Avery Two-Side Printable Clean Edge Rounded Corner Business Cards (88221) Save 20% off

• Same size as a traditional business card
• Smooth, round edges provide a sleek modern look
• Cards snap apart-no perforations, no cutting
• Inkjet compatible
• Print on one side or both sides

The reason why this review only earned 4/5 stars is due to the combination of: pricing per product count and manufacturer''s poor quality of "free templates & software" for utilizing the card stock.

-Note-

Printing results will vary according to the software/template configurations and actual printer used.

Microsoft Office Publisher 2010 and a Canon Pixma MG5320 Wireless Inkjet Printer was used for my design and printing on this card stock.

Pros

* Card thickness is reasonably heavy.

* "Clean Edge" works quite well.

* Both sides of the card are exactly the same with excellent print quality.

* The rounded corners are unusual.

Card thickness is comparable to most professionally printed-but-economy-priced business cards. Patience is needed in folding the horizontal and vertical gaps between the actual cards. Fold the gaps "toward" you for easy snapping out of the card. Out of over 100 cards printed, I only had one that was ruined by not snapping out just right and pulling the first layer of the paper. (I believe this was caused by my inattention due to the monotony of this repetitive chore.) Both sides are truly printable and exactly the same in print quality. My printer accomplished a wonderfully professional job with no bleeding issue. All text and graphics were crisp and clear. The rounded corners are unusual, which contributes to the aim of making an impression on potential clients.

Cons

* Expensive

* Use Avery Template 8373.

For some inexplicable reason, this model only has 160 cards per package compared to similar Avery Clean Edge business card products (without rounded corners), which typically come with 200 cards per package and are also priced between $2 to $4 cheaper at the time of this writing. Why are "rounded corners" short-changed on card count?

I have used Avery printable stationary products for literally decades and I have yet to find one that prints easily with my equipment right out of the box. I always have to track down the template and then the print settings must be fine-tuned within that template. Now, Avery offers software to help solve that problem, which was useless for me as the software (for Microsoft Word) would not install correctly I tried twice. Avery does offer software versions for Adobe products, which I did not try.)

Microsoft Word is not my choice for designing business cards as there are just not enough design options. MS Publisher is much better for this task. I did have to search for Avery template 8373 from within the software program to obtain the appropriate "blank" card size and downloaded the template through the software. I then copied my chosen design from one of the MS Word templates available on the manufacturer web site and pasted onto the blank card in Publisher by first "converting the MS Word template in MS Publisher (I could not use this converted template at all due to incorrect layout specifications.) Once I completed my card design, I went to print and naturally the settings were off and the design was not centered appropriately cutting off the text. This did take some trial-and-error fiddling with the layout options under the print menu in MS Publisher. After all of that, I was able to successfully print my cards with beautiful results.

Summary:

Template configuration is a royal pain. However, the card stock is professionally pleasing with the right thickness. Card texture provides clear and crisp prints. The "Clean Edge" pop-out feature does provide a very nice clean edge to the cards compared to basic perforated card stock. Overall, I am pleased with the product even if I think it is overpriced for the number of cards provided in the package. The point of handing out business cards is to market skills and services; first impressions do matter! This card stock offers a promise of being noticed with the unusual rounded corners. Once you have the template and print settings configured, you have easy access to acceptable quality business cards that are uniquely yours!

Buy Avery Two-Side Printable Clean Edge Rounded Corner Business Cards (88221) Now

Although purchased for business cards, I used several sheets as Christmas Gift Tags when I ran out while wrapping presents! What a great product for this as well!