6 Questions to Ask When Choosing a Business Card Print Vendor
Whether you’re a buyer looking for a business card print vendor for your company, or a design agency choosing a printer for your clients, you want to ensure that you’re getting the best print service. Not only one that helps you reduce printing costs, but also saves time and provides support along the way.
Each type of printer has advantages and disadvantages, from personal and handy, to complex and sophisticated. The costs of operating the different kinds of equipment dictate what a particular printer will be able to complete most effectively. That’s why we suggest treating a printer like you would when hiring an employee - asking critical questions before putting your work in their hands.
Here are 6 questions we suggest asking before committing to a business card print vendor to see if they are the right fit for you.
1. Do you offer an online business card portal?
A business card portal is an online storefront that allows you to simplify the ordering process dramatically. Essentially, it’s an online account that enables you to do things such as editing, proofing, approving, shipping, and paying for business cards for everyone in a company.
The way a business card portal works depends on the provider of the portal and the workflow preference of the client. In a best-case scenario, a business card portal will allow either one administrator or multiple users to place orders for themselves or others. The pre-setting templates make ordering simple enough so that anyone, even those without any design skills, can self-order as needed.
Make sure your vendor provides you with a business card portal to manage, edit, and order business cards with ease.
2. What are the associated costs of the business card portal?
If you’re interested in opening a portal for your company, which we recommend, some vendors will want to charge a monthly or yearly fee to “maintain” your portal. Fortunately, there are great solutions that accomplish the same things and are entirely free.
At Brandly, we strive to provide the most straightforward ordering solution of high-quality business cards for large teams, with exceptional service and a competitive price.
Not only do we offer a free business card portal, but we also provide:
- Free US shipping
- Free double-sided printing
- Employee self-ordering
- Unlimited users
- Easy company-wide roll-out
- Top-quality prints
- Business level pricing on cards
- Lightning-fast re-ordering
- Bulk ordering
- Human QC on every order
- 100% satisfaction guarantee
- Much more
Learn more about Brandly’s free business card ordering portal >
3. What is the final cost of my business cards?
If you’re a frequent business card buyer, you’ve most likely experienced a situation in which you see an ad that promised low-cost business cards + free shipping, but after creating your card you realize that you’ll have to pay extra for printing on the second side and that an additional shipping cost will be added.
Many print vendors hide their true costs when it comes to pricing. Watch out for hidden fees or look for a solution that shows every little detail upfront.
The initial contact is the right time to bring up expenses. Here’s a list of the factors that incur the cost of getting business cards, and also a brief explanation of how a portal can minimize them:
Paper-type (also called the stock): It’s likely that the business card vendor will offer different paper types, from standard to premium, and more. If you’re interested in learning more about business card paper types, check out our article on how to choose the right paper for your business cards.
Printing: Though printing costs usually won’t be shown in the order details as a separate line, you’re paying for it. Therefore, you need to be super attentive here, since some providers charge extra for printing the second side of cards. Before making a decision when comparing solutions, make sure the second side’s printing costs are included in the price shown (or at least be aware of it and add it to the price equation). Some business card portal providers will offer some kind of discount for clients using their portal. Some call these “Business Level Pricing,” and others “Corporate Pricing.” The takeaway is that by just using a portal, you’ll most likely be paying less per card than by ordering any other way.
Quantity: The more cards you order, the higher the price of the order will be. Most providers will offer boxes that range from 50 to 1000 business cards.
4. Shipping costs
Most vendors will charge you for shipping. Some will charge as little as $9.99 for any size order, and others will be higher. At first glance, these prices may appear to be fairly figured, but in actuality, $9.99 could be up to 50% of the cost of a business card box.
Finding a vendor that offers free shipping makes the difference. You’d be surprised on how much it can add up to at the end of the year.
By ordering with Brandly, no matter if you’re ordering and shipping one box to one address or ordering hundreds of boxes and shipping them to hundreds of different locations, shipping (within the U.S.) is always on us.
5. What kind of customer support do we get?
Responsive and ongoing support are important considerations to remember when seeking out the right service provider.
A business card vendor will experience a lot of good and bad cards. Even if they’re not directly involved in developing the design, a good solution will provide you with fast support to point out potential errors that may lead to problems or unnecessary costs at the production stage.
Without a reliable and flexible support team, you could be plagued by a number of unexpected issues that can cost you a lot. Make sure you choose a vendor that has a technically competent support team.
At Brandly, we pride ourselves on the credibility of our support team. Feel free to check out our reviews on Trustpilot and Capterra.
6. What quality control systems do you have in place?
At Brandly, every order is reviewed by a member of our quality control team before going to production. We call it “Human QC”! Quality control is done by real people and we offer a 100% satisfaction guarantee.
We’ll fix any issues that we find and reprint for free until you’re satisfied.
The Takeaway
Business card print vendors can provide your business many benefits in terms of cost reduction, increased service reliability, and overall productivity. It all comes down to choosing the right vendor and support provider to ensure that you can take advantage of the benefits.
Your printer should be an important part of your design team. Develop a relationship with a. business card vendor who understands your needs, and think beyond a single print job.
Hopefully, this article gives you some food for thought and will put you in a position to make informed decisions when it comes to choosing your next business card vendor.