When looking at staple elements of modern working life, such as a business card, it's amazing how much of a difference a very simple change can make. By just doubling the size of the card, and folding it in the middle, you multiply the available printing space on your business card, while maintaining its previous convenient size! In this post, we'll take a look precisely how much more versatility and potential folded business cards put in the hands of users.

Santa Claus, a globally recognized persona of Christmas and everyone's uber-favourite gift bearer, unless you have been misbehaving of course…Once a year Santa comes around and spreads Christmas joy among many, but what can we learn from Santa's spanking new business card designs?

Over the past 12 years, we have printed over 60 million business cards for 5000 companies, large and small. You would probably expect that the big brands have the best card layouts, but from first-hand experience, I would disagree with that maxim. Sometimes the big boys get it plain wrong!

When designing a business card, we know that a lot of focus can go into the colour schemes, the images and what the card represents – but fonts are just as important, and can actually shape the entire design. Fonts act as a conductor for the message you're trying to get across – whether they're serif or sans-serif, italicised or bold, they all send a certain message. We've put together a guide that can help you choose the right fonts for your business card, and all of your printed business materials.

Business printing service Cards Made Easy is calling on the self-employed to think outside the box when it comes to their business cards, to help themselves stand out from the growing crowd. The number of people who are their own boss has soared to over 4.5 million, according to the Office of National Statistics, and the printing experts at Cards Made Easy are urging those competing to be noticed to make their introductions memorable with die-cut, foil printed, UV coated and rounded-corner business cards.

Following on with our ‘Unique Design Ideas' series, this week we've chosen to focus on tattoo artists and tax accountants. Can you think of any two professions that could be further apart? We didn't think so! While tattoo artists thrive on creativity, high energy working environments and push the boundaries of social norms, tax accountants are all about professionalism, practicality and adherence to the law. Yet one thing they do have in common is a need for eye catching business cards. Read on for advice from the experts!

In a continuation of our ‘Unique Design Ideas' series, we're focusing on pet specialists and personal trainers. These two career paths couldn't be more different from one another – personal trainers are renowned for their no-nonsense demeanour and incredible fitness goals, while pet specialists like dog walkers and cattery owners are often more warm and approachable. Check out the design advice from the experts!

In a continuation of our ‘Unique Design Ideas' series, we're focusing on writers and web developers this week! We've deliberately chosen two career paths that involve freelancers and contracted employees to give you a real feel for the diverse design choices that can be made in these fields. Read on for crucial business card design advice from the printing gurus!

London Met's 12^th annual Big Idea Competition has a dynamic new sponsor and partner this year in the form of printing experts CardsMadeEasy, who will be lending their expertise to all participants, as well as a sets of high-quality printed business cards to the lucky winners of the prestigious contest. With investment in youth the main theme of the competition, CardsMadeEasy will be supporting the contest, and the participants, every step of the way, cementing their status as a unique printing company with an eye on the future of commerce and industry.

This week's episode of the CardsMadeEasy series focuses on journalists and joiners – two professions as disparate as can be. We'll be examining what elements people in both professions need on their business cards, from fonts and colours to shapes and overall look-and-feel. Read on for crucial business card advice from the printing experts!

This week's episode of the CardsMadeEasy series focuses on two very different professions – the legal eagles and the letting agents. The design team at the printing experts have come up with some expert tips to help those in these fields design their business cards in a stylish and effective way – enjoy!

In the first of a new series at CardsMadeEasy, we are offering design tips and inspiration for people in very specific industries who are looking to create themselves a new business card. Over the coming weeks we will be focusing on everything from accountants to zoologists, and all that comes in between. This post is specifically for the bakeries and the bankers out there looking to give their personal business card a bit of va-va-voom.

Business card design is full of many complex graphic terms, and nine times out of ten you won't ever need to know what they mean or what their purpose is to create an attention-grabbing business card. However, there is one term that everyone should learn about, a term which graphic designers will extol the virtues of all day long: whitespace.

When it comes to designing and distributing a dynamic new business card that will stop everyone in their tracks, there are numerous unwritten rules that you should abide by. Unfortunately, not everyone manages to stick to these guidelines, and they end up falling victim to the Seven Deadly Sins of business cards. Read on to discover whether you are making any of these unfortunate business card faux-pas.

Business cards are renowned for their versatility, and their capacity to be adapted into any shape or size, but the vast majority of professionals like to stick with the standard, conventional business card size. This makes it easier to purchase holders to store them, it makes them easier to receive and to keep hold of, and it ensures that, in the case of a large business, all employee business cards have the same dimensions.

A professional printing company is urging more businesses and professionals to invest in business cards, flying in the face of all those who say that the future lies in digital means of communication. The experts from business card printing service, CardsMadeEasy, believe that tangible business cards can still do a lot of things that digital means of interaction cannot, and they are encouraging all businesses to take advantage of this traditional yet effective resource.

54% of people surveyed in research by Intuit say they believe that the quality of a business' printed materials, including promotional documents, business cards and in-house stationery, is a direct reflection on a business itself. If a business has coherent and well-designed printed materials, with a consistent brand across all elements, people are more likely to have a positive opinion of a business, as opposed to a badly-designed stack of literature, which will give the idea that the business is poorly-run.

Experts at one of the UK's leading printing companies, CardsMadeEasy, have advised all those seeking a business card to opt for the unconventional and the creative. The business card is such a common entity that individuals need something which will help them stand out in a sea of basic name cards with job titles and email addresses. Whether opting for a crazy design, giving a card a functional twist or otherwise thinking outside the box, the director of CardsMadeEasy encourages all those looking for a business card to choose something that will set them apart.

Doing business abroad is now an incredibly popular move for many businesses looking to expand and grow. This leads to many trips to other countries, where the customs in regards to meetings, business card exchange and general commerce are very different from in the UK. It is vital for businesspeople to understand the customs of the country they are going to, so that they can leave a great impression on their hosts and hopefully do business with them again.

An infographic by Bolt Insurance has revealed some differences in the way that businesses and consumers think about print marketing methods. 65% of consumers still place a lot of stock in the promotional materials that arrive on their doormats, whilst just 36% of businesses think that consumers value their printed materials at all. Many businesses are trying to force a move into social media because they think that's what consumers want, when in reality, consumers are still as enamoured with printed promotions as they always have been.

Business cards are still seen as incredibly relevant by business and by consumers, partly because of their ability to adapt and change with the times, conforming to popular trends set by market leaders. As one of the most popular methods of communication around today, and as a tool which has been around for hundreds of years, the business card is obviously going to undergo slight changes and amendments in order to stay fresh. New materials, exciting fonts, colour schemes or other creative methods of exchanging information on business cards have constantly been introduced, and the traditional business greeting or exchange of contact details has retained its status as one of the most important ways to showcase your credentials and your brand in the world of business.

A new infographic from Cornerstone DM, with stats mined from BPif's leaflet, ‘UK Printing: The Facts and Figures', has discovered that Britain's print industry is highly eco-friendly and ethical, with around 66.6% of all printed materials being printed onto recycled or recovered paper. Paper with potential for future recovery makes up 14.4% of the figure, which demonstrates just how Britain has come to embrace all things environmentally friendly and ‘green'.

Around 27,397,260 business cards are printed on a daily basis across the globe, according to design site The Design Inspiration. Their insightful infographic, titled ‘Business Card Statistics' reveals some incredible figures about the world of business cards and their ubiquitous presence, their widespread usage and their future in the world of digital technology.

As a vital networking tool, it's no secret that a good business card can hold the key to success. In creating the right first impression, they hold the potential to construct an immediate reputation for any given business. However, the tricky bit is knowing how to use them; it's easy to hand out a business card that looks professional and slick, but this will not singlehandedly guarantee business. Luckily there are various tips to help the capacity of a business card expand, and by following some simple steps from Cards Made Easy it is possible to use these powerful networking mechanisms in a way that develops a strong lasting impression.

Worldwide statistics prove that SMEs across the globe are still using print media as part of their everyday operations. The demise of print in favour of digital media has been vastly overrated, as proven by the fact that that 45 trillion promotional pages are printed annually, with over 28 million business cards printed on a daily basis. Indeed, if you lined up the business cards which are printed annually across the world, they would reach to the moon and back. Business printing has been steadily growing by 6.8% year on year across the globe, and print has been proven to drive commerce in a way that digital promotions haven't yet managed.

The conventional business card tips are etched in the memories of those who distribute their cards as part of their job. ‘Exchange, don't give', ‘Don't give out a soiled business card' and ‘Keep the design simple' are basic guidelines that every professional should adopt as their mantras. But there are a number of other useful tips which can be utilised which many businessmen and women may have overlooked.

Financial services company Deloitte have demonstrated to businesses that the outsourcing of printing services to specialist providers can dramatically reduce printing costs whilst providing high-quality documents. After an audit of the firm's printing output which outlined the restrictions placed on staff when using the current in-house printing system, Deloitte outsourced their print management needs and saw a 20% reduction in needless paper consumption, a higher quality of document output and significantly reduced printing costs across the board.

When designing a business card, there are a few important factors to bear in mind in order to ensure that they will be as effective, attractive and impactful as possible. There are four basic principles for all designers to bear in mind when they are drawing up the plans: alignment, contrast, proximity and repetition. This handy guide can help those creating their own business cards to understand the key features of their design, and can help those outsourcing their business card design to better understand their designers when they discuss things such as strategic alignment and white space.

For the last decade, marketing experts have speculated about the future of the business card. The digital revolution we are living in dictates that surely at some point, printed business cards will become obsolete and everyone will use inventions such as their business card phone apps, or electronic devices to transmit their contact details. One company has already taken the first step into merging digital and traditional methods of communicating through business cards, creating the NFC-enabled business card.

Many entrepreneurs and professionals starting their own business for the first time will often state that getting their first batch of business cards printed was a moment they will never forget. From that moment on, a person's status as the owner of a business is printed in black and white for them to hand out to all and sundry should they wish to.

Aside from communicating important contact details, one of the prime functions of a business card is to be as eye-catching and innovative as possible. In a sea of replicas and lookalikes, it can be difficult to make a business card stand out as it should, but using a little creativity and imagination can go a long way.

All of the traditional paper prints are known to be in rapid decline. Physical book sales have been diving in recent years in favour of the e-book. Newspapers and magazines now have online editions which can be viewed without subscription and at any time of the day or night.