the $5 for shipping. You can even upload your own logo (one-time $5 charge). I haven't yet used it, but I've heard that the cards are quite good. They also sell letterhead, envelopes, etc. which is what they are hoping you'll buy with your free business cards.


    --
  • Thanks for the reply Mark, but the whole point was not to replace Word with another word processor like Star Office. The idea I have (whether realistic or not) is to define in one place my company's name, address, telephone, etc. When I update the information, I would like all labels, business cards, invoices, webpages I generate afterward to have the updated information. That's much easier to obtain if one uses human readable mark up languages, than tools like Word or StarOffice.
  • Thanks for you comments InitZero. I actually agree with you about the quality of laser/bubble jet printed business cards. My main reason for wanting to print my own, was simply that my company will be moving to a new address in a few months and I didn't want to spend too much on producing business cards that I will have to throw away at the end of the year. I was under the impression that professionally printing business cards was expensive here in Sweden. If it only costs around $35 dollars, then it's probably worth doing and throwing them out later.
  • Thanks Alan. I haven't check out the packages yet. But this is exactly the type of information I was looking for.

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