How to Create outstanding Business cards thanks to Laser Cutting

Posted By Capucine Lonjon on Jul 26, 2016 | 0 comments

Today, we want to share with you an interesting way to use the different laser cutting materials we offer: making efficient, memorable and creative business cards.

To promote your business, you know very well that the everyday challenge is to leave a lasting memory on your interlocutors. A business card is a marketing tool that can definitely not be overlooked. Here are some tips for you to achieve quickly and accurately a business card design that suits your market and gives the image you want to give of yourself.

You can start trying the beta version of our new laser cutting service online!

Simple, creative, customized: create the card that matches your brand’s identity

Get inspiration from the following business cards we designed to experiment all the possibilities that our laser cutting service offer. We defined three distinct compositions, using alternatively laser cutting or engraving and different cardboards.

Be simple/minimalist

Material : Cellulose Carboard – Logo: Raster Engraving – Letters : Raster Engraving

Designing your logo to be a laser cutting file can be a very distinctive and professional way to rejuvenate your business cards. You can choose to raster engrave it, as we did for the one below, which gives a very neat and pleasant logo.

Be creative/Use a pattern

Material : Grey Carboard – Pattern : Cut – Letters : Raster Engraving

You can design a new pattern, use your company’s logo or choose a pattern on the Internet. If you decide to cut it as we did, your card can have depthening effect. You can also paint your card, on the part without text, once it is laser-cut. It gives a binary and colorful aspect to your business card.

Choose a shape linked with your activity

Material : Corrugated Carboard – Letters : Raster Engraving

The last proposition we give you is to shape your card. Thanks to the laser cutting technology, you have new possibilities, you may take advantage of it !

What about price ? Tips to be observed

Cushion the fixed price

There is a fixed price billed for each uploaded file. If you want to cut 100 cards, you shouldn’t upload one and order it 100 times. The fixed price would multiply. On Adobe Illustrator, you can do it quite easily. Using Alt then Ctrl+D (or cmd+D), you can quickly create a proportionate grid. Be careful, you shouldn’t leave 2 (or more) lines one above the other, the laser would read it twice and the material would be burnt. You will find detailed information in the Design Guidelines in the bottom of our material pages.

You should also refer to the material pages to consider the maximum size the laser cutting machine can accept. You should optimize the fixed price and put as many cards as you can in the same file, within the maximum dimensions.

Should you raster or vector engrave?

Vector engraving is exactly the same action as laser cutting unless it doesn’t cut the material, it only leaves a mark.

If you choose raster engraving, the laser will have to cover the whole surface, as if it were coloring it. It takes a lot of time and is therefore much more expensive than vector engraving.

For this reason, we advise you to be careful when selecting either vector or raster engraving on our platform. If you have to laser cut numerous cards, it can end up being rather expensive.

In conclusion, of this pricing part, I would say that laser cutting can definitely serve your image, as long as you don’t systematically offer your partners one of these laser cut cards. Or it would be very expensive for you. Keep them for VIP contacts!

Which material should you use?

We’ve tested for you our 3 cardboards for eye-catching business cards. Here are some tips you can take into account to create your own business cards.

We chose to make our cards in cardboard: a convenient, cheap and ecological way to communicate on your brand. You can use wood (MDF or Plywood) as well – remember it’s thick and more expensive, but can leave a memorable impression on special occasions. If you are very imaginative, you can even use Acrylic!

Corrugated Carboard

It gives an original tone to your business card. Depending on your company, it might give a too craft image, or it might denote and be eye-catching.

Grey Carboard

It is a very good support to be painted, and you can let yourself be very creative. We are still in Beta and don’t offer painting yet. Also, be sure the typography is large enough to be read.

Cellulose Carboard

It has a very neat professional effect. You can use either side, rough or smooth. Raster engraving works very much along with it.

Modelisation tip

Please keep in mind a very important design tip: your letters must be vectorized, otherwise the laser cutting machines cannot read them, and it will sort out with a default typography. On Adobe Illustrator, you just have to right click on the letters you want to vectorize and select ‘Create Outlines’. You can therefore very comfortably use your company’s typography.