What are business cards? Are they just a piece of paper proving personal information? Indeed, this direct contact link between people is worth more than its face value!

It has revolutionized marketing strategies and holds a healthy history too.

The story begins in 17th C Europe, where business cards were used to announce the arrival of the royals. The cards were shaped and engraved with a gold typeface to denote the elites. They were known as trade cards. Visitors wrote on the cards their signatures, promissory notes, and other messages.

Jumping to 19th C the trade cards became “social cards” and also a matter of etiquette in the card-exchanging ceremony on every visit. These cards were given to the lady of the house and marked the first impression of the visiting person. Even in the UK, business cards were used for trading and business activities. Cards were not only for trading but for advertising as well. These cards generally backmarked the map to contact the card belonged for further future trades. Cards were produced with wood press as well as with lithography in the early 19th C. In fact, in the USA, business cards were a bit altered from visiting cards. Where visiting cards served as palpable evidence of meeting social commitments as well as an introductory letter, business cards, were basically for business promotion.

How to hand over the business card-business etiquette

Calling card etiquettes flourished in the 18th and 19th C as a ritualized version of visiting cards with certain rules as follows laid down by society.

1. Never hand over the card with a left-hand
2. Always translate the card to the person in his language
3. Never write anything with a pen on the printed card
4. Never to be carried loose
5. Always present the card in the best condition

With globalization, even business cards underwent revolutionary changes. The classy designer cards, that we see today, were never the same centuries back. But there is one thing that never changed, and that is, the use of these cards for direct contact. Even today how so however advanced we have become or however the advanced technology has replaced man labour, the business via cards is still intact. The simple piece of card holds every minute of information about the company and the individual. Conversely, people are becoming smarter with Android and Windows phones, still, business cards hold their own protocols in social gatherings.