Avery 8371 Inkjet Business Card, White Matte Review

Avery Inkjet Business Card, White Matte (Product 8371) have some definite pros, but some just as definite cons. Let's look through both to see if this product fits your need, or will make you want to rip out your hair.

Pros
Many professional printers or copy shops will have a constraint of some sort. Either they can't print to the edge, they may not be able to use your logo due to different programs or platforms on their computer, or maybe what you need can't be done in store and you will have to wait a week or two for your business cards.

Copy shops usually charge more for color, or full bleeds (printing to the very edge), and you won't be finding these problems with the Avery paper.

Matte cards are a staple of the business community.

With this pack, containing 250 cards, you won't have to wait at all. Avery is kind enough to include free templates on their website, so you can easily design the card and just as easily print it. Also they are easy to tear out of the sheet due to their fine perforation.

Cons
Avery says the cards are heavyweight, but by real business card standards, they are quite thin. Though they don't list the specifics, touching them makes me believe they are around 10pt cards (normal cards are 12pt thickness). And while 10pt may be good for small businesses who don't know what they're doing, trying to deal with larger clients will get you laughed at for such thin cards.

Also, while Avery does include the templates, the set up is actually harder than it seems. I went through about 2-5 sheets normally before I could get it to print correctly, despite using the correct template and loading the paper correctly. Usually they would be a little skewed, or you would notice the text slide further and further down the cards the lower it was on the page.

While the price is pretty good, around $16, most copy shops charge about $30 for this many, and you won't have to do any set up. So while you are saving, this additional cost for them to do it may be worth it.

While being able to print your own cards is good, I think the paper needs to be thicker, and they need to find a way to make the printing a little easier. But, if you need cards real quick, then this is a good solution.