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CAP Business Cards

Started by Lloyd Bumanglag Capt,CAP, September 23, 2008, 05:50:46 PM

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Lloyd Bumanglag Capt,CAP

Folks,
Is there somewhere in any regulation specifying the correct format to create business cards for recruiting and networking purposes.  If you know of any format that has been created or if you can reply and post up  a sample business card,  that would work.  Thanks
Lloyd Bumanglag, CAPT, CAP
Public Affairs Officer (PAO)
Long Beach Squadron 150
Los Alamitos, California

Pylon

The only governing directive mentioning business cards is CAPR 900-2, Civil Air Patrol Seal, Emblem and Flag Etiquette.  It authorizes use of the CAP seal or emblem on Civil Air Patrol business cards when the member's official duty title is used.

That's about it.  Unfortunately, national headquarters does have an established identity or branding for our organization and also fails to provide standardized templates for things like business cards.  In my opinion, that's a major error from a marketing standpoint, as it means there are 1,000's of different business card layouts, implementations, and designs out there with 1,000's of different messages being distributed to the public - many perhaps not even correct in some regards.

So, yes, feel free to use templates other members have used or to invent your own.
Michael F. Kieloch, Maj, CAP

dwb

I used VistaPrint.com to do my cards, and I'm very happy with the product.  They were pretty cheap, too, under $20 IIRC.

I created my own design using their Photoshop template.  I've attached an example (with the personal info altered).  My latest revision of this design puts the Core Values in the blue stripe (the values are now in white lettering).  The "CAP Core Values" label sits just above the stripe.

I strongly recommend getting the business cards printed professionally.  Most home printers don't handle card stock very well, and even if they do, the perforated business cards sheets you can buy at the office supply store are amateur-looking.

For as often as you'll need business cards, it's worth the investment for them to look awesome.

Lloyd Bumanglag Capt,CAP

Dan, thanks for the layout of your business card..........I've used Vistaprint in the past, and they are an excellent service for the price........
Lloyd Bumanglag, CAPT, CAP
Public Affairs Officer (PAO)
Long Beach Squadron 150
Los Alamitos, California

Pylon

From experience, I recommend PrintPlace.com over VistaPrint, but either way - as Dan put it, if you're going to make them, spend a few dollars and get them made properly. 

Nothing says louder "I'm wicked lame" in the business world than an ink jet printed card with the perforated edges.
Michael F. Kieloch, Maj, CAP

davidsinn

Quote from: Pylon on September 23, 2008, 07:11:43 PM
From experience, I recommend PrintPlace.com over VistaPrint, but either way - as Dan put it, if you're going to make them, spend a few dollars and get them made properly. 

Nothing says louder "I'm wicked lame" in the business world than an ink jet printed card with the perforated edges.

What's wrong with printing them on normal card stock and then cutting them with a razor knife?
Former CAP Captain
David Sinn

DC

There are plenty of clean edge DIY business card stocks available, some of them are practically indistingishable from the real thing.

FLWG has a format that they encourage members to use (It is what I use..). Attached.

IceNine

Well I'm pretty cheap, so I use the no perf business cards made by avery.

I used the template from FLWG, howver I found that the template doesn't line up with the card layout so I downloaded avery's design program and and recreated them

They come out real nice, and if I get to choose how many I print, this way if I switch jobs I don't have to get rid of a million cards that I paid for

"All of the true things that I am about to tell you are shameless lies"

Book of Bokonon
Chapter 4

Pylon

#8
Quote from: davidsinn on September 23, 2008, 07:21:05 PM
What's wrong with printing them on normal card stock and then cutting them with a razor knife?

Nothing if you've got an offset press sitting in your garage.

Let me put it this way - I work in public relations & communications (perhaps it shows through in my annoyance with less-than-par print pieces and branding, etc.).  If I'm at a networking event, or a PRSA meeting, a conference or just chatting up somebody I've happened to run into, believe it or not I'll judge a lot about them on their business card.    

Two people could approach me and talk about their consulting business.  One of them has an offset printed card on 100# or heavier cardstock, color with bleeds and is double-sided, has an aqueous coating or a rounded corner or some other professional detail... or let's say he has a thermograved card on heavy linen stock.  The other consultant has a card he printed on his ink jet from an Avery DIY kit.   I'll know the difference immediately, and I've already in my mind judged the legitimacy and capabilities of both consultants.  Is that right?   Perhaps not - perhaps I should have judged on more substantive factors.  But nonetheless I do it and so do many other professionals.  Guess which one I'm more likely to call if I need his services?

Frankly, few people in the squadron have need for a business card anyways.  The people who interact with those outside of CAP are the ones who need professional cards.  Commanders, PAO's, Recruiting Officers, and anybody working in ES who interfaces with other agencies, etc.   If you're the asst. testing officer for Nowhere Cadet Squadron, I guess it doesn't matter if you're using the cheesy perf'ed cards because you're not giving them to anybody other than perhaps other people within CAP you meet. 

But for those who represent Civil Air Patrol to the outside world, the professional image extends beyond ironing your uniform, grooming your unibrow and remembering your manners in conversation.
Michael F. Kieloch, Maj, CAP

Eclipse

#9
Its hard to argue about presenting a professional image, but since most business cards are thrown out after they are entered into a contact manager, and we're not "competing" with anyone else, there has to be some temper to the expense.

Also, less and less people use printing companies to make the nice, raised print cards, more and more businesses are doing them using an inkjet process, and I have received plenty of home-grown cards from professional PD/FD/military.

The Avery clean-edge stock is indistinguishable from Vista Print, or most professional services that use an inkjet instead of a press, however if you use poor, jaggy graphics, a bad layout, or can't be bothered to change the yellow ink cart, then they will still look amateurish.

And nothing says "lame" like the Vistaprint logo on the back that says you got them for free.

"That Others May Zoom"

BigMojo

Quote from: Pylon on September 23, 2008, 07:32:40 PM

Nothing if you've got an offset press sitting in your garage.

Let me put it this way - I work in public relations & communications (perhaps it shows through in my annoyance with less-than-par print pieces and branding, etc.).  If I'm at a networking event, or a PRSA meeting, a conference or just chatting up somebody I've happened to run into, believe it or not I'll judge a lot about them on their business card.    

Two people could approach me and talk about their consulting business.  One of them has an offset printed card on 100# or heavier cardstock, color with bleeds and is double-sided, has an aqueous coating or a rounded corner or some other professional detail... or let's say he has a thermograved card on heavy linen stock.  The other consultant has a card he printed on his ink jet from an Avery DIY kit.   I'll know the difference immediately, and I've already in my mind judged the legitimacy and capabilities of both consultants.  Is that right?   Perhaps not - perhaps I should have judged on more substantive factors.  But nonetheless I do it and so do many other professionals.  Guess which one I'm more likely to call if I need his services?

Frankly, few people in the squadron have need for a business card anyways.  The people who interact with those outside of CAP are the ones who need professional cards.  Commanders, PAO's, Recruiting Officers, and anybody working in ES who interfaces with other agencies, etc.   If you're the asst. testing officer for Nowhere Cadet Squadron, I guess it doesn't matter if you're using the cheesy perf'ed cards because you're not giving them to anybody other than perhaps other people within CAP you meet. 

But for those who represent Civil Air Patrol to the outside world, the professional image extends beyond ironing your uniform, grooming your unibrow and remembering your manners in conversation.

I could not agree more.

If you present me with an ink jet avery card...you may as well be wearing a tank top and jorts with a natty ice in your hand and telling me you're the President.
Ben Dickmann, Capt, CAP
Emergency Services Officer
Group 6, Florida Wing

Pylon

Quote from: Eclipse on September 23, 2008, 07:48:48 PM
Its hard to argue about presenting a professional image, but since most business cards are thrown out after they are entered into a contact manager, and we're not "competing" with anyone else, there has to be some temper to the expense.

While I used extreme ends of the spectrum in my examples above with the two "consultants", I'm not advocating CAP members spend a small fortune on a personal handout item. 

Staples sells the smallest pack of Avery ink jet business cards (250) for $14.49.  I won't even bother to mention incidental expenses like your ink.

PrintPlace sells 250 business cards, full color front, with bleeds on 14pt card stock with an aqueous coating finish process for $15.50.  That's about 7,000 times better looking than any home-printed Avery jobs.  Heck, the ink won't even run or rub off when they're in your wallet.  ;-)

So arguments about spending a fortune, or ending up with thousands of cards should one get promoted or change duties, or any of the other ones advocating a Do-it-yourself approach versus a professional printing one kinda go out the window there.

But it's only half the battle, because everyone will still be making their own designs, wording, layouts and using one or more of CAP's 6 different logos in current use.
Michael F. Kieloch, Maj, CAP

Eclipse

Most CAP staffers only need 10 or 20 at a time - for that 15 bucks I can make enough for the whole unit to have cards
for the conference, and I can run them off the night before if needed.  Why would I run off all 250 when I can make them as needed?

And I'm not stuck with a bunch of extras when things change, as they often do in CAP.

As to the comments about how they look, if you use a Hello Kitty printer, sure, if you take the time with the design and use a 1/2-way decent printer, you can't tell the difference, and if you're concerned about them running, use an archival ink (though who really cares about that).

"That Others May Zoom"

jimmydeanno

Quote from: Eclipse on September 23, 2008, 08:43:15 PM
Most CAP staffers only need 10 or 20 at a time - for that 15 bucks I can make enough for the whole unit to have cards
for the conference, and I can run them off the night before if needed.  Why would I run off all 250 when I can make them as needed?

And I'm not stuck with a bunch of extras when things change, as they often do in CAP.

As to the comments about how they look, if you use a Hello Kitty printer, sure, if you take the time with the design and use a 1/2-way decent printer, you can't tell the difference, and if you're concerned about them running, use an archival ink (though who really cares about that).

That's the reason I make my own, 20 at a pop. I use the clean edge ones and use our color laser printer at work.  Because of the borders around it I can even fake a bleedover look.  At least for me, I end up getting promoted or change positions or our slogan of the week changes, I get a new phone number, e-mail address, etc. You just wasted all my money.

I've recieved a bunch of compliments on some of the designs I've had.  I can't stand half the ones I see though.
If you have ten thousand regulations you destroy all respect for the law. - Winston Churchill

Eclipse

As an example, Ice's card above is using a logo with incorrect scaling of the CAP insignia in relation to the wings, and the colors are off. 

That particular graphic was put together by someone and appears all over the place despites its issues.

The correct one can be found on af.mil.

"That Others May Zoom"

IceNine

I HANDED YOU ONE OF THOSE CARDS, and you call me out here!?!?!?!

Thanks a lot, buddy!
"All of the true things that I am about to tell you are shameless lies"

Book of Bokonon
Chapter 4

Eclipse

Quote from: IceNine on September 24, 2008, 01:08:29 PM
I HANDED YOU ONE OF THOSE CARDS, and you call me out here!?!?!?!

Thanks a lot, buddy!

I'm there for you!

"That Others May Zoom"

MIKE

I want some of those card shaped CD/DVD business cards... Ever seen one of those?
Mike Johnston

Stonewall

I'll have to dig out my original business cards I had made at the Pentagon.  In 1994 I was assigned to the Pentagon and they had a print shop that had every single military logo known to man.  For $5.99 I had 1,000  CAP business cards made.
Serving since 1987.

Eclipse

Quote from: MIKE on September 24, 2008, 02:40:25 PM
I want some of those card shaped CD/DVD business cards... Ever seen one of those?

Pretty cool, especially if you have some compelling media on them - you can dupe them on home burners.

I wonder if they make those in lightscribe?  You could make some pretty need business cards on the fly.

"That Others May Zoom"