Help with the business card (good to pick TODAY)

Allright, this is the first round of new business cards, and I need some
help picking which to go with.

There is a major sale at my business card supplier that ends today, so if I can pick one and get it ordered today, it would save some money, but we can certainly wait if necessary.

Any help/suggestions are much appreciated:







Thanks,
SS

 

definately the 3rd one!

 

2,1,3

 

3, 2, 1

They all look slick.

 

the third one if your really looking to finalize.....gradients' are usually never a good idea unless your filling space or something....so in a small space like a business card.....not good...my opinion as a designer....third one looks cool though.. more fun than your previous ones.....i think :naughty:

 

:banana: email sent, SS

1ll... these aren't really to be the "finals"... just something to suppliment for now(30min design time to make the deadline). the gradeint is filling a space-the background, and is keeping within the texture and tone of the online presence and overall brand identity that is being built. (the 3rd was my fav too though )

of course, this may (and probably will) all evolve to become something entirely different... but the main brand element is durable, so consistency in supporting element execution and presentation becomes key... until the next iteration.

but i'm probably not telling you anything you don't already know.

 

2,3,1

 

i'm with 1ll-WRX, B-cards are usually printed on cheaper printers/presses so a graidient will end up with bands running through the gradient. i dig the vertical, though. it's a little off the beaten path.
one more thing, look into a company called Imagers in Atlanta. they're on Northside drive. they have great pricing. http://www.imagers.com/ Don't know if this helps with the short turn around you have.

 

cheaper printer/press? these are constructed in 4/C and should be done digital output i would think... the last time i saw a piece "band" was on a blueline or a cheap copy machine output... god i hope they're not running it on that. he should receive a proof before anything goes to press, too. so if they are banding, then i hope i hear something about it. the last gradient job i did was a really cheap 8.5x5.5 hand-out run on cheap 90lb txt productolith dull stock, and it had no banding at all.

what printers are you guys using and what machines do they run their "shorts" on? i'm worried now.

as far as printers are concerned, he's trying to get in on an opportunity buy.

 

I get all mine at Vistaprint. They have a special right now for a bunch free

They do great printing, that's where I get my present black-backgrounded glossy cards...

SS

 

we do lightjet printing and it bands sometimes if the gradient is done in illustrator verses a photoshop link(eps)....but lightjet is better for oversized printing, not really familiar with offset....if it's an inkjet i'd definitely be worried but like monk said ask for a proof if you can that's the only way to be sure.... and vertical cards are trendy but not always functional...

 

not to worry!!!
when i say cheap, i'm taking real cheap. some people go to places like Kinkos and have then run off on a color copy machine on to 80lb paper. Vistaprint is a good company, from what I've heard. you hit the nail on the head when you say proof sheet.
I think some of us designers have been screwed one too many times, and are just trained to expect the worst. If you've worked with a company, and appreciate their work, that's the best referral you can expect.
i think the most important thing here is, FREE!!! no better price than free.

 

i'm not feeling the "smooth", maybe "control" would be better. just a thought

 

Lightjet?!?!?! where do you work. i've worked with the lightjet 5000 and 120 (name might not be right) also, the Durst Lambda. i thought the lightjet's output was far better than the lambda. just slow if you had to tile at all.
and yes, i agree, any image/art created in a raster program, i.e. photoshop, will produce the most accurate gradient. to see exactly what to expect from a printer, rasterize an EPS or PDF file with photoshop. it is, for the most part, a RIP.

 

yeah bro....i work at Megabytes Digital in Alpharetta....our output is better than a Lambda but like you said it's slower it's a Oce 500XL....usually we pre-tile images if we need to but we can do 72X120 seemlessly so for our uses like tradeshow graphics and stuff, it works perfect..... our biggest client is Chick-fil-a, we do their trans drive-through menus and what not....ooops thread-jackin my bad SS

 

It's cool, you're keeping it at the top. I like Vistaprint because for $10 or $15 I can get 250 or so acceptable quality cards shipped to my door (I'm lazy)

SS

 

that's a great price!!....we are kinda over priced...but for business cards we suck....the lazers just don't do well with super small type..(9pt or smaller)....i really like your logo SS!!!

 

i think ss is the only one i can understand in this thread

 

ah, you guys work at print houses... now i understand the gradient animosities... a little context goes a long way especially if you're doing large format output too.

and while i used to work for kinkos (almost 10yrs ago as a design manager) i wouldn't trust them to handle a wet dream without them fucking THAT up too.

 

:rofl:

 

:keke:

 

Definitely # 3.... then 2, then 1.


Mark

 

Thanks for all the feedback guys. I'm going to have some made in #2 to see and hold...

Thanks,
SS

 

i think you'll dig that one. personally, i like things a little different. let us know how they look. sorry for all the techy info. you guys have a hand over me with the car tech, but i am a huge design/photography nerd!!! :rofl:

 

+1 here