Business Card Printer Reviews

It's gotten WAY too confusing to order business cards online - how do you know which is the best business card printer for you?  I did some research so you don't have to.

Download my Business Card Printer Reviews (comparison chart) here (right-click, then save).  And then please read the explanation below so you'll understand what I did.

Goal: Compare prices, paper weights, shipping and customer satisfaction (as measured by a "Satisfactory" rating - or not - from the Better Business Bureau) for a fairly typical business card order:  1000 full-color business cards, 4/0 (full color on front, no color on back), with UV coating, standard shipping (to my zip code, which is in the central US, if asked). I was also looking for companies that had templates/backgrounds you could use, since that's very popular these days.

Process:  I entered the search term "business cards" in both Google and Yahoo! on 5/3/07 and wrote down the top 10 results for each.

I eliminated any results that weren't actual printers and those that didn't sell full-color cards.  (If your favorite printer isn't in this list, it's because it didn't rank highly enough!  Sorry, I couldn't check them all.)

Then I put them in alphabetical order and started my research!

Results:  The columns, I hope, are pretty self-explanatory.

• Cost:  Reflects 1000 full-color cards; in other words, if the standard card was matte finish and you had to pay extra to get glossy/UV, it's reflected in the price.

• Actual size: Every card except the ones from Vistaprint.com were the standard, 2" by 3.5" size card.  Theirs is smaller.

• Card weight:  The higher the number, the more sturdy the card.  Some business card printers post cards by weight, others by thickness.  I used the following reference:  10pt is 80#  -  12pt is 100#  -  14pt is 120#

• Coating: I tried to compare apples to apples here -a card can be "glossy" without having the protection of UV coating, and UV coating is generally considered more desirable than aqueous coating

• Upload Images? Fee?:  This column reflects whether or not the company will allow you to add/upload your own images (such as a logo) to their backgrounds, and if there's a fee for doing so.

• Shipping:  If they asked, I specified my zip code (65203, central US) but most had a standard rate.

• Turnaround time: I'm LEAST certain of these figures; it was hard to tell at some websites whether or not that estimate included time for production AND for delivery. 

• Satisfactory BBB Rating: BBB stands for "Better Business Bureau."  Any company can find SOME satisfied customers; I wanted proof of a pattern over time of either happy or unhappy customers.

• # Templates: Not that essential, perhaps, but I was curious as to how many background or template choices each place gave you.  Don't be dismayed by those with thousands of options; they're very well categorized, overall.

Why the blanks?
Many of the business card printers that rank high in the search engines aren't printers, themselves, at all - they're dealers for wholesale printing companies, all of whose card specifications are identical.

Several other companies, such as PrintsMadeEasy, have dealers or affiliates, but also sell cards directly themselves. 

My Personal Favorites
Odds are that you'll be pleased with most of the printers on this list.  The three I can recommend from personal experience are:

• PrintsMadeEasy
• ECardBuilder
• Printing Automation

Dealer or Affiliate links?
And just so you know - yes, I did become a dealer (affiliate) for these top-notch printers.  So I do make a commission if you click on a link from this website to them and subsequently order cards.  I'm in business to make a profit, after all - and it won't cost you any more to go through my link. 

And of course if you disagree with my assessment, or simply like a card better at another website, you're perfectly free take your business there!

A Printer I Do NOT Recommend
I'm leery of VistaPrint.  Click on the link to read why.

If I got something wrong, email me!  All research was done in good faith and is believed to be accurate as of 5/3/07.