What is a good business card making program, that will let me convert the cards to pdf format?

July 10, 2005 10:04 PM

What is a good business card making program, that will let me convert the cards to pdf format?

My laser printer, though nice isn't enough to make good business cards. I also want to use color. What are my options? Thanks, by the way.

posted by Dean Keaton to computers & internet (5 comments total)

Ps I am going to a local kinkos to print them out. I am just looking to design them from my computer. I used visual business cards but the design and output sucks.
posted by Dean Keaton at 10:07 PM on July 10, 2005

Are you using OS X? You can use any program, and then just print to PDF from the standard print dialog(ue?). There are some 3rd party extensions for Win 2k, XP for the same functionality, but I have never been able to get them to work reliably. YMMV.
posted by michaelkuznet at 10:25 PM on July 10, 2005

Have you considered an online service? Vista Print does an excellent job of printing, and the prices are really inexpensive (I'd venture to say that they are less than Kinkos). You can design your own cards or use one of their templates (inserting any of your own logos/graphics as you wish). If you still want the PDF, you can order a PDF proof (I think it's like $2 or $4). I've used their services in the past for various projects (including business card magnets) and have always been very happy with the quality of the product and the level of customer service.
posted by roundrock at 10:35 PM on July 10, 2005

I'm a graphic designer/art director and I do this for a living; perhaps I can help. My email's in my profile.
posted by fandango_matt at 11:37 PM on July 10, 2005

I would recomend doing them in InDesign, Quark, or Pagemaker (in that order).

I could send you a template if you wish, that includes crop marks for 6 on a page.

I'm not competing with fandango_matt, but you can reach me via my site in my profile.

Using InDesign etc will give you complete control over what you design. Personally I find software dedicated to designing business cards, even when labeled "Pro/Professional" look extremely amature.
posted by lemonfridge at 3:03 AM on July 11, 2005