Business cards are a modern variation of calling cards and trade cards. Calling cards were used as means of introduction. These were used by messengers to announce the arrival of their superiors beforehand.

The cards collected would serve as a list of who have came and went, and whose visit was to be reciprocated. Similar to their original purpose, business cards serve as a reminder of a social or business encounter.

The person the card has been left with will have a tangible reminder of the meeting and is left with the owner of the contact information. Soon enough, the need to exchange contact information grew.

Developments in printing aided the evolution of more elaborate and colorful business cards. However, this trend was balanced out by a need for simpler and cheaper cards. This sort of printing was too expensive for mass production.

Business cards may contain either personal information or information about the company they are affiliated with. Entrepreneurs and small or home office professionals who don't have big marketing systems rely largely on word of mouth and business cards.

Today, however, business cards have evolved from just being pieces of paper printed with plain text to cards that have striking visual graphics. This, of course, leaves more of a lasting impression.

There are many kinds of business cards in the form of different media. Wood, cloth, plastic, metal and magnets are some of the material used by companies that want to distinguish themselves. Recently, some companies use cd-rom business cards that are rectangular or elliptical in shape that are roughly about the same size as a standard business card. These cards fit in the cd-rom tray of a cd drive which is 80 mm or less.

It plays normally in most cd- drives but will not play in slot-loading drives because of their irregular shape.

However, paper or card remains the most popular medium of choice.

The international standard size of a business card would have the same dimensions of a regular credit card. In the United States the most common dimension would be 3.5 by 2 inches or 89 by 51 mm.

Some invert the standard and print their text vertically instead of horizontally.

Quality business cards use spot colors on sheet fed offset printing presses. Most of these cards that do not contain full color photographs undergo a process which, depending on the number of colors you use,

a two color process. The number of colors you use for your logo and the color background of the card defines the number of inks used to print it.

Some more elaborate business cards use a raised-print effect. Thermography is now used because it is much cheaper than using engraved plates. This process uses melted plastic to adhere to the ink on the card.

Another would be printing on lighter paper using a digital copier that prints directly on the surface of the card. To compensate, the card is either laminate or coated to make it more durable. The kind of business card you will use will depend on the image you want your business or company to have.

Business card printing is a kind of self-promotion where you advertise yourself or your business. The content of your business card will rely on the personality or image of your company. The font, logo, signature and even the image on the card will serve as your physical first impression. It is second only to how you present yourself or represent your company.

Business cards are small enough to carry in substantial numbers and practical to use for introductions and small business proceedings.