Professionally printed greeting cards are seldom used in German, Austrian and Swiss companies – in contrast to the Anglo-American area: Here the “compliments slip” is part of the standard business equipment – for good reasons. Because there are plenty of practical applications for this “big sister of the business card”.
It is slightly smaller than a DIN long envelope (e.g. 210 x 99 mm, i.e. 1/3 A4, or 210 x 105 mm), usually printed on the same cardboard as the business cards and also similar in design: the greeting card or compliments slip. It almost always contains the company logo and contact details, sometimes it is personalized for individual employees. Sometimes it also includes the pre-printed line “With best recommendations” or “With compliments”, but there is always enough space for handwritten additions.
And it is these personal additions that make this card so well received. With just a few words you can signalize here: This is not a standard letter, here the sender has personally reached for the pen or ballpoint pen and thought of the recipient.
Below are some of the most popular uses for elegant greeting cards:
To say thank you
Whether addressed to a business partner or an employee – a handwritten thank you never misses its effect. A card is more personal than an e-mail and more permanent than a verbal thank you, which, of course, is also recommendable.
To send documents
Short letters made of thin paper, with many boxes to check (“As discussed”, “For your information”, etc.) are rather out of fashion. These slips of paper seem cheap and impersonal. Nevertheless, it is often more efficient and impactful to enclose a simple short message instead of a large covering letter – with just those additional pieces of information that would otherwise be ticked on the small forms. But handwritten, on heavy paper that just feels right. An ideal case for an elegant greeting card.
To write personal invitations
Compliment Slips can also be the ideal basis for personal invitations in small quantities – for which it is not worthwhile to print your own.
To take notes
Finally, greeting cards are also a noble substitute for small notepads. A few of them always fit easily into a jacket or handbag and are thus at hand at every meeting.
No matter what you use the cards for: They are – like business cards themselves – always a kind of figurehead for your company. So take great care in design, choice of paper and printing to ensure high quality and professionalism. And yes, we are here on the prinux blog. So it will not surprise you that prinux also offers greeting cards for companies. The prices depend heavily on the print run and paper, so it’s best to ask for an individual offer at info@prinux.com.