Exchanging business cards is a fairly common practice amongst businessmen. The idea that everything you need to know about a person can neatly fit onto a small piece of cardstock that fits in your wallet is not just for practical purposes, however. The social importance of business cards, especially here in Shanghai, oftentimes does more to foster business relationships than the information on the card itself.

In Shanghai, and China in general, it is extremely important to have your own business cards. This applies to pretty much everyone, regardless of your profession or level of expertise. A card exudes professionalism and will impress upon the person to whom you are giving it that you know what you are doing. So how do you get business cards easily and cheaply?

Online templates

There are some great online programs that let you choose from a variety of templates, such as http://www.zazzle.com. Use their designs to inspire your own ideas for what kind of message you want to convey through your business cards. Another great program that I've used time and again is http://www.businesscardland.com. Here, you can actually take the templates they already have online and save them as a PDF to your computer. Then you either just download the PDF onto a memory stick and take it to the printer, or email it directly to the printer for little to no hassle. Both this website and http://businesscardstar.com let you take any of their templates and modify it until it's exactly what you want, which is a great option if you're quite picky like I am. If you're feeling a bit more creative and actually want to design your own logo, try http://logosnap.com, or have a design team help you at http://www.panasall.com. There are tons of options out there that make choosing your business card design nice and easy.

What to look out for

When choosing what to put on your business card, remember: conciseness is key. You only have a limited amount of space to say what you want, so make sure you get the basics down. This includes name, title (preferably one that explains a bit of what you actually do), company, phone number and email address. Anything beyond that is just superfluous, although I've known people who like to have cute little sayings on the back of their cards. Choosing a design for your card is also extremely important, as it says a lot about you at a glance. Have a black and white card with just your company logo and information? This gives off a practical, if not exactly creative, vibe. Have a hot pink card with lots of font flourishes? That could be appropriate if you're an employee at, say, a nightclub. Think about what kind of message you'd like to convey while choosing a design, and remember that cluttered, noisy cards are never in style. That's not to say you can't have a bit of fun, though – just remember that maximum readability is the goal.

Where to get the cards printed in Shanghai

There are literally thousands of places to get business cards printed here in Shanghai, all of which range in quality and prices. Whether you choose colour, black and white, one-sided, or two-sided printing will all influence what you pay. If you're looking for colour printing, two-sided, local printing shops can generally offer 200 business cards for between 100-150 RMB. This, of course, is if you bring in your own design, ready to go. Any consulting they do with you about design will be an extra charge, so it helps if you go in there knowing exactly what you want. A lot of local print shops don't speak much (if any) English, so it's always helpful to bring a Chinese-speaking friend if you're not up to speed on your Mandarin.

But there are some good shops around that have English-speaking staff, like PicJoy on Nandan Dong Lu and Yinshantang Printing Services on Pingwu Lu. I've listed some more printing service options below, all of which strike a balance between quality and price. No matter where you go for your business cards, it's important to just get out there and represent yourself to the best of your ability!

PicJoyView In Map
Add: Rm 4009, 113 Nandan Dong Lu, near Tianyaoqiao Lu, Shanghai
地址: 上海南丹东路113号4009室，近天钥桥路
Tel: 021 186 2169 8667

Yinshantang Printing ServicesView In Map
Add: Rm 703A, 38 Pingwu Lu, near Panyu Lu, Shanghai
地址: 上海平武路38号703A室 近番禺路
Tel: 021 6210 5893

SiHaiView In Map
Add: 530 Wuding Lu, near Shaanxi Bei Lu, Shanghai
地址: 上海武定路530号 近陕西北路
Tel: 021 6256 6944

Sir SpeedyView In Map
Add: 275 Bejing Xi Lu, near Xinchang Lu, Shanghai
地址: 上海北京西路275号
Tel: 021 6327 5995

StiatView In Map
Add: 1/F, Bldg 5, 57 Dongcaohejing Lu, near Humin Lu, Shanghai
地址: 上海东漕河泾路57号5号楼1楼 近沪闵路
Tel: 021 138 1825-2972 

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