Business

How to Make Business Cards on a Mac Computer | Small Business

By Elroy Mariano 1 week ago

From seasoned business owners to new entrepreneurs, every company head needs business cards for herself and her employees. You can set up identity materials for your firm with a do-it-yourself approach that relies on your Mac computers and familiar software resources ranging from office software suites to design applications. Tailor your approach to the programs you already use, invest in new ones to meet your needs or look to the Internet for online options.

Word Processors

Word processing software, including Apple’s own Pages as well as Microsoft Word, accommodates designs that fit on perf-apart business card stock, yielding eight or 10 cards from 8.5-inch by 11-inch sheets suitable for use in an inkjet or laser printer. You can use templates that ship with the applications or download blank ones from the manufacturer of your chosen paper stock. Because Pages can open Word’s files, you can add these setup documents to

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How to Align Double-Sided Business Cards With Excel 2007 | Small Business

By Elroy Mariano 1 week ago

Business cards are an excellent way to get the attention of a potential client to your small business, and it helps if your card stands out from the pack. Using both sides of a business card gives you more room to convey information that you think is important to a potential client. Microsoft Excel 2007 lets you design a card according to your needs. You can print as many cards as can fit on one page.

Click on the “Insert” tab and then click on “Text Box.” Draw a text box anywhere on the worksheet and a cursor will appear inside the box. This will also automatically bring up the “Drawing Tools” tab.

Click on “Format” directly under “Drawing Tools.” Click on the small box on the lower right side of the “Size” group to open the “Format Shape” box. Make sure that the “Lock Aspect Ratio” box is unchecked.

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How to Put a Watermark on Business Cards Using Microsoft Word | Small Business

By Elroy Mariano 1 week ago

With its templates and simple interface, Microsoft Word makes making business cards for your company a quick task. Word’s simplicity doesn’t always allow for certain tweaks and customization which you might be used to, including adding a watermark to the business cards. While you can add watermarks to full-page Word documents, it’s not possible to automatically do that to a full page of business cards. There’s a watermark workaround, though, which will help you easily mark your territory.

Purpose

Using a graphic watermark is an optimal way to get some visual interest on your business card and separate it from the pile of little rectangles with little typefaces. Your watermark can be your company logo, a customer-favorite product or even a head shot of the employee whose card you are making. Additional text also can be an ideal way to get your company motto or slogan onto your business card

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The Importance of Business Cards | Small Business

By Elroy Mariano 2 weeks ago

Despite being a small tool in a entrepreneur’s or business professional’s arsenal, business cards can still have a huge impact on the success of your business or career even in the digital age. The impression your business cards make, however, depends on how much effort you put into the design and where you do business.

Function

Historically, businessmen in the U.S. and United Kingdom have not placed much importance on business cards — they simply act as a networking tool to make sure clients have current contact information, according to Work Etiquette website. A few cultures, such as Japan, consider exchanging business cards a high honor and place more importance on high-quality cards.

Expert Insight

Composure Marketing website suggests that professionals still carry business cards, even those in the tech world who usually communicate digitally, because there are plenty who still use them, especially older businessmen. Not having a business

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How to Make Your Own Business Cards on the Net | Small Business

By Elroy Mariano 2 weeks ago

A business card is a day-to-day marketing tool for any business. Business owners hand it to people they meet who express an interest in their product or service. You don’t need to spend lot of money on designing and printing business cards. In fact, many online print companies offer templates that are free and easy to use. Using an online vendor also keeps you from running around once the card is designed. Most sites easily transition from design to print orders, sending you the final product within a week.

Go to an online print company such as Vista, Moo or Premium Cards. These are online print stores that take orders online, print items for a discount and mail you the final product. These websites offer designs and templates.

Find the section on the printing site titled “Business Card Design” or something similar. You may need to go into the business

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3 ways to make more money in your business | Local News Stories

By Elroy Mariano 2 weeks ago

If this year has taught us anything, it’s how to be resourceful in both life and business. So many people have had to learn new skills and really dig in to how they can keep their businesses up and running (and the doors open). But what happens when you’re at the end of your creative rope, and you don’t know how to increase that bottom line?

You’ve probably heard the old saying: You have to spend money to make money. Who hasn’t? But what I want you to know is that it’s not true. Friend, you don’t actually have to spend money to make money. All you need to do is maximize what you already have.

Here are three ways to make more money in your business (without going into debt):

Maximize what you already have

One key to maximizing your profits is by maximizing your mind. Yep, I’m talking

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Design Tools for Professional Business Cards | Small Business

By Elroy Mariano 2 weeks ago

In a time when customers are overwhelmed by social media marketing and digital promotions, a high-quality business card can help your small business stand out from the pack. A professional business card conveys an instant sense of credibility and gives a customer a physical reminder of your brand. By employing the right design tools, you can create cards that convey professionalism.

Software Programs

If you have the skills and the time, traditional design and illustration software programs offer the greatest level of flexibility for business card design. Adobe Photoshop, Illustrator and InDesign are the industry standards for design software. Photoshop is useful for cards that include photo elements, while Illustrator works best for cards that will use vector drawings or custom illustrations. InDesign works best for designs that incorporate many existing elements in multiple formats. All three programs are available in trial versions, so you can test them out before

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How to Create Unique Business Cards | Small Business

By Elroy Mariano 2 weeks ago

Your business card has so much potential. Not only can it be used to share your contact information with potential clients, it can also help you stand out from the crowd and leave a lasting impression on recipients. So be creative and have a little fun with your business card project. This is the time to show off your personality and connect with prospects.

Demonstrate specific skills using your business card. If you sell clothing made from particularly soft fabric, glue a swatch of that fabric to each card so people can feel the softness. A seamstress might showcase a well-sewn stitch with a vibrant thread color across her business card.

Highlight your specialty in a cool or unusual way. A dentist’s business card could contain impressions that look like a set of teeth or have a string of dental floss woven through it. On a typist’s business card, text

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How to Carry Business Cards Without Getting Them Dirty | Small Business

By Elroy Mariano 2 weeks ago

One-tenth of a second is all you have to make a good impression, according to psychology professors Janine Willis and Alexander Todorov from Princeton University. Nothing can be more embarrassing than handing a future client a dirty or soiled business card. Having a clean business card handy can make or break your next business deal. Your calling card is a direct reflection of the way you do business — protect your business cards from stains and dirt and you’ll never have to give an excuse why you don’t have a card on you.

Business Card Case

A wide array of carrying cases for business cards makes selecting just one a difficult choice. Business card cases are slightly larger than the card itself and usually have a set of brackets into which the cards fit. Cases generally are the most convenient way to protect your business cards from getting dirty. Additionally,

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Ten Tips for Gathering Business Cards | Small Business

By Elroy Mariano 3 weeks ago

The art of gathering business cards starts long before asking for a card and ends well after receiving one. Getting good business leads and cards at networking occasions, meetings or through other channels requires planning before an event, working with contacts at the event, and following up on a targeted, individual basis.

Prepare Beforehand

Before an event, get information about the meeting’s topic and speaker. Writing for the University of Washington Foster School of Business’ Technology Management MBA Talk website, 2009 MBA graduate Kalpesh Shah advised, not knowing “is not the best way of creating a positive image about yourself.” In his article “Learn From My Mistakes,” Shah says carry this information gathering further. Learn what you can about who is attending and who you want to talk to, with specific starter topics.

Bring Cards

Make sure you carry enough of your cards. This seems simple. One goal of getting

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