Posted by Lon Overacker on March 4, 2009 at 12:52 PM
Hey folks,
Many of you may already have business cards for your photography, but if you don't, check out this free offer for 100 business cards. I've had cards for years, but mine was quite outdated - my area code has changed three times since I first had some cards done.
I just received mine and the quality is pretty darn good; the card stock is fairly heavy - at least much heavier than any of the Avery make-your-own type cards you can print on an inkjet.
They have custom templates, but you can also design your own. I used a re-sized version of my website as the background.
We get as many as half a dozen spams a day for free business cards. Good to hear that at least one entity out there is legit, whether or not they also litter email boxes. My problem is, how do you tell the huxters from the merely hungry. I will say that ANYONE who spams me goes onto my official Do Not Buy list. If Marketsplash isn't already on my Do Not Buy list, maybe I'll give them a spin. But if they've already made the list, they've shot themselves in the foot with or without your recommendation. Thanks for the feedback.
Vistaprint is also legit, and even though we are a regular customer of theirs we still get the "free business cards" e-mails. Their promos give 250 free cards in much the same fashion as Lon described Marketsplash. The business cards are the lowest end of the print business, and by pulling you in with the free stuff they hope to land your more lucrative business.
Every time my graphic designer spouse or I start to run low on business cards, we just take advantage of the "free business cards" promo again and keep getting them for free.
Honestly, I didn't even think about the spam aspect so thanks for bringing that up. In this particular case I received the original offer because I've purchased lots of stuff from HP (MarketSplash is part of HP, much like SnapFish and other companies.) Anyway, this was an "opt-in" situation where I receive newsletters and offers such as this. So this particular offer I didn't consider it as spam, but you're right there is a ton of that going on.
And Steve is correct as well. These "free" type offers are done simply as a fairly inexpensive way to get customers to order other products and services.
Anyway, folks can take it or leave it.
Thanks,
Lon
Posted by Steve Sieren on March 5, 2009 at 2:14 AM
I've heard too many bad things about vista print. My first set of cards were not free and they showed all crooked, cheap and flimsy. Not to mention their bad customer service. Another thing I heard is that they will buy similar names to their customer's business names or website names and create competition for their own customers when possible.
On the other hand I bought a 1,000 cards on thick stock paper full bleed double sided for about a hundred dollars from a mom and pop shop. I guess if one compares the quality the shipping price covers the cost of the free cards and the shipping. Sorry Lon not trying to shoot you down but I have hard feelings towards Vista Print.
Steve, I hold no brief for VP. They're just another vendor I use for my printing needs.
I've never had a single bad experience in our work with Vistaprint over the last several years. We've gone with them for postcards, greeting cards, brochures, business cards, all 4-color work. Each time excellent work at good prices and with good customer service and timely shipping. Probably it helps that my wife is a longtime pro graphic designer and used to be a pre-press manager, so she knows every little thing about how to perfectly prep a print job before transmitting it.
That being said, every business screws something up now and then. If you had a single bad experience with them, that's unfortunate but a simple matter to contact them and have them reprint and reship. So now you've heard something to contradict the "too many bad things" you've heard about Vistaprint.
I don't say these things to try to get you to use Vista. As I said, they're just another printer among a large bunch of printers. I just don't want others be put off by vague rumors and things they've heard through the grapevine.
Onward!
Posted by Steve Sieren on March 6, 2009 at 12:51 AM
I get a little emotional sometimes.
You don't even know my last of roll of film in my film days was crossed processed so I oredered a digital camera that very same day.
Discussion
7 repliesMany of you may already have business cards for your photography, but if you don't, check out this free offer for 100 business cards. I've had cards for years, but mine was quite outdated - my area code has changed three times since I first had some cards done.
I just received mine and the quality is pretty darn good; the card stock is fairly heavy - at least much heavier than any of the Avery make-your-own type cards you can print on an inkjet.
They have custom templates, but you can also design your own. I used a re-sized version of my website as the background.
Anyway, just thought I would pass this along.
Marketsplash.com
Lon
Every time my graphic designer spouse or I start to run low on business cards, we just take advantage of the "free business cards" promo again and keep getting them for free.
Honestly, I didn't even think about the spam aspect so thanks for bringing that up. In this particular case I received the original offer because I've purchased lots of stuff from HP (MarketSplash is part of HP, much like SnapFish and other companies.) Anyway, this was an "opt-in" situation where I receive newsletters and offers such as this. So this particular offer I didn't consider it as spam, but you're right there is a ton of that going on.
And Steve is correct as well. These "free" type offers are done simply as a fairly inexpensive way to get customers to order other products and services.
Anyway, folks can take it or leave it.
Thanks,
Lon
On the other hand I bought a 1,000 cards on thick stock paper full bleed double sided for about a hundred dollars from a mom and pop shop. I guess if one compares the quality the shipping price covers the cost of the free cards and the shipping. Sorry Lon not trying to shoot you down but I have hard feelings towards Vista Print.
I've never had a single bad experience in our work with Vistaprint over the last several years. We've gone with them for postcards, greeting cards, brochures, business cards, all 4-color work. Each time excellent work at good prices and with good customer service and timely shipping. Probably it helps that my wife is a longtime pro graphic designer and used to be a pre-press manager, so she knows every little thing about how to perfectly prep a print job before transmitting it.
That being said, every business screws something up now and then. If you had a single bad experience with them, that's unfortunate but a simple matter to contact them and have them reprint and reship. So now you've heard something to contradict the "too many bad things" you've heard about Vistaprint.
I don't say these things to try to get you to use Vista. As I said, they're just another printer among a large bunch of printers. I just don't want others be put off by vague rumors and things they've heard through the grapevine.
Onward!
You don't even know my last of roll of film in my film days was crossed processed so I oredered a digital camera that very same day.