Dear Karen: I need business cards and brochures for my start-up, but I don't know anything about printing. Where do I start?
Answer: Printed brochures are costly and not always necessary in this age of company websites and online business transactions. But you do still need business cards to network. You could hire a graphic designer to create your cards, or you could buy business card templates or even find free templates online or in popular publishing software, said Andrew Field, president of PrintingForLess.com.
"It's not that tough to do this yourself. Printers will take a wide variety of digital file formats. Some printers might take your ideas and create the art for you for an extra charge," he said. Use high-quality paper and don't print out cards on your home computer, Field said. "Your marketing materials speak about you and your business. Amateur-looking and -feeling cards tell potential clients that you're small-time."
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