It doesn't seem possible, but this September marks 20 years since I created this simple but effective card display.

 

In the fall of 1993 my friend was gearing up for firewood season and wanted a more professional way to display his business cards on local bulletin boards. He had been using those stapled together pouches you so often see. It got the job done, but didn't look very professional. Being one who likes to solve problems, I was eager to take on the project.

 

Back then we were both on tight budgets, so my solution had to be very affordable. This meant my design had to be extremely efficient, using as much of the sheet as possible so there was little waste. It also meant that I had to produce it completely in-house at my kitchen table. No outside vendors. Traditional dies and die-cutting were far too expensive. It took one week working late into the nights to come up with the first design. That design was so efficient it remains nearly unchanged to this day.

 

It used an entire sheet of standard letter size paper, getting 4 pieces out with absolutely no waste. We did all of the slitting and scoring by hand with a steel ruler, razor blade, and a butter knife. The word "FIREWOOD" and the cutting marks were printed on bright colors of card stock using another friend's laser printer. The only thing I did at my employer's shop was cleanly cut the stack of sheets into quarters on his big paper cutter.

 

My employer liked my design and asked to produce the display and make it available to all of his business card customers. He would give out one display for every 100 cards purchased. Of course, besides the words "PLEASE TAKE ONE" it had the company info on it to generate calls. It was a big hit. People started calling trying to get just the display, but it was only available with business card orders. It brought in many new business card customers. That first design lasted for several years before the slit and score rules wore out. When laying out the new rules I made two changes.

 

First, I had to do something about the straight slit across the front. Customers complained that it covered too much of the business card information. So, I used the edge of a music CD as a guide to gently bend the slit rule into a curve that extended almost to the bottom of the business card and exposed much more of the card. Second, I added a simple triangular easel to the back for standing on a flat surface rather than pinning to a bulletin board.

 

The curved front was a great success, however the easel wasn't too stable. Nevertheless, it was mainly designed for bulletin boards so the new design stayed as is. That design was produced until the old machine we used for slitting and scoring died in 2001. Then, just a few weeks later the unthinkable happened in America and our attention was focused on more important things. With all of the slitting and scoring now being outsourced, my card display was never produced again, and all but forgotten.

 

Today, I have my own printing company, so I decided it's time to bring back my card display. Approximately 93% of referrals still occur offline, so business cards remain the most cost efficient advertising available This time I have added two more improvements. First, my displays are now made from super-thick 16pt stock and UV gloss coated for durability and weather resistance. Second, I have introduced a new easel design that is stable and will not fail. So now my display is perfect for horizontal surfaces, too.

 

NOTE: The return of my business card display has been a HUGE success, so delivery times may be longer as we work to step up production to keep up with the demand.

 

My business card display is available in one of four colors: lemon, berry, lime, and blueberry. Sold in packs of 25 for only $9.95 + $2.00 shipping.