Seattle Community

Posted by John Allen, Bellevue, Washington | Jul 09, 2008

Subscribe to Starting a business Local or Online for Letterhead/Biz Cards??

Well, its almost a year now of being on my own, and I'm finally breaking down and getting some real letterhead and business cards. I've been making do with the printer-generated letters, and www.vistaprint.com sold me some business cards with a logo that was close to my own...but I'm doing more correspondence with customers/vendors now and want to give a better outward, professional appearance.

There are plenty of places online to get letterhead, but the ones I've looked into charge close to $2 a page for letterhead, which just seems outrageous to me. There has to be a more reasonable solution. If my printer were local, I'm assuming that I could get more customized layout than the online stuff which usually limits you to a number of templates. But won't the local print shops be more expensive?

What have other Bizniks out there done for their stationary?

6 Bizniks have posted replies

  • Rebecca Wood
    Posted by Rebecca Wood, Lynnwood, Washington | Jul 09, 2008

    Amy Woidtke (who did our rebranding along with Star Morris) did my letterhead. I wanted to be able to print my own letterhead at will so they created a pdf so all I have to do is open it up and print. I use special watermarked paper (that fits with our look) and run it through.

    Then when I need to print a letter I type it out in Word then run the letterhead paper through a second time.

    Most of the time I will print/create 50 letterheads at a time.

    Maybe you can find a graphics designer to create your own letterhead that reflects your look this way you can print at will.

  • Tammy Redmon
    Posted by Tammy Redmon, Olympia, Washington | Jul 14, 2008

    Hey John, I can't express enough enthusiasm about the printer that I use. They are fantastic to work with, do excellent work and produce a product that is well worth the investment.

    With printing the trick is in the quantity. You may order 500 business cards and say it costs $150 well when you order 1000 it is $180. That has to do with the notion that the press is running so it is only paper and ink at that point, which are the two cheapest components. The same goes for whatever you are printing.

    My personal attachment to my local printer is two fold. 1) i get to work directly with them to get the product that I want. If they are out of state (online) I can't go and touch and feel my paper, do the press check to ensure that my colors are right for my logo. 2) if there is a problem with the final product, I get to have that conversation in person. I also get quick turnaround on the reprint.

    Online cannot replace excellent service. That to me is important.

    The printer i have used for many year can be found at www.capitolcitypress.com They are just a quick trip down I5 for you! Check them out. Call Lisa, she will hook you up with great printing.

    Redmon & Associates

  • ERIC BROOKS
    Posted by ERIC BROOKS, New York, New York | Jul 16, 2008

    Simply design your logo and letterhead using MS Publisher or similiar and go to a Staples or other Business services store, buy high quality paper and run them off yourself..its that easy

    Cards a bit more difficult but even thru an outside printing service they are less than a hundred dollars

  • Bob Dunn
    Posted by Bob Dunn, Seattle and Renton, Washington | Jul 16, 2008

    Okay, I will chime in here. I have been doing biz cards and letterhead for 15 years. I have used local printers for hundreds of jobs, but at the same time I can get 1,000 quality biz cards, full color one side, at americasprinter.com for $39 + shipping ($11). You can't beat their price and quality.

    Of course, you need to provide the layout and the file.

  • Eric Janssen
    Posted by Eric Janssen, London, Ontario Canada | Aug 25, 2008

    I would re-iterate that - definitely go online. For my startup I've had the graphic work done on elance (AMAZING), and had all letterhead, postcards, business cards done from an online company and had GREAT results. Can't beat it.

  • Joseph Flahiff, PMP
    Posted by Joseph Flahiff, PMP, Bothell, Washington | 3 weeks ago

    I have used Vistaprint. If you have the personal discipline to ignore all the attempts at up sell you can get cards nearly free.

    I have started several businesses (and closed several) One of the first things I do is get new cards for about $20 I can get 250 cards. I typically use Adobe Illustrator and do my own designs, but that is just because I like to.

    I haven't found anything to beat it.

    Joseph (http://www.MyLeadershipTrainer.com)

This forum is unmoderated, but please keep discussion courteous and not too far off topic.

Members posting in this topic

  • Rebecca Wood
    Eco-Friendly Spa Products
    Lynnwood, Washington
  • Tammy Redmon
    Executive Coach, Business Coach and...
    Olympia, Washington
  • ERIC BROOKS
    Executive Recruiter
    New York, New York
  • Bob Dunn
    Graphic Design, Marketing Support
    Seattle and Renton, Washington
  • Eric Janssen
    Partner
    London, Ontario Canada
  • Joseph Flahiff, PMP
    Project Manager, Speaker, Workshop Facilitator...
    Bothell, Washington

Post tags

  • exonets
  • john allen
  • printing
  • stationary
  • letterhead
  • business cards
  • vistaprint.com