At first inspection, I liked Office Max’s online business cards. They offered full bleeds, designs to choose from or allowed me to upload my own, and their price seemed alright. However, after some inspection, I decided that maybe they’re not the best business cards around.
First off, the price. 250 cards, the minimum order, costs $29.99. While this is a little high for some professional printers, it’s really not too bad and a little expected. However, that was only on first inspection. Office Max has so many sub-charges it begins to get insane.
If I want glossy stock (glossy only on the front), it’s an additional $10. For thicker paper it’s another $10 (I will cover paper separately), and if I want a back side it’s another $10 for black or $20 for color. Now, while that charge isn’t too bad for quantities like 2,000 or more, it’s that even for 250 cards.
Most professional printers will charge either nothing, or a $5-$10 extra fee for double sided cards, regardless if they are color or black and white. Also, other printers tend to come standard with glossy paper.
Now, what about paper? Well, when I saw thicker paper, I thought they meant something good like 14pt paper. However, Office Max’s standard paper is only 10pt. In many of my printer reviews, I have criticized anyone who thought 10pt was quality paper, as it has no durability and feels practically like regular paper. It’s really only useful for those not serious about their business or service, or for teen social networking cards. If that is your purpose, then perhaps this will be good for you. However, if you want to be serious get thicker paper.
The upgrade only gives you 12pt paper, or what a standard business card should be. So you need to add $10 to have real business cards, which I think is pathetic.
My suggestion? While it is good that Office Max has designs you can pick from, and at first glance they seem like a company you can trust, I urge you to look for another printer to print these cards for you. You can get better paper and prices from places like Overnight Prints, PSPrint, and other online printing companies.
Unless, of course, you think spending $69.99 for 250 cards, 12pt, with glossy stock and color double sided is really worth it. Maybe it’s me, but I can’t see any value here.