I got these initially to “throw” into package shipments as a feedback/contact reminder. Pro-looking and a timesaver, really. Look at the custom samples I’ve put up with this post; these babies are well-designed, customizable, and in color. Plus the best thing of all: They’re free.
Well, OK, you do have to pay VistaPrint (the printer) for shipping and processing. But unlike some of the unbelievable s/h price gougers you sometimes see on eBay, VistaPrint is reasonable… just around 5 smackers for 250 cards last time I checked. And yeah, the backs of their “free” cards have a VistaPrint logo and ad blurb (pretty subtle and not bad at all, though, I can tell you that).
But still, that’s $5 you say. You can indeed get those laser and inkjet “business card” sheets and just print what you need. Do the math: That costs substantially more. Not even counting the time you put into it (if you haven’t figured it out yet, your time is valuable).
No big deal? Well, here’s something I learned through the years: You’re more likely to actually do something if it’s dirt easy to do. As effortless as grabbing a card from a stack sitting on your desk and throwing it into a package.
It’s that easy, no-brainer benefit, actually, that makes this deal smart. At only around 2 cents a pop, I use these cards everywhere. Not just in shipments. I use them as bookmarks. Scratch notes I hand out (“Hey Eldon, what’s the phone number of that doctor you play golf with? I want him to look at this weird thing on my left…”). Whatever and wherever.
Still, you say, that’s a waste of 2 cents. Really? Well, I had to wean myself of that kind of thinking too when I realized how many thousands of cards I just trashed over the years every time I needed to get new cards to reflect a change (new job, address, phone, email, website, logo, etc.) Trashed. Admit it. So have you. Each one of those thousands represents a missed opportunity.
Well, if you want to save a couple of pennies, that’s up to you. I like to live dangerously. 
I prefer using business cards since they’re smaller, easier to carry around everywhere, and more flexible, useful for just about every application. If you prefer, VistaPrint also offers free note cards, invitations and note pads, if you prefer a larger marketing message. Worth a look, don’t you think?
