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How To Choose An Online Business Card Printer

It’s gotten way too confusing to order business cards online. How do you choose a business card printer when there seem to be millions of them competing for your business?

Shopping for business card printing online is like shopping for any other product – your goal is to find what you what, for a reasonable price, from a reputable dealer. The problem when buying business cards online is making sure you’re comparing apples to apples, as the saying goes.

Finding the Business Cards You Want

Your first task is to find an online business card printer who carries the type of business card you want. Most online business card printers offer full-color business cards in a standard size (3″ by 2.5″), so a simple search for “business cards” or “business card printing” will find those.

You will need to decide whether to use custom artwork for your business card or one of the pre-designed backgrounds or templates offered by many business card printers. Again, many online business card printers allow you to order business cards either way.

Don’t be put off by the idea of using backgrounds that are available to everyone else; odds are slim that any of your direct competitors will find and use the same background. And these are professionally done designs that flat-out make you look good to prospects. (Much better than a homemade business card!)

If you need different cards, such as die-cut business cards or embossed (raised print) business cards, those are also easy to find using your favorite search engine. Many business card printers offer more than one type of card – raised print, one-color or full-color, for example. Some even offer magnetic cards, sticker cards and more.

For the purposes of this article, we’ll assume you’re looking for full color business cards.

Paying a Reasonable Price for Business Cards

Business cards are the bargain buy of the marketing world, but comparison-shopping for business cards can be a nightmare. It’s not enough to compare style and price of business cards between printers (say, 1000 full-color cards, printed on one side – 4/0).

Besides the style and price, you also should compare:

the thickness of the card stock (a 14pt card is sturdier than a 10pt card);
whether or not a protective coating is included in the price (and which type – a card can be “glossy” without having the protection of UV coating, and UV coating is generally considered more desirable than aqueous coating);
whether or not there are extra charges, such as a fee to upload your own images;
how many (or how few) business cards you can order at a time;
shipping costs; and, last but not least;
the reputation of the business card printing company.
Finding a Reputable Business Card Printer
Online business card printers who’ve made it to the top of the search engines, and stayed there, are generally okay – but not necessarily.

In fact, one popular, high-ranking business card printer online has such a pattern of complaints that they’ve received an “Unsatisfactory” rating from the Better Business Bureau. (This company’s cards are also of substandard size, although it’s hard to tell unless you directly compare them with another business card.)

So one guideline is to look for a designation such as Better Business Bureau approval or Bizrate certification. If a company has won such a designation, they’ll probably mention it somewhere on their website. Testimonials are another clue – but it isn’t hard to find a dozen happy people out of thousands of customers, so read them with a grain of salt.

Another way to assess a business card printer is to request samples of their business cards – not only will you get to examine actual cards, but you’ll get a feel for their customer service as well.

One Last Complication

Did you know that many, if not most, of the business card printers on the web are dealers for two or three huge wholesale business card printing companies? That’s right – you spend all that time shopping for the right business card printer and you probably don’t realize you’re comparing identical cards.

(You usually can’t tell until you reach the section of the website where you actually choose and edit a business card template or background – the URL will change.)

Now there’s nothing wrong with these online business card dealers, many of whom add value by educating people about business cards, just as I do, and nothing wrong with the business cards. But knowing that many business card printers online offer the exact same cards should save you some comparison time!

Given the affordability, portability and versatility of business cards, it is certainly worth taking time to shop around for the right business card printer for your business. And now that you understand some of the differences, you’ll make a more informed decision when you next go looking for a business card printer on the Internet.

Top 5 Reasons to Take Office Space in Austin, Texas

Deciding to move office space is a big move for any company. Executive suites, cubicle space, window offices, conference rooms; the choice of commercial real estate is endless, as is the choice of location.

If you’re considering moving to US office space and you want to move somewhere hot then Texas could be the ideal choice for you.

Hot, humid and vast; Texas is the perfect location for any business. But where’s the best place to take office space in Texas? Dallas, Houston, San Antonio and Fort Worth are all great locations for commercial property in the Texas area but in my view, nothing can beat Austin.

Why’s Austin such a fantastic choice to take office space in Texas? You’d better read on!

1. Austin is the capital of Texas. This means it has a growing population, which currently stands at around 790,000 people, so you’ll never be short of employees or customers. The city of Austin was christened 2nd Best Big City in “Best Places to Live” by Money magazine in 2006 and according to Travel magazine ranks as number 1 on the list of cities with the best people.

2. Austin office space is rich and plentiful. Affordable pricing, stylish interiors and versatile floor space means it’s one of the top office space locations in Texas. As a result, the city’s office space is home to 3 of the Fortune 500 companies – Whole Foods Market, Forestar Group and Freescale Semiconductor. Dell also has an office in the city, while earlier this year Facebook announced plans to build a new downtown office in Austin, which could bring around 200 jobs to the area.

3. Austin is hot, hot, hot! The city has a sub-tropical climate which means that it experiences hot summers and mild winters. This makes it ideal for companies who hate the cold and enjoy warm winters.

4. The city of Austin is a fantastic choice for technology and defence companies thanks to a steady stream of graduates from The University of Texas at Austin. As a result, Austin is known as major centre for high-tech and boasts a large number of major technology companies such as Apple, Google and AMD.

5. Austin’s official slogan is “The Live Music Capital of the World”, which reflects the city’s vibrant music scene. The city is full of nightclubs, particularly on 6th Street and Austin’s annual film and music festival, South by Southwest, attracts thousands of tourists each year.

In conclusion, Austin might not be the most high profile city in the United States but it’s certainly a fantastic choice for commercial real estate for any business.

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What Are the Components of a Renters Insurance Policy?

A renters insurance policy protects the contents of a rented property against losses incurred due to theft, fire or damage due to a hurricane and other natural disasters. Renters insurance also offers protection for liability. It pays for liability for accidents, such as a visitor slipping on your floor and breaking an arm. This type of insurance is primarily designed to protect consumers from unexpected financial hardships.Renters policies specifically state what it insures against. There is a standard set of named perils covered by a renters insurance policy. Some of them are fire, lightning, windstorm, smoke, vandalism or malicious mischief, theft and accidental discharge of water due to a burst pipe. It can also include payment for the medical expenses of non-residents. Floods and earthquakes are oftentimes purchased separately from the renters policy in coastal areas and places prone to either. In most cases, windstorm coverage is also purchased as a rider to the main renters policy.Renters policies use two methods of valuation of the home contents, these are the actual cash value and the replacement cost. The actual cash value pays only for what the belongings were worth at the time of the loss. A household appliance worth about $500 three years before will cost significantly lower at the time of loss. On the other hand, the replacement cost will reimburse policy-holders for the actual cost of the property at the time of the loss.Highly expensive items such as jewelry and antique should be declared at the time of purchase as separate policies or rider policies might need to be issued for these items. If highly expensive items are not declared, the policy-holder will not be able to recover the possible losses pertaining to these items.It is wise to inventory all the belongings to ensure adequate compensation for loss. The inventory should include the value and serial number of every item. Policy-holders should also keep the receipts of expensive items in another place, preferably outside of the house to ensure proper documentation and safekeeping.If the dwelling becomes uninhabitable due to a burst pipe or a fire, the insurance policy will pay for additional living expenses. Certain types of rented property have additional benefits. Condominium units usually come with a waterbed liability provision so that in the event that a waterbed bursts, the policy will cover the water damage caused to the unit under the policy-holder’s package. In terms of pets, there are insurance providers that do not underwrite renters policies for customers owning certain dog breeds.A renters insurance policy is an effective way of protecting the property and its occupants from unforeseen expenses. Paying for the rent might take its toll on a person’s purse and making sure that no additional and unexpected expense comes one’s way to add more financial burden would be a wise move.

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