Maple Veneer Business Cards-What do you think!!?

[Mohammed Issa]

hey all,

this is the first, official product i make on my new laser. what do you guys think? i would really appreciate your opinion about them, as i only made 15 now, and i am willing to change the design if you guys have better ideas.

the only thing i hate about it, is that the veneer is so thin, when i vector cut, it will sort of show through on the other side. the speed was 500 and the power was 10% (the lowest it will accept). i find if i go any faster than 500 it just doesnt seem to go any faster :confused:.

the way i actually placed these in the laser is that i got a piece of acrylic, placed double faced tape (as you can see in the picture) then gently pushed them down (because they do warp).

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(They do look better in person)

looking forward to your suggestions/opinions/thoughts!!

[Chuck Stone]

I like the wooden cards, but I don't think I would vector them.
(except to cut them apart)

[Mohammed Issa]

your right Chuck, the only problem is that its a bit too bland just to raster them. i will try my next batch with just rastering.

thanks!

[Chuck Stone]

how about creating a drop shadow behind the letters, but make the letters white?

[Walt Langhans]

I have to be blunt, I don't like them as they are now.

When people think lasers they think precision and perfection those cards don't reflect that. The scorch marks look unprofessional and if someone handed me that card I would think my product would come out the same and they wouldn't get my business.

I do however think that you are on the right path. I think making your own business cards is a good way to demonstrate your abilities. So maybe play with the settings more? Or maybe a different material? I also think the design is good, but you should add your title (ie, owner, manager, etc.) to the card, people like to know who they are dealing with.

Just my 2 cents

[Mike Dempsey]

Mohammed
These are my business cards. I make them from solid wood cut down and sanded to 2mm thick. There is no warping as it is all kiln dried. I can only raster with my laser so I have to cut them out first. Saying that I can engrave 2 at a time and they take about 9 seconds each to do.251657

[Sotos Patistas]

FWIW, here's mine. It almost always gets favorable comments. They don't photograph all that well, and this one seems to have a dirt smudge on it, sorry.

What I've done with it, and I explain to potential clients, is shown by example the 3 lasering methods the machine is capable of, raster engraving, vector engraving, and vector cutting. I use the 2 ply maple from cards of wood.

HTH

[Mike Null]

Generally, I don't care for wood business cards. Especially those which are unfinished as they get dirty very quickly and are less impressive than people think.

Mohammed--I would raster only and with more power. Before that i would put a finish of clear lacquer or acrylic on them. I would also kern the letters as they are too close together.

[Chad Fitzgerald]

i would also rediesign a little to show off what the laser will do. one thing i did is instead of engraving my bus name, i placed it in a black rectangle, made the name white, so the box gets engrave and the name stand out. add something that is vector cut like soto has. also never hurts ro have some very small text(nothing important) to show how detailed it can get. a simple photo is always nice as well. i like the design on the back you have. play with it, you can always change the design as you want. in 2 yrs i have changed mine several times.
bus cards are the first thing i made when i got my engraver, just to make something, i have never went back to paper bus cards. people love them and although more expensive, each card goes along way because people who get one will show it to others. i always have people approach me and tell me someone show them my card and how much they loved it.
only problem i have had is some people are afraid to take one when i have them set out at a display. they think they are too nice to be given away, alomost have to force them to take one sometimes. i have even been asked how much they cost. good problem to have.
FYI, i use alder strips that are prefinished, clean up very easy and i personally like the contrast alder has compared to maple. cherrry works nice but they darken over time which can make them hard to read. i also will have leather cut to size and mix them in with the wood, as well as different colored aluminum. give people the choice of which one they want.

[Chad Fitzgerald]

here are a few example of one i have done. they also work well for fridge magnets

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[Josiah Gallo]

Where do you get your veneer or thin wood? I think wood business cards are a great way to stand out, people love them. I just have trouble finding domestic sources for veneer/thin wood.

[rich shepard]

I use 1/64 micro birch ply for my wood cards. You can find it at a good hobby shop or even Michael's carries it. But do use rounded corners as the square corners are sharpe and do make it easier for the card to split.

[Richard Rumancik]

Chad, the Hickory Grove Cabinetry card is a very good looking card. It shows good quality rastering and also shows that you can vector cut. The finish is also well done.

Mohammed, I know the Lee Valley cards are cheap but I have not had good luck trying to use them for laser cards. They are irregular and will crack easily if bent, and it is hard to get contrast. It tends to look washed out. I prefer using three-ply plywood like you can get at Michael's - 3/64" or 1/32". (Personally I would not go thicker than that.) The plywood can be bent quite a bit without cracking and it is stable. You can vector cut the outline with rounded corners. Of course it is much more expensive than the Lee Valley veneer. I don't really do these for myself, just experimented with making them. Maybe you can find a cheaper source for thin plywood. The advantage of the plywood is that you will get really good contrast as the adhesive in the plywood tends to attenuate the beam and cause more charring for a blacker image. Vectoring the outside of the characters does make them blacker, but it is never uniform so I would not recommend it.

You could probably spray these with a light coat of polyurethane if you wished to keep smudges off when handled.

[gary l roberts]

Thanks for the question. I have "stolen" a few ideas form all those who answered. Thanks again.

[Mohammed Issa]

The scorch marks look unprofessional and if someone handed me that card I would think my product would come out the same and they wouldn't get my business.

Walt, thank you for being 'blunt', thats exactly what im looking for. creative criticism.

do you know of a way to get rid of the scorch marks? i have tried to use the lowest speed/power possible to prevent cutting, and to prevent scorching. but i still get both!

thanks,

[Mohammed Issa]

Where do you get your veneer or thin wood? I think wood business cards are a great way to stand out, people love them. I just have trouble finding domestic sources for veneer/thin wood.

hey,

im not sure where you are from, but i get the ones i made from Lee Valley: http://www.leevalley.com/en/wood/page.aspx?p=32820&cat=1,250,43217

thanks,

[Mohammed Issa]

I prefer using three-ply plywood like you can get at Michael's - 3/64" or 1/32".

Richard,

thanks for the advice. can you share a link to show Michael's link of the plywood you are talking about? i couldnt find it in the store or even online.

thanks a lot!

[Martin Boekers]

Heres a link for thin "remenants"

www.cardsofwood.com/store/store_results.asp?Category=18&estore_filter=5&Section=Remnant (http://www.cardsofwood.com/store/store_results.asp?Category=18&estore_filter=5&Section=Remnant) Sheet Sale - LASER PRINTABLE (NO INK-JET)

These may be fun to run through a laser printer.

Also, I have found that typicall Maple has a less contrasty engraving, you may want to experiment with a wood such as Cherry.

[Kim Vellore]

Heres a link for thin "remenants"

www.cardsofwood.com/store/store_results.asp?Category=18&estore_filter=5&Section=Remnant (http://www.cardsofwood.com/store/store_results.asp?Category=18&estore_filter=5&Section=Remnant) Sheet Sale - LASER PRINTABLE (NO INK-JET)

These may be fun to run through a laser printer.

Also, I have found that typicall Maple has a less contrasty engraving, you may want to experiment with a wood such as Cherry.

The only thing stopping me using cards of wood is the steep shipping. Maybe in large volumes its ok

Kim

[Andrew Kazakoff]

Why not do a stroke on the letters you vector, but raster it a second time?It would darken it im sure.

Or increase the scan gap? I find that playing with the scan gap is a cheap way to create texture,

Good luck!

[Richard Rumancik]

Mohammed - sorry, I could not find the plywood on Michael's Canadian or US websites. They don't have all the products listed. I'll take a look at my sheet when I'm at my shop as I think there might be a label on it. But if you are close to a store you could just take a look for it. I am not really sure what wood it is actually made from.

[Khalid Nazim]

For business card design inspirations check this site: http://www.cardonizer.com/

Regards
KN

[Mohammed Issa]

Hey all,

thank you very much for all the comments and advice.

here is my retake on the business card.

i was also asked by Lee Valley to make a few (when i bought the blanks from them).

i also lasered a little box that fits 40 cards.

tell me what you think!
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[rich shepard]

The Michael's here stock the Mid-West line of plywood and Balsa sheets. But I get mine from Balsa USA in 12 x 48 sheets.

[Walt Langhans]

Walt, thank you for being 'blunt', thats exactly what im looking for. creative criticism.

do you know of a way to get rid of the scorch marks?

No worries :) The current batch looks much better!

[Clyde Baumwell]

I prefer to round corner the cards when I cut them out of the sheet. It looks much better, does not cut or scratch when handled and slips in and out of a case or wallet easier.

[Stephen Kane]

I use flexible thin veneer (.6mm) with paper backing for business cards, invitations, product tags etc

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[Stephen Maloney]

I've found a thicker card to be more of a conversation piece, and it's harder for them to loose ;)


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[Khalid Nazim]

Hi Stephen, nice card. What type of wood are you using and what's the thickness of the wood?

General question for everyone: Is it better to use a paper backed veneer for cards or plain wood?

Regards
KN

[Stephen Kane]

Material I use is called Decospan.
Link to info http://noyeks.ie/component/virtuemart/?q=%2Fcomponent%2Fvirtuemart%2F&page=shop.browse&category_id=56&vmcchk=1
Thickness is .6mm

[Mohammed Issa]

Material I use is called Decospan.
Link to info http://noyeks.ie/component/virtuemart/?q=%2Fcomponent%2Fvirtuemart%2F&page=shop.browse&category_id=56&vmcchk=1
Thickness is .6mm

that veneer looks pretty nice, i wish i could find a local store, or a website that may ship to canada that have something like it.

[Stephen Kane]

that veneer looks pretty nice, i wish i could find a local store, or a website that may ship to canada that have something like it.

This is link to manufacturer they may be able to help you.

http://www.decospan.com/en/Products/Decoflex/

[Tony Lenkic]

Mohammed,

Try these suppliers located in Ontario........

www dot amwoodinc dot com
www dot exotic-woods dot com

[Richard Rumancik]

Richard . . . can you share a link to show Michael's link of the plywood you are talking about? i couldnt find it in the store or even online. . .

The Michael's in Winnipeg stocks the Midwest product but it seems pricey on the web - not sure what I paid. I was actually using 1/64 (.016" or .4mm). You don't really need to go up to 1/32" thickness as the 1/64" is surprisingly durable. It is 3 layers of .005 veneer.

Search on <1/64" birch plywood> or <.4mm birch plywood> and maybe you will find something suitable.

[Mohammed Issa]

hey Richard,

i just went to the michael's website. and the word plywood doesnt even exist on their system.

it might be according to the area we live in? i dont know.
can you share a link if you can still see them?

thanks,

mohammed

[Richard Coers]

I would suggest that you use cherry instead of maple. Cherry will "char" darker than maple. I also like walnut, it looks like a more expensive product.

[Richard Rumancik]

hey Richard, i just went to the michael's website. and the word plywood doesnt even exist on their system. . .

Yes, as I mentioned earlier, I could not find it either, on the US or Canadian websites. So I'm sorry, I can't link to Michael's. You might find the Midwest plywood (www.midwestproducts.com (http://www.midwestproducts.com)) at your local Michael's or hobby shop but you might be paying $15-25 for a 12"x24" sheet. You might need to shop around for a better price. If you can use smaller sheets, the shipping will be cheaper but there might be a bit more waste.

[Mohammed Issa]

Yes, as I mentioned earlier, I could not find it either, on the US or Canadian websites. So I'm sorry, I can't link to Michael's. You might find the Midwest plywood (www.midwestproducts.com (http://www.midwestproducts.com)) at your local Michael's or hobby shop but you might be paying $15-25 for a 12"x24" sheet. You might need to shop around for a better price. If you can use smaller sheets, the shipping will be cheaper but there might be a bit more waste.

sorry for misunderstanding, and thanks for the info! i will definitely check it out.

[Gary Hair]

I would also consider red alder. Here is a link to some I made for a customer of mine, he's also the person who designed my website. They are red alder with a walnut inlay, the walnut is flush with the back and is raised on the front - a very rich looking business card!

http://www.nwlaserimage.com/wp-content/gallery/laser-engraving/ja-bc-wood.jpg

Gary

[Mohammed Issa]

I would also consider red alder. Here is a link to some I made for a customer of mine, he's also the person who designed my website. They are red alder with a walnut inlay, the walnut is flush with the back and is raised on the front - a very rich looking business card!

http://www.nwlaserimage.com/wp-content/gallery/laser-engraving/ja-bc-wood.jpg

Gary

wow, that business card looks awesome!
what thickness is it?
do you have an idea of the cost?
thanks,

[Tony Lenkic]

Mohammed, have you contacted suppliers I posted?

These two are located in Ontario......

www dot amwoodinc dot com
www dot exotic-woods dot com

Here is Michigan based supplier that ships to canada........www.oakwoodveneer.com

[Gary Hair]

wow, that business card looks awesome!
what thickness is it?
do you have an idea of the cost?
thanks,

The red alder is 3/32" thick, I don't remember the cost. I'm pretty sure I got them from Colorado Heirloom.

Gary