Print Recycled Kraft Business Cards.

Kraft Business Cards:
Aesthetic, Natural, Organic

If you are thinking about having business cards printed out for your brand, the picture that you will most likely have in mind is a plain cream business card in thick cardboard. But you can actually veer off the traditional by going for something unique like brown kraft business cards. Aesthetic, natural, and organic-looking, these business cards will appeal to the eco-warriors and those who like arts and crafts. If you are in the business of saving the environment or if your business is doing something to help save the Earth by having a green and eco-friendly operations, you can use this to your marketing advantage and represent it through kraft business cards.

What are the Most Popular Business Cards Out There?

If you’re still not convinced that you should steer clear of beige, thick business cards, here is a quick look at some of the most popular options available today:

• Uncoated Business Cards

Natural business cards or brown kraft business cards fall under this category. As the name implies, uncoated business cards have no special coating or lamination. You can take your pick from different paper stock or thickness – the thinnest is 14-pt. while the thicker ones are 18-pt. and 32-pt. For brown kraft dry business cards, it is recommended that you use 18-pt. paper stock.

• Smooth Matte Business Cards

Unlike dry business cards, smooth matte business cards have a non-textured surface. The paper is smooth and has a matte or non-glossy finish. Examples of this are frosted plastic, white plastic, soft touch suede, silk laminated, and premium business cards. For the paper thickness, these smooth matte business cards range from 16-pt., 17-pt., 19-pt. and 20-pt.

• Glossy Business Cards

Another popular option is glossy business cards which include clear plastic, premium, or luster laminated. These cards use paper material that range from 14-pt. to 22-pt. thickness.

Why Go for Brown Kraft Business Cards?

Next, why should you go for natural business cards? Here are a few reasons:

• Brown kraft business cards look earthy and creative.

These cards are a type of recycled business cards so you can rest assured that you are doing your share in helping save the environment by ordering them. Recycled cards and anything that’s reusable and sustainable are popular these days because of the climate change problems that we are facing. More than just using being ‘green’ as a marketing method, you will really be doing your share in helping reduce waste by going for recycled business cards.

• You can go for either white or black ink.

The main material of recycled business cards are brown, thick, natural-looking paper. For this, you do have the option to go with traditional black ink or the edgier white ink. Depending on the design of your business card, the white ink will look great against the natural brown background. If you have illustrations or if the design of your card is creative, white ink is a great option to go for. However, if you want your logo to stand out, solid black ink against the natural brown background will still make the dark colours pop.

• The material is eco-friendly and unique.

Sustainability is all the rage these days so by going with business cards which are made from recycled brown paper, you can easily join the trend. But more than its marketing advantage, what is important is the uniqueness and eco-friendliness of using recycled business cards.

• You can take your pick from different sizes.

These are the different business card sizes that you can choose from:

• Standard US size: 2.5” x 3.5”
• European size: 2.125” x 3.375”
• Square business cards: 2.5” x 2.5”
• Slim skinny business cards: 1.75” x 3.5”

US standard size is the most popular but since you are already taking the unique route by choosing natural business cards, why not select a size that’s not the standard as well?

Designing Brown Kraft Business Cards

It might be a bit more challenging to design brown recycled business cards because of the colour of the background, so these are a few tips to remember:

• When designing natural dry business cards, remember that the colours you will choose should blend with your logo and the rest of the business card design. For natural business cards, the dominant colour is brown so how can you make the rest of the design stand out with such a background? As mentioned earlier, you can go for either white or black ink. If you have illustration or a creative logo, white ink against the brown background may look great. On the other hand, if you want to emphasize the company name or logo, you might want to stick with black ink.
• When designing natural business cards, you have a very limited space to work with. This means that you should pay close attention to even the smallest details like the size and style of the font. Do you want the card to have a landscape or portrait orientation? If you decide to go with portrait-oriented cards, how can you fit the letters of your business name into the space available? Make sure that it’s not too big – otherwise the space would look very crowded. The font size should be big enough for customers to read the card clearly, or else they would be frustrated at what can be considered poor design or aesthetics. Also, there’s nothing wrong with using creative fonts especially if you are in the design business. Just make sure that the card remains its simplicity and the space does not look too busy or overcrowded.
• With such limited space, you might not want to incorporate all your contact information on the business card. Just include the crucial ones. For example, if you do not have a physical store, you can ditch including a physical address on the card. When designing dry business cards, make sure that all the elements are not superfluous. If you are a mom-and-pop establishment and you do not have a social media presence, you can simply indicate your email address and telephone number on the card. It’s all a matter of deciding which information should go in the card and which ones customers can do without.
• If you must add photos or illustrations on the card, make sure that they are professionally drawn or shot. Real estate agents, for example, choose to include photos in their business cards because the way that they conduct sales and dealings are more personality-based. It is not recommended that you include photos in kraft business cards, however. Illustrations and creative drawings are what would look best against the natural brown background.
• Lastly, consider the overall look of the design. When you take one glimpse at the card, can you say that it represents what you are all about as a brand? When you scrutinize the details – the font, the sharpness of the print, the size of the letters, and the correctness of the information included, does it look perfect or are there flaws? To make sure that you are printing the best card that will represent your brand well, pay attention to even the smallest details.

Know How to Choose the Best Printing Company for Your Business Cards

One more aspect of printing recycled cards or dry business cards that you need to think about is the printing company who should do a good job of it for you. When you go online, look for a printing company with plenty of experience in creating not just natural business cards but other promotional printed materials as well.

Here are other factors that you need to consider:

• The printing method used.

For recycled business cards, offset printing may be the better option than digital printing. The latter uses desktop digital printers which may work well for small batches of kraft business cards. But if you need hundreds of business cards delivered within the next 24 hours, for example, then it is best to go with companies that use offset printing. Instead of printing directly on the page, they use the offset printing process and utilize state-of-the-art printing presses. These are huge machines which, when set up, can churn out dozens, hundreds, or even thousands of prints in a very short amount of time. Quality-wise, offset printing also delivers more professional results.

• The speed of delivery.

How quickly do you need to get your hands on 100 pieces of natural business cards? Most companies offer a turnaround time of 3 to 5; 5 to 7; or 7 to 10 business days. For an additional price, however, you can have them delivered within the next 24 hours.

• The costs involved.

You also need to consider the costs involved. Since kraft business cards are recycled business cards, shouldn’t they cost less than traditional linen cards? What is the minimum number of cards that you can order? Compare the package price offered by two or three printing companies, then narrow down your choices from there.

• The ordering process.

Most printing companies would not require you to visit their office to have natural business cards made. Instead, you simply need to visit their website and specify the number of cards that you need, the size, the printing speed, and any special features that you may request for. After making a payment and uploading your design, you can wait for the cards to be delivered straight to your doorstep – it’s that easy.

• The quality of customer service offered.

If you don’t have a design for the business card just yet, look for a printing company that offers tools so that you would not need to hire a graphic designer to do the design for you. There are companies that offer these tools for those who do not have a design that they can upload on site:

• Downloadable business card design templates

If you want a simple design and you already have a logo, you can simply download a template from the website of the printing company. For this, you just need to change the text and change a few elements here and there. After making all the changes you want, you can save the design from the template and upload it on the website.

• Online design tool for business cards

If you have a bit of background on graphic design, there are online design tools that you can also use. Choose a printing company that offers an online design tool free of charge. This way, you can create a design for brown kraft business cards at no extra cost.

Those who are taking the extra mile in offering great customer service may also offer design correction services for free! After taking the do-it-yourself route in designing the business card, you do have the option to fix art issues for free. If there is something wrong with your colour choice or if the font size would look too big on the actual print of the card, a designer can correct such elements for you. Some printing companies offer this service for a minimal fee.

By doing your homework in researching for the best printing company out there, you can have the best looking kraft business cards. These aesthetic, natural, and organic business cards will excellently represent your business – especially if they are made using the offset printing method.

ANGELA MOSKAL: Hey guys! I am so delighted to help you with picking the best paper finish. As a designer myself, i often go back and forth on paper features such as gold foil, spot uv or rounded corners. My go-to always is the raised spot uv on the soft touch suede 19pt business cards. It is simply perfect for anyone looking to impress.

PAPER FEATURES:

• GOLD FOIL STAMPED BUSINESS CARDS (the ultimate wow card): I absolutely LOVE the look of our gold foil stamped business cards - offered on our 17pt silk laminated business cards, 19pt soft touch business cards and our 32pt business cards. Nothing impresses more than gold. May it be on jewelry, watches, business cards or any luxurious trimmings. Like all things in life, the time and place has to call for it. Gold has inspired civilizations for thousands of years, stemming back to Ancient Greece and Egypt. For business cards, the industry you are in has to call for it. It has to represent you and must be done tastefully. An all-black or all-white business cards with minimal gold foil in areas such as your name or web address whispers elegance. If you are looking to dominate an image, gold foil stamped business cards will get compliments 10 out of 10 times. You cannot ever go wrong with it but your company theme and your personality must support it. Flat foil stamping is available for our 17pt silk laminated business cards and our 32pt business cards. We also have a raised gold foil business cards on our 19pt soft touch business cards which is my personal favorite. The perfect feature that applies to all industries is the raised spot uv gloss which i discuss next. Our foil stamping also comes in many other colors such as red foil, blue foil, copper foil, or silver foil.

• SPOT UV GLOSS BUSINESS CARDS (the perfect all-around feature for all industries): There is the flat spot uv gloss and the raised spot gloss effect that we offer. The raised spot gloss is a feature that allows you to add gloss only to desired areas in a heightened feel, such as a logo outline while leaving the rest of the card a natural matte finish. The flat spot uv gloss is the same effect but without the added height to the gloss. The names self describe them. Many clients do not want much flash on their card and the absolute best business card feature to always go with is the spot uv gloss. It adds a major wow effect without going overboard. It makes your logos pop much nicer. The flat spot uv is very neat but the raised spot gloss business cards are in a class of their own. You will always get the best compliments on raised gloss no matter your industry. Raised spot gloss is available on our soft touch business cards, also known as suede business cards.

• ROUNDED CORNER BUSINESS CARDS: Rounded business cards have been around forever and are very popular among clients that want to show a more playful side without getting into complex features such as gold, silver, spot uv or metallic inks. You can say it is the easiest and simplest feature to a business card. The rounded edge business cards are available for most of our paper finishes such as our 14pt, 16pt, 17pt, and 19pt card stocks.

• THE PERFECT BUSINESS CARD FEATURE (for all above average occasions): If I was going with just one feature it would no doubt be the raised spot uv on the soft touch business cards that have the 19pt thickness. I have yet to hear a client say they do not like them. Many call them the best business cards they have ever printed or felt. Pairing both soft touch suede and raised gloss makes it subtle but ultra-unique to the fingertips. You have to try it to appreciate it. Even clients who had no interested in anything impressive end up sticking with it on all their reprints. It does not disappoint!

I hope i have helped share some of my insight and experience on my personal favorite, our staff's favorites and our client favorites which universally seems to be our soft touch suede with option raised spot uv gloss.

Dream big,

Angela Moskal

MICHAEL PARKER: My dear friends! A pleasure to share my lifes work with you. I have designed for clients such as NASA, Lego Toys, Whole Foods, Arm & Hammer and Warner Brothers Studios to share a few of my projects.

GRAPHIC DESIGN TIPS AND ADVICE:

• BEST COLORS TO USE: Colors undoubtedly play a big role in human psychology. Red says urgency, blue says safe and calm, black purs luxury, shades of green speak peacefully, orange and yellows are friendly and optimistic while gray says balance and neutrality. The colors to choose depend on the emotion to wish to evoke. Restaurant owners should always stick to black, reds, and yellows as those are warm colors that tie into food. A banker or real estate agent tends to do well with blues or greens. If you are in a creative or fun line of work, you can incorporate any color that you personally desire. There is no right or wrong, purely preference but if you are looking to add color to business cards that you wish to be safe with, it is best to follow the color emotion rules that are proven in psychology that i share above. Muted colors show a calmer tone to your business. Neon colors show excitement. If you are in any professional business the colors you choose also fall into the personality of your business. What i like to do when designing the perfect business cards is i create 2-3 very different versions and i ask the opinion of 10 people. I ask them how they feel or percieve the business based on the look. I like to stay nuetral to my work and not fall in love with it so asking others for their option in the end will be the ultimate guide to knowing if you have chosen the perfect colors.

• HOW BIG TEXT SIZE SHOULD BE: TThere is no right or wrong text size but there is certainly the rule of never going below the 11pt size. Big text can always be seen as fun or creative but very small text can be frustrating and be seen as poor design work. Small text is certainly creative and modern. Small text is subtle but too small of text is a failed attempt at a modern look. The perfect font size for people of all ages, young or mature is around 12pt. If you wish to get creative you can always pair a large font at around 22pt but you should always stick to no more than 2 font suizes in one design. If you have 7 lines of text and all 7 have different sizes your business cards can look very cluttered.

• WHAT CRUCIAL INFO SHOULD BE PRESENT: All contact method of your choice shall be added on there. If you do not wish to have clients call you at random hours of the day, its best to leave operation hours or an email only. Some of our clients leave just a web address as they want to drive traffic to their site and not to a phone rep. One thing for certain is you should always add your logo, the rest is purly up to you and how you wish to operate your business contacts.

• WHEN TO ADD PHOTOS: Real estate agents and sales agents tend to always add photos of themselves to their color business cards as the service provided is branded to them personally. Photographers also add a landscape photo to their business card printing. Rarely ever does a photograph belong on a professional business card but if you choose to add a photograph it is always best to add it to only one side.

• OVERALL PERFECTION: The perfect business card feedback i receive from clients is always one with neatly organized text that is minimal in colors (2 colors max). The best business cards tend to be simple, minimalistic but with add on features such as spot uv gloss or enhanced paper such as silk laminated business cards or soft touch business cards with suede laminate. A simple business card design can become many times more impressive just by boosting the paper thickness and feel.

In all my years of designing business cards, i have found one thing that works best - when in doubt, keep it simple and go with a nicer paper.

To be creative is to be truly alive,

Michael Parker