business cards

Business cards are shared during formal introductions as a convenience and a memory aid. A business card typically includes the giver's name, types of companiescompany affiliation (usually with a logo) and contact information such as address (geography)street addresses, telephone number(s) and/or e-mail addresses. A professional business card will often (but not always) include one or more aspects of striking visual design.Business cards are frequently used during sales calls to provide potential customers with a means to contact the business or representative of the business.

History - ]]Business cards evolved from a fusion of traditional trade cards and visiting cards.''Visiting cards'' (also known as ''calling cards'') first appeared in China in the 15th century, and in Europe in the 17th century. The footmen of aristocrats and of royal familyroyalty would deliver these first European visiting cards to the servants of their prospective hosts solemnly introducing their arrival.Visiting cards became an indispensable tool of etiquette, with sophisticated rules governing their use. The aristocracies of North America and the rest of Europe adopted the practice from FranceFrench and United KingdomEnglish etiquette. Visiting cards included refined engraved ornaments and fantastic coat of armscoats of arms. The visiting cards served as tangible evidence of the meeting of social obligations. The stack of cards in the card tray in the hall was a handy catalog of exactly who had called and whose calls one should reciprocate. They also provided a streamlined letter of introduction. With the passage of time, visiting cards became an essential accessory to any 19th-century upper classupper or middle class lady or gentleman. Visiting cards were not generally used among country folk or the working classes. ''Trade cards'' first became popular at the beginning of the 17th century in London. These functioned as advertising and also as maps, directing the public to merchants' stores, as no formal street address numbering system existed at the time.Businesses used their cards as marks of distinction and thus introduced the first modifications in their design. Later, as the growing demand for the cards boosted the development of color printing, more sophisticated card designs appeared, making the cards works of art.The trend toward fanciful trade cards was balanced by the pragmatic need of a growing group of private entrepreneurs who had a constant need to exchange contact information. These users often started to print out their own cheaper business cards.

Current usage - With the economic leveling of the 20th century, and the wane of social formality, the rigid distinction between trade cards and visiting cards slowly faded except in the highest socio-economic class (social)classes.In the highest socio-economic classes, there remains even today a rigid distinction between business cards and visiting cards. In such social circles, it is still considered to be in very poor taste to use a business card when making a social call. A business card, left with the servants, could imply that you had called on business.For the rest of the world, the exchange of business cards has become common even for social introductions. Some people carry "personal" business cards which contain only personal contact information and have no relation to their employer or business.

Dimensions - The international standard size specified by ISO 7810 ID-1, the same dimensions as credit cards, is widely used:

85.60 by 53.98 mmIn the United States the following size is common:

3.5 by 2 in (89 by 51 mm)

Other formats - Recent technological advances have made CD-ROM "business cards" possible which can hold about 35 to 100 megabyteMB of data. These cards may be square, round or oblong but are approximately the same size as a conventional business card. CD business cards are designed to fit within the 80 mm tray of a computer's CD-ROM drive. They are playable in most computer CD drives. Despite the ability to include dynamic presentations and a great deal of data, these cards are not in common use.Most handheld computers have the ability to "beam" (send through infra-red communication) an electronic business card, eliminating the need for the recipient to re-key the contact information.

See also -

vCard

meishi

External links -

!chinese-school.netfirms.com - 10 Powerful Networking Tips Using Business Cards Informative article on how to use business cards.

logoterra.com - Logo Design Services Directory - List of Logo, Business card, Stationery design companies.

businesscardtips.com - Business Card Tips Website - A set of articles containing tips on creating business cards.

belightsoft.com - Business Card History

professorprint.com - History of the Business Card

castleprint.co.uk - History of the Business Card

ibccsite.com - Business card collecting Website about business card !collectingCategory:StationeryC ategory:Ephemerade:Visitenkart eja:名刺 DEBUG REDIRECT (business card)

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