As you write out the check to pay yet another bill, you feel as blue as those blah free checks the bank issued when you signed up for your checking account. It is no wonder you hate paying bills or even buying fun things, like new clothes, with these boring checks. However, you can’t justify spending a ton of money on decorative checks just so you can pay bills. Still, you can’t stop yourself from heading to the print shop to look at all the colorful options. As you look at all those fun design options, you discover that there are plenty of cheap checks to choose from and you decide to go ahead and place an order. After all, there should be something to look forward to when you are still making car payments on a vehicle that’s sitting broken in the shop!

To make the whole check buying process a breeze, you should:

• Have one of your original, boring bank issued checks in front of you. This is not just to encourage you to go ahead with your order. You’ll need the bank’s official name and routing number, as well as your account number, to buy new checks. That information is located on your checks.
• Take a look at the checks you have to see what the last number is. If you’re planning to shred the unused books so you can start using the new checks right away, find the last number on your current book. This way, you can start the new checks without gaps in the numbering system.
• Instead of ordering a large number of one check design, consider ordering several small sets so that you can have plenty of variety.

As you admire your new business design one last time before you initial Vistaprint’s online proof, take the time to ask yourself one very important question. If you were a stranger viewing that business card, would you know what your business was about? Often, the surprising answer is a resounding “No,” because business owners tend to try to create catchy memorable names for their companies, which don’t always give potential customers a concrete idea of what the business actually is.

If your business has a memorable name that doesn’t definitely tell people what services or goods you offer, now is the time to make a simple change that will let them know. You don’t even have to file paperwork for a new doing business as company name for this modification. Just create a tagline to go below the business name on the card that states exactly what you do. If you own Jane Doe’s Happy Tails, the tagline should state that it is a dog grooming service, a pet sitting service, or a company that sells artificial tails. If you are running John Doe’s A Cut Above, use a tagline to let people know whether you specialize in manicured lawns or perfectly groomed hair.

You’ve always been an admirer of Victorian times and wish you could fit some of the elegance and style of the period into your life. As you look at the options to design business cards , you realize that some of the floral template designs are just beautiful and bring the Victorian style to mind. However, your business needs call for a very sophisticated, stark style. You take one last look at your favorite floral design. You have already hit the back button on your browser when you remember a scene from your favorite movie where the lead actress dropped a card onto a tray when she stopped in to visit a friend unannounced. Seconds later, you’re looking at that floral design again, because you’ve decided to make your own Victorian style calling cards.

To turn a business card design into a Victorian calling card, you only need to make a few adjustments.

• Choose a line on the card template that is near the middle of the card. Usually, this is the “Address Line 2″ space. Type your full name.
• If the text isn’t large enough for your taste or if you would like a different font, click on the advanced editing feature and make your changes.
• Initial the proof and finalize your order.