Business cards are a must, especially in the current economy. Even if you have a great job today, that could all change tomorrow. Keeping professional-looking business cards on hand makes networking a breeze. Have them in an easily accessible spot and hand them out to anyone you meet who might be a good contact down the road. Of course, you should pass them out to potential or repeat clients, too. Just don't spend a bundle having them printed. You can whip up your own in minutes using Microsoft Word.
Step 1
Start with a blank Word document and insert a graphic that suits your type of business. To do so in Word 2007, go to the "Insert" tab and click "Clip Art." In Word 2003 or a previous version, go to the "Insert" menu, point to "Picture" and click on "Clip Art." Enter a word that describes what you do in the "Search For" box, such as "Realtor," "Beautician" or even "CEO." Select the graphic you like and click "Insert."
Step 2
Right-click the graphic and choose "Format Picture." Go to the "Size" tab and deselect the "Lock Aspect Ratio" check box. Change the height to "2.00" and the width to "1.00," then click "OK."
Step 3
Insert a text box to the right of the picture by going to Word 2003's "Insert" menu, selecting "Text Box" and clicking next to the graphic. In Word 2007, click "Text Box" on the "Insert" tab and click it into place. Right-click it and choose "Format Text Box." On the "Colors and Lines" tab, make the fill color "No Fill" and the line color "No Line." On the "Size" tab, change the height to "2.00" and the width to "3.00." Click "OK."
Step 4
Type your information into the text box, using one line for each detail, such as your name, business name, phone number and email address. If you want to change the font, select the text you want to change with your mouse. Right-click and select "Font." Choose the font, color, style and other effects, then click "OK." Click onto a blank area of the Word document so neither the text box nor the graphic is selected.
Step 5
Press the shortcut combination "Ctrl+A" to select both the text box and picture. Open the "Envelopes and Labels" dialog box by pointing to "Letters and Mailings" on the "Tools" menu in Word 2003 and clicking "Envelopes and Labels," or by going to the "Mailings" tab in Word 2007 and choosing "Labels." Make sure you are on the "Labels" tab and click the "Options" button. Select "3612 Business Card" in the "Product Number" box and click "OK."
Step 6
Select "Full Page of the Same Label" and click the "New Document" button. If you want to show the lines where you should cut the business cards, go to the "Format" menu in Word 2003 and click "Borders and Shading," then select "All." In Word 2007, click the "Borders" drop-down in the "Paragraph" section of the "Home" tab and click on "All Borders."
Step 7
Save your business cards as a Word document and print as many as you need on cardstock. Cut them apart using scissors or a paper cutter and start networking.
Skill: Moderately Easy
Ingredients:
- Color printer
- Cardstock
- Scissors or paper cutter
Keyword: make business card Microsoft Word
