How to Make Your Own Photographic Negative Business Cards
Editor’s note: The creative photographic negative business card idea that we shared recently was pretty popular with our readers. Here we’ve asked Steph Goralnick to share how exactly it was made in case you want to make your own.
The realization that I had run out of my regular business cards the night before I was scheduled to attend a weekend-long special event inspired me to create a small edition of extra special cards on the fly. I was aiming for a simple design with a unique construction that would showcase my skills as both a photographer and a graphic designer. Due to the fact that time was an issue, traditional vendors out of the question; and since I didn’t need more than a couple dozen cards, I decided to make them myself at home using an inkjet printer and some negatives.
After printing several fronts and backs of the card design together on one sheet, I used a 1 1/4” square craft punch to create the window for the negative.
Adhesive was applied, the negative placed onto one half, and the front and back of the card folded together and trimmed with a metal straight edge and x-acto knife.
Since it is made from two pieces of thick paper glued together, the result is a heavyweight card with a die-cut for the negative to show through when held up to the light.
About the author: Steph Goralnick is a photographer and designer based in Brooklyn. Visit her website here
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Wonderful :)
Very Interesting, I must try it right now!!!
Thank you!!
must try! very nice
Using inkjet transparency sheets could be cheaper and more flexible substitute than cutting up your negs.
How did you create the print template? I have tried to print my own standard business cards previously and I can never seem to get the correct standard business card size?
Very nice!! Have to try it!!
transparencies could work, i suppose, but would ultimately defeat the purpose of the concept, which was to make a card that was obviously somewhat precious with each one being undeniably one of a kind :)
standard business cards are 3.5″x2″
i designed the cards in adobe illustrator, and set the print sheet up in illustrator as well.
great post, thanks
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[...] How to Make your Own Photographic Negative Business Cards Now, here’s a completely different take on business card design. Photographer Steph Goralnik shares his technique for crafting a unique photographic negative business card. [...]