Going Green with Business Cards

Printing green business cards is one of the easiest and most economical measures you can take when running an eco-friendly business. But it's not enough to simply ask a printing company to print green business cards, because not all green products are created equal. You have to do your homework to ensure that your green agenda isn't compromised by misleading advertising. The following guide details what you need to know about green business cards, including what features you should look for before you spend green on being eco-friendly.

Green business card paper

Your first consideration should be the type of paper your business cards are printed on. Going green means doing everything you can to be eco-friendly; that's why 13-point recycled matte business card paper stock is the perfect solution. Your designs will still have deep, rich, elegant hues and you can rest assured that you've chosen the most eco-friendly paper on the market.

Green business card ink

Recycled paper is only part of the equation; for your business card to truly be green you need to make sure that it's printed with eco-friendly ink. Essentially, there are two types of ink to choose from: petroleum-based ink and soy-based ink. Petroleum inks have been the mainstay for decades. They look great and cover well but have the unfortunate distinction of being pollutants. During the drying process, petroleum inks release volatile organic compounds, or VOCs, which are decidedly not eco-friendly. Soy inks release far fewer VOCs and actually cover better than petroleum inks. What's more, soy-based inks are capable of producing richer colors than petroleum-based inks, so you get better quality when you go green with your business card ink.

Green business card proofs

No matter you're printing, you should always look at a printer's proof before you send your entire job to press. Proofs allow you to catch any last-second errors such as spelling mistakes, under-bleeds, layout snafus and other potential disasters. Instead of ordering a hardcopy proof, you can be green with electronic business card proofs. The colors on your computer screen won't match the printed colors perfectly, but they'll be close enough. Plus, if you followed proper design protocol colors shouldn't be your concern at this stage. By choosing electronic proofs, you'll save on delivery emissions - not to mention delivery fees. As you can see, going green with business cards takes just a few considerations and really no more effort on your part other than printing traditional, non-eco-friendly business cards. Best of all, green business cards really don't cost much more - and when you choose electronic proofs, you can actually save money by printing green business cards.