Visiting Cards  Manufacturers, Traders, Suppliers

A business card is a small card with the name and other data of a person. Such a card is also called a visiting card.
The term business card derives from its original function: in the past it was given to the servant or the receptionist when visiting a high house, who then passed it on to the landlord or the lady of the house. Often the guest bent his card according to a certain rule - the type of bending then signalled the occasion (e.g. inaugural or condolence visit). The bend also allowed the card, which was placed on a silver tray, to be picked up more easily. At courtly ceremonies they served the master of ceremonies to announce the guest to the public.
Nowadays, business cards are mainly exchanged in professional life - at trade fairs or conferences - especially during initial contact between potential business partners. A desired side effect is the discreet communication of your own position in the company.
They rarely contain a photo, but always the name, address and telephone number of the person concerned. On business cards, the company logo and name of the company and the title and function of the person handing over the card is also printed. The back may contain an English version, a map, a photo or other information.
With the change from a part of the label to a means of professional self-advertising, business cards can in individual cases also be supplemented with slogans or similar features for a unique selling proposition. Often, however, a blatant design is perceived as too intrusive and dubious. The business card should be distinguished from leaflets in business card format, which are used in event marketing to refer to events and the like instead of transmitting personal contact information.
Business cards are stored and collected in special folders or rotating card indexes. In the age of the computer, it is becoming more and more common to scan the cards in order to have the contact details of the person concerned immediately available in the computer.
Manufacturing: In earlier times, engravers printed the business cards.
Business cards in small quantities (as a temporary solution for new employees or for private use) are nowadays often produced with standard inkjet printers.
Business cards for professional use are usually produced by printing houses using offset printing. The classic business card is printed on fine cardboard, e.g. diplomatic cardboard or ivory cardboard. Especially high-quality cards are produced by means of steel engraving. For this purpose the print motif is engraved by hand into a steel plate. In contrast to the usual printed business cards, the printed motif is raised on these cards. This means that the writing stands out three-dimensionally from the paper and also shines slightly. Cheaper variants with the same effect are the so-called UV spot varnish or partial UV varnish printing and the so-called thermal relief printing developed in the USA. The last two methods are very widespread in North and South America.
However, cheap online printers today usually only offer simple uncoated paper boxes or matt picture printing paper, as fine paper boxes are more difficult to print. The business cards are processed together with many other print jobs in standardized collective printing forms. However, if you want to order business cards from online printers yourself, you must be able to create printable files, usually as PDF files. This can then be uploaded to the online print shop via data upload when ordering.
Unlike letters and the layout of letterheads, there is no DIN standard for business cards.
Usual formats: Business cards do not have a standardized format, but the credit card size (85 × 54 mm) has become common because it is the most convenient to carry and many storage aids are designed for this format.
At times, as a fashionable trend, hinged business cards were increasingly used to increase the usable area. However, this variant has the disadvantage that when stored in slipcases, it can only present part of the printed contact data and must be removed to read the inside pages.
Common materials: The most common are business cards made of cardboard in the thickness of 160-350 g/m².
Since business cards are not only used to convey information but also as an advertising medium, they are sometimes made of other materials (such as plastic, aluminium, stainless steel, wood or rubber) to attract particular attention.
Business cards in Japan: Compared to Europe, the business card (Meishi) has a higher value in Japan. Since Japanese names can be written with many different but identical characters, it is necessary to know the correct spelling of a name. Furthermore, the exact position of the cardholder in a company plays an important role in dealing with each other. The handover of a card follows fixed procedures: The older person or the higher-ranking person must first hand over the card to the younger or lower-ranking person. The handover is done with both hands and then bowing. The card is then examined closely and under no circumstances inserted immediately. Rather, it is carefully placed on its side; it is considered a particularly gross faux pas to put the card into the trouser or back pocket. The younger or lower-ranking person must then hand over the card in the same way. The card itself corresponds to the European one. When Japanese people have regular contact with foreigners, they usually use a bilingual map with an English translation on one side.
Source Wikipedia: http://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Visitenkarte