FRAMINGHAM, Mass.--Aug. 16, 2007-- Staples, Inc. is revolutionizing the creation and printing of business cards by being the first national retailer to offer a way to get business cards within minutes of being designed. The world's largest office products company today announced Business Cards in Minutes, a new service that makes it easy for customers to design, proof and print professional-quality business cards in as fast as 30 minutes, versus the standard industry delivery time of three-to-seven days.
The Business Cards in Minutes technology, powered by Logoworks by HP, is available only at Staples Copy & Print Centers nationwide. Customers can now design customized cards right at the counter and have them printed quickly on the spot. The service also lets customers print as few as 100 cards at a time, compared to the industry-standard minimum of 250, allowing greater flexibility to update cards on-demand. Once created, business cards are stored for future customization and printing at any Staples nationwide.
"By offering this new convenience, Staples is doing for business cards what 'instant photo' did for photo processing," said Rob Schlacter, vice president of business services, Staples, Inc. "We just made it much easier for our customers and we see a great opportunity to grow this service with both small businesses and individuals who want 'social cards' for sharing personal and online information with family and friends."
Social Cards on the Rise
Staples has found that business cards aren't just for businesses anymore. Test market results revealed that everyone from teens to soccer moms are using Business Cards in Minutes to create highly personalized social cards that make staying connected easy.
"The increased popularity of social networking sites like YouTube and MySpace created a strong demand for highly customizable cards that allow people to share something personal about themselves," said Schlacter. "Social cards can be used for everything from scheduling kids' play dates and showing team pride, to alerting others of food and medical allergies. Teens are even using these cards to bring their online personas to life - sharing screen names, MySpace identities and blog addresses."
How It Works
Business Cards in Minutes allows customers to quickly produce full-color business cards while they wait. At the Staples Copy & Print Center counter, Logoworks software provides an easy step-by-step process for selecting a card template, colors and fonts and personalizing contact details and inserting a logo. Customers have the ability to choose from a large database of categorized logos, upload a custom logo or scan an existing business card to be reprinted.
Business Cards in Minutes expands Staples' offerings of affordable, on-demand copy and print services for small businesses and consumers, alike. Prices vary based on quantity and type of paper, but a standard order costs $19.99 for 100 black & white cards ($3 for each additional 100) or $29.99 for 100 colored cards ($6 for each additional 100). For a limited time, Staples is offering 100 free business cards with the purchase of 100 cards.
Staples Copy & Print Centers offer full-service copying and printing services with a 100-percent quality guarantee. Signature services include digital color copying, printing of customized letterhead, envelopes and business cards, lamination and various binding capabilities.
Additional services include wide-format color printing capabilities for high-quality photo enlargements, posters, signs and banners. For added convenience, customers can also visit the online Staples Copy & Print Center at www.staplescopycenter.com to upload digital files and submit print and copy jobs to any store location.