Business cards in Word

You can use Word to create business cards from a template or from scratch. However, if you have Microsoft Publisher installed, that's your best bet for making business cards.

If you're going to use Word to create your business cards, your next best bet is to start with a template from Office.com. The business card shown here is a template on Office.com. With a template, you can include graphics on your business card--for example, your company logo. Just be sure to note what size card the template uses.

To see all this in action, watch Office Casual: How to make a business card in 90 seconds.

Text only?

If you want to do it all yourself and you want only text on your business card, you can use purchased business card cardstock and the Envelopes and Labels dialog box. You're going to create a label that's the size of your business cards.

If you're using Word 2003, see Make business cards using Word.

If you're using Word 2010 or Word 2007, start by checking the size and the product number of the business cards that you've purchased. You can even write it down.

Next, click the Mailings tab, and then click Labels.

Now, click Options.

In the Label vendor box, click the manufacturer of your business cards. Under Product number, choose the business card number you want, and then click OK.

(If the product number you want is not listed, one of the listed labels still may be the size paper you want.)

In the Address box, type the company and contact information you want to display on your business card.

Special tip: Press SHIFT+ENTER between the lines that are in the same block (for example, your name and address). That will keep all the lines in the same paragraph, and make it easier to indent them or change their vertical position.

Select the text. Right-click to show the shortcut menu, and then choose the formatting and alignment options you want.

You can change the font and size.

You can change the alignment or indent the text.

Under Print, leave the default selected, Full page of the same label.

Now you can print your business cards by clicking Print (be sure to load your business card cardstock into the printer first). Or you can click New Document and then save your business cards for printing later.

-- Joannie Stangeland