Just because a printer is able to take orders online doesn’t make them a good printer. And conversely, adding order capability to a printer’s website doesn’t mean they know how to conduct business online. I’ve tried (and often promoted) popular printers like OvernightPrints.com and VistaPrint, but always with a bit of (okay, large bit of) hesitation.

When I wrote the original print edition of my book (circa 2005), I couldn’t make a recommendation for an online printer. At that time, online tools were still in development and I didn’t have enough personal experience to make a recommendation. But then, late in 2005, I tried OvernightPrints.com. I got good results and wrote about my experience in one of my newsletters. I had several conversations with OvernightPrints’ staff and had generally positive results, even though the president, Brett Heap, still won’t take my call.

Then one of my designer buddies, Bill Paetzold of Paetzold Sedlacek Design gave OvernightPrints a try (at my request). What a complete disaster. A box of business cards cut into non-standard shapes. Wide color variances between card 1 and card 500. Rounded corders that were more like hack-cuts. Ugh! Taking responsibility for this, I phoned Chad Langer at Overnight Prints and mailed some of the cards to him. No response. That was Nov 17, 2006. Still waiting. I believe Overnight Prints does good work and they certainly have their advocates, so this print job may not be all that representative, but I do know they are really struggling with customer service. Message on these guys: Use them to save money only if you have time for a redo.

That brings me to VistaPrint. What an exciting, fast-growing company. They’ve taken the small business world by a storm. I had a friend use them to launch her business on the cheap, using their “free business card” offer. She still had to pay shipping and wait about 3 weeks to get her free cards, but they looked okay when she got them. And she knew VistaPrint puts their ad on the back of the card, so again no surprises.

I decided to put VistaPrint to the test. I ordered 250, uploaded my design and paid for 7-day delivery. Since I wanted double-sided printing on 100lb paper and I was using my own design, even with a coupon, my total charge was $60.60. For comparison, my 500 card order at PrintingforLess.com, was $108.45. So, card-for-card, VistaPrint really wasn’t more economical (contrary to popular belief).

When my VistaPrint order arrived I was completely underwhelmed. The print quality was surprising really poor and their die cutters must have been really dull because the edges appeared worn. You will also note the back of my card has a deep red color, for which traditional printers make two passes at it so the ink is absorbed deep into the paper fibers. If printers don’t do this, colors appear washed out. And that was indeed the case with VistaPrint. But that wasn’t the biggest problem. VistaPrint cards are actually sub-stardard size. Standard U.S. business cards are exactly 2.0 inches x 3.5 inches. As you can see in the image below, the VistaPrint cards are midget-size. [In fact, you will also note OvernightPrints are less than perfect in size, as well.]

click to enlarge  Minor nit? Well, some people think it is. The problem with VistaPrint’s midget cards is what happens to your card after you give it to your prospect or customer. For all those people, like me, who file them into a business card holder, the VistaPrint cards sink below all the other cards. They’re almost invisible in a business card holder. For a sales person, giving up that edge isn’t worth it. So let me add it all up here: Poor quality printing, midget card-size, pricing no different than printers like PrintingforLess, who appreciate quality…I’m not seeing an advantage here, which is why I cannot recommend them to you.