PMTvoice

This history of business cards might not seem like a very interesting topic on the surface, but as you dig into the humble beginning of these small cards you might find some trivia that is both intriguing and amusing.

Business cards started as an evolution of an earlier form of card known as a “visiting card”, and also a “trade card.” These were used in all parts of England at the beginning of the 17th Century. Trade cards were used for multiple purposes including advertising, and as maps to direct customers the business person’s shop/store. At the time, there was no formal street numbering system, so maps were crucial to drive traffic to their storefronts.

Early tradecards were printed by using a woodcut or letterpress method, but by the 18th century copperplate engraving was the most popular way of printing them. They were often monotone in color/hue. Right around 1830, “lithography” using several different colors became the established method of printing trade cards.

In the United States, visiting cards and “trade cards” caught on in popularity. An article on Ezinearticles says: “For a short period there was not much distinction between the business card and the visiting card. Gradually, the two types of cards began to separate. The rules of etiquette that came into being during this period began to make the idea of a card that stressed a business function unacceptable as a calling card. In fact, when a person left a business related card during a social visit to a home, it was seen as an attempt to collect a bill or debt.”

Modern business cards have taken very creative and fantastic forms including folded business cards, business card magnets, and of course the traditional one-sided business card.