Waning business: Most printers have moved on from printing business cards, saying it’s not a service they focus on.
GEORGE TOWN: Once considered an important tool to help introduce a trade or services, business cards are now no longer as popular as they used to be.
Hot Print Design and Advertising Sdn Bhd founder and director Jeanson Tan, 45, said the emergence of social media and messaging apps on digital platforms was among reasons for the sharp decline in demand for business cards.
“In the last 20 years, there has been a drop of about 300% in orders.
“Customers who used to request about 1,000 cards annually would now order about 300 pieces to last them the whole year,” he said.
The decline began after people started exchanging contacts via smartphones, he said.
“Some people would take a snapshot of their business cards and send them over as digital images without the need to give out the physical cards.
“Most consumers also find it more convenient to save contacts directly into their mobile phones than to store a business card,” he added.
With such low quantities to roll out, many printers are merely providing business card printing as a service to attract customers to their business, said Tan.
“The small profit margin from printing business cards isn’t worth focusing on,” he said.
However, Tan noted that business cards are still being used by businessmen who appreciate them as a gesture of sincerity and to showcase their trade.
“With newer technologies to apply coating and embossing to business cards, they are seen as status symbols.
“Some customers are willing to pay more to have premium materials and designs, considering that they do not cost much more than the ordinary ones.
“They believe that business cards give a good first impression on their business, and are important and worth investing in.”
Tan said the most popular feature on business cards currently is the Spot UV option, where a special coating is applied at specific areas to add depth and contrast through varying levels of sheen and texture.
For 300 pieces of business cards to print, Tan is offering RM45 for the ordinary type and RM69 for those with Spot UV.
“Divided by the quantity, it’s just a small price,” he said, adding that his service includes free delivery.
At another design studio, its owner, who preferred not to be named, said demand for business cards has dropped so much that he no longer provides it, except only for eager customers.
“I have ordinary printers for other jobs and they can print business cards in small quantities, which would not be efficient.
“If customers request large quantities, I would engage a printer in Kuala Lumpur to do it.
“There used to be many shops providing business card printing in town and we were among the largest, but now we’re the smallest,” he said.
Checks with other shops that provided such printing service found it was no longer the focus of their business as they have moved on to other things such as banners.
