DIY typewritten business cards

Inspired by Mark Petersen's advice in my recent post about typewriting in public, that you should give something to people who ask about your typewriter, I decided to make my own business cards using what I already had at home, of course including a typewriter. The goal was to keep things simple, just provide my name and my website, rather than having professionally-looking cards.

I prepared a few sheets of creme cardstock paper (65 lb 176 gsm) and watercolor paper (280 gsm). Initially, I wanted to use the dimensions of a standard business card of 3.5 x 2“, but I had a hunch and went to my business card holder to compare old business cards. They were smaller, and I needed my new cards to fit my holder, so I simply used my old business card to cut the paper with a paper trimmer. I didn't measure anything because it was an experiment. I was also curious to test how typing on different types of paper would feel. The watercolor paper, as expected, refused to feed through the typewriter because it was too thick.

I then went to my typewriter to see how much space my name would require (I have a somewhat long name), given that I can only use one font size, and see how I can center the words on the card to make room for my hanko stamp. I got into the zone after the first couple cards and was less anxious about the rest being executed flawlessly.

The end result is far from ideal. The cards have ink stains, the names are centered better on some than others, the stamps are a little skewed. Done by hand, each card is different by definition. However, I’m going to keep them all. When I started this project, I wasn’t sure if I'd use the finished cards, but I'm pleased with how distinctive they turned out in comparison to the myriad of dull business cards that I receive. I’ve never had business cards that were so authentically tailored to me as those I made myself.