Archive for October 30, 2010

What Makes Certain Business Cards Stand Out?

admin / October 30, 2010 / No comments

This is a important question and one that is asked often , but not often enough. It is widely accepted that a business card should carry the minimum information of of contact information, company name and a visual identifier such as a logo or colour scheme that identifies your company. Of course there is certain information that legally that needs to appear there also. Apart from those mentioned already though, what other elements make certain business cards stand out?

There are manyelements to consider, not least the shape and size of the card . While many decide to move away from the normal 85mm x 55mm or 90mm x 50mm business card sizes, is this wise ? After all, if someone uses a traditional business card wallet, and your card doesn?t fit in there, could the cost of being different be higher than the benefits?

Quality of card material is another point to consider, and one that carries much more weight than you might at first think. Many Companies opt for low quality budget cards, but again, is this false economy? As when presented, your card quality psychologically reflects the quality of your company and its services. The quality and weight of the card material used is important in establishing the perceived value of the quality of your business, after all, you never get a second chance to make a first impression.

The biggest decision for many is the colour quality, and this is where many go for savings, that again sometimes can be false economy. Modern printing presses are fast and efficient, and a lot more cost effective. Full colour photographic business cards are now within the reach of even the smallest budget. And there is nothing like the quality of a full colour business card to make that all important first impression.

Gimmicky cards are another consideration. I have heard of people having metal lock pick cards where there is a set of lock pick tools that can be removed from the business card (well it is actually punched printed metal). This is all fine and dandy but does it fulfill your need, and the basic requirements? Another company have their business card as a London underground train ticket. Again quirky, and memorable, but does it portray your business properly?

Business cards are in effect an extension of your business into someone else’s business world and because of that they should carry with them your brand. And by using the word brand, I mean not only visual brand such as colours and logo, but the brand values. Imagine meeting Bill Gates, and upon receiving his business card, you notice that it has the Microsoft logo on there, but the print quality is poor, the card quality is cheap, and there is a typo error on it. How would you now perceive Mr Gates, and Microsoft in general? Would your experience of the business card make you reconsider the whole “Microsoft is quality” mantra?

So What DOES make certain business cards stand out, and is standing out all it is cracked up to be?

Category: make business cards / Tags: , ,

How to Fix Limited Or No Connectivity Problem in Windows XP Or Windows Vista

admin / October 30, 2010 / No comments



Computers are nothing but a metal box with complicated circuit boards in them. Yes, I am a Professional IT Service Provider and even though I am completely in “love” with Computers, I still think it’s a metal box with circuit boards; there is nothing wrong with that. I think so simply because computers can’t and won’t do anything by themselves except for breaking or malfunctioning :-)

Why does “Limited or no connectivity” alert popup? Reason for this “Alert” message to pop up is because your NIC (Network Interface Card aka Network Card) doesn’t receive incoming “signals” from the rest of the network. In simple terms, you probably have no internet connectivity or can’t access your network resources.

This problem occurs under many different circumstances. We will try to cover as many as possible:
If you are on a Wired Connection (your computer connects to modem or a router through a wire):

If your setup is Computer connects to -> modem try the following:
Power cycle your modem. Disconnect the power cord from your modem and wait for 10 seconds (10 real seconds don’t cheat). After which you can plug the power cord back in and usually you will have to wait for another 20-50 seconds for it to come back online (you will see that the light on the modem have stopped flashing).

If your setup is Computer connects to -> router connects to -> modem:
The same rules apply as above, but you would have to power cycle both devices, router and the modem, which will help the devices “renegotiate” their settings between each other and hopefully restore your Network Connection.

It’s a good idea to reboot your computer at this point, since it will help “reset” the settings for your Network Connection as well.

Another option is to right click on your Internet Connection icon on the taskbar (lower right corner of your screen) and click on “Repair” or “Diagnose” depending on your Windows version (XP or Vista).
Also a possible (but not likely, it’s a rare case in my experience) reason is a faulty network cable, try replacing it with a new cable and see if it helps. If you have a router and a modem, then you would have to replace both network cables.

If you are on a Wireless Connection (Wi-Fi):
Pretty much the same things apply as above in terms of power cycling, with two more possible causes to this problem.

Very often, the reason for “Limited or no connectivity” error is poor signal. You are either too far away from your source of signal (Router or Access Point) which causes poor communication between your computer and router. Or there could be household appliances between your computer and the router, things like Microwave and Refrigerator are known to cause great deal of “noise” in your Wi-Fi signal. The only possible solution to this problems is to get closer to your Router or Access Point (basically source of signal).

Also, a lot of the time, having a cheap wireless card could be the reason. Cards from Encore are just plain terrible unless you are really close to the source, so if you have that brand – trash it and get a Netgear wireless card, that’s what I always get for my clients, or Linksys (although they have fallen in quality dramatically for the past 4 years, Linksys is still a better option).

Category: vista business cards / Tags: , ,

Designing Cheap Business Cards for Different Occasions and Holidays

admin / October 30, 2010 / No comments

More and more people are being exposed to a variety of business cards from different kinds of business industries. Business card designs are never out of the plate whether the cards are from legal firms and government agencies, or from beauty spas, art and music companies. The cost and design are one of the most important elements in creating business cards since they reflect the brand, image and visual identity of an individual, company or an organization. Companies must know that they can still be able to print cheap business cards with high quality designs.

With a competitive scenario in the market of business cards printing, companies and agencies must think of a unique and affordable way to present their corporate identity through business cards. This can be done by applying unique and creative designs since people tend to grab and keep cards that attracted them the most. Another thing is that cheap business cards need to be hip and trendy by having designs aligned to the present season, occasion or holiday. Through this, people will be impressed because they will think that the business cards are regularly updated and very-well managed.

A Holiday business card gives a hint of tradition and timely seasons, in which companies can align their corporate message to it. This type of card does not require much cost as long as it recognizes and introduces the best offers, events and other seasonal products and services. Businesses can create cheap business cards for an assortment of holidays and occasions like Christmas, Thanksgiving, New Year, spring breaks, summer sales, Halloween and more.

Timely and cheap business cards will help the companies promote their offers, expand their target market, and increase their publicity and visibility, with a tight budget in hand. Holidays business cards have a lot of uses depending on the purpose of each company. Businesses can make use of holiday business cards as appointment cards during the season, as greeting card attached to wrapped products, or as direct mail marketing tools sent to the target consumers.

Designing cheap business cards for different occasions and holidays leaves an impression that your company is conforming to the seasonal changes on its community. Furthermore, it shows that the company values the traditions and celebrations practiced and celebrated by people all over the place. With the present economic climate, availing low cost, quality business cards printing services is not that bad as long as companies are still able to operate and deliver their services excellently. It is important to note that such companies are there not just to gain profit, expand visibility, and increase sales, but also to address the specific needs of their clients that eventually change and evolve from time to time.

Category: business cards cheap / Tags: , ,
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