Business cards.
Thousands are given out every day and probably somewhere around 90% end up in the trash.
This will be part 1 of a 2 (or maybe 3) part series.
In this post, we’ll talk about:
- New eco-friendly mini business card options from Zazzle.com and Moo.com
- How these eco-friendly mini business cards actually improve the chance of you getting noticed and remembered.
As anyone who follows me on twitter or facebook saw recently, I’m going to Greener Gadgets next month.
As I was making my preparations I began thinking, “I started this blog over 2 years ago and haven’t ever had business cards printed up. What was I thinking?”
Therein began my hunt for the best eco-friendly business card solution.
Questions To Ask Yourself Before Choosing A Card
- “Do I want a customized business card or just a choice of templates?”
- “Do I want recycled, FSC certified, and/or biodegradable card stock?”
- “Do I want soy based inks?”
- “Do I want my cards to be chlorine free?”
- “Do I want to look like a selfish prick who just wants to hand out my cards?”
In a perfect world, an affordable option would exist that encompassed all of those features. As it is now, you’ll have to pick and choose.
The Mini Business Card Match Up
#1 – Zazzle
My cards on their way from Zazzle.
I chose zazzle because their design tool was the absolute best I came across. Hands down!
My options for eco-friendly business cards were slimmer than most, because I wanted a new(er) style of card referred to as “mini cards” or “profile cards” or sometimes “calling cards”.
The typical business card size is 2” x 3.5”. Zazzle’s mini cards are 1” x 3′‘ (and they come with the free and totally sweet ejector case pictured right).
Unfortunately the reduced size is where the eco-friendliness of Zazzle’s cards stop.
Being nearly half the size of conventional cards definitely saves trees, but I still hope that Zazzle adds additional greener options soon.
Price: $18.95 for 100 mini cards, $16.95 for 100 traditional cards
#2 – Moo
Moo is an awesome supplier in England, and are the home of the original mini card.
Moo can use any image you upload (or it can pull photos from your flickr or facebook account) and use them for back of your card.
Their design tool wasn’t nearly as slick, easy to use, and configurable as Zazzle’s.
Moo’s traditional sized business cards are VERY eco-friendly. You can choose between:
- Premium Quality: MOO Classic
- Sourced from sustainable forests
- Elemental chlorine free (EFC)
- Matt laminated
- Eco-friendly: MOO Green
- 100% Recycled Fibre
- Totally recyclable and biodegradeable
- Totally Chlorine Free (TFC)
Unfortunately, their mini cards aren’t quite as green. I emailed the company to find out why and they replied back saying:
“The MiniCards are cut from heavy card stock printed on a 4-color commercial digital press. We have not yet found a recycled stock suitable for printing cards with our process. Our stock does come from sustainable forests and the digital print process we use generates far less paper and chemical waste than traditional litho printing.”
I just decided to go with Zazzle because I could get the cards EXACTLY as I wanted them AND I figured that even if Moo’s mini cards did have those extra enviromental benefits, they would be nearly cancelled out by, you know, having to cross the ocean!
Price: $19.99 for 100 mini cards, ejector case not included, but available. Shipping overseas is a little higher.
Why I Chose The Mini Cards
Why was it imperative to me that my cards be the 1 x 3 size?
Take a look back up to the opening line. Most cards get thrown away. Anything that makes your cards stand out will help your chance of getting noticed and remembered.
In addition, the mini cards just “fit” me better. I can carry more. They’re less bulky. They don’t feel so “corporate” or “business-y”.
I wouldn’t feel bad at all whipping my little mini ejector thing-a-ma-jig out of my pocket and presenting a mini card, but I might think twice about pulling the old, “Hey, let me give you my 2 x 3.5” cookie cutter card and let’s do lunch sometime” routine.
What Others Recommend
I just asked my twitter followers what their favorite eco-friendly business card solution was and one of my local blog followers said:
@Nashvillest: “Moo.com! Okay, maybe not as eco-friendly as you were thinking, but Minicards use less paper ;)”
Here’s another review of Zazzle vs Moo business cards.
What’s your favorite? Do you like the mini cards or not?
I think every little step toward living green is an awesome one… but eco-snobbery sucks! My goal is to help newbies learn the most important steps toward living green — individually and collectively. Personally, I strive to have as little impact as possible on Planet Earth while I'm here.
