“Color” Business Cards

I will show you how I label my tote bags (and other homemade items) using “color” business cards.

I have a black and white printer, but can create the illusion of whimsical color without much expense by printing black ink on softly colored scrapbook papers.

Choose scrapbook papers with soft color, so as not to overwhelm the text. The colors/patterns of the paper should fade into the background, yet also accent the printing.

Trim the paper (if necessary) to 8.5″ by 11″ so it will fit in the printer.

This is how to set up a document in MS Word for the business cards. In any document, go to Tools > Letters and Mailings > Envelopes and Labels… Click Options, then choose 5371 — Business Card. The details shown should read 2″ x 3.5″ card size on 8.5″ x 11″ paper. Click OK. Click New Document.

The business card form is now set up in a new document and the details of the business card can then be typed in and formatted. I suggest getting your business card just how you want it in the first box, then select that, copy (Ctrl-C) it, and paste (Ctrl-V) it into the rest of the nine boxes. This creates a second page of boxes, all of which should be selected and deleted (Table > Delete > Rows). Only delete the rows on the second page. Save frequently; you don’t want to lose your work!

I suggest printing a test page before printing on the nice scrapbook paper. Once satisfied with the test page(s), load the scrapbook paper into your printer and print on that.

To cut apart the business cards, trim .75″ off each side of the page and .5″ off the top and bottom of the page. Then cut the page in half vertically, or 3.5″ from either side. Then cut each business card off at two-inch intervals. Either use a paper cutter, or make light pencil marks with a ruler in order to guide scissor cutting.

These business cards can be used as-is or they make a great label for homemade products. It doesn’t have to be a business card, either. It can be an ingredient list, instructions for a baking mix. Or it can bear a personal message, like for Christmas or a birthday.

Punch a hole in the corner of the card.

Cut a length of thin ribbon, determined by how long you need it to be. For this application, I cut 10″ to 12″ of ribbon.

Fold the ribbon in half and thread the ends through the hole, either from the back or front. It doesn’t matter, but after you do a couple, you’ll find out which look you prefer. Stop before the loop goes through the hole.

Thread the ribbon ends through the loop, enclosing the card. Pull it taut, but be careful not to tear the paper. Some ribbons are tougher than others.

Tie the loose ends around the item being labelled. Voila!

Now my totes are all labeled and I’ll be delivering them today.