What's the first thing you do when you meet someone in a business situation? Say hello? Shake hands? The next thing is most probably going to be the exchange of business cards. I have been going to a lot of networking events lately - they seem to be growing in popularity - and plenty of business cards are always exchanged.

Frequently the standard isn't good at all. You get business cards that are a mess, hard to read contact details, details crossed out and scrawled in with biro. Sometimes the paper stock isn't great and the card is flimsy and crumpled. It doesn't really add up to a great business impression and a lot of the time the suspicion is that these cards go into the pocket and from there to the bin!

Price is obviously a sensitive issue at the moment but a lot of the time the cheapest deal isn't the best one. When shopping around for your business card it is important to make sure that you are comparing like with like. Will the card be printed on good stock? Will it be a quality job? Have you seen a portfolio or any other design work? All points worth bearing in mind if you want a business card that will ensure you make the right impression!