I'm looking for a solution to replace hand writing business card sized appointment reminder cards. Labels are not an option due to aesthetics. (sorry Dymo).
Having the cards preprinted is easy, telling the software to fill in the fields is easy. Printing solution on such a small paper? not so easy.
I've looked at ID Card printers, but they mostly appear to support plastic ID cards only.
Any suggestions?
Avery makes perforated business card (card stock) paper (8.5 x 11) that you can print using any normal desktop printer. Or you can use plain card stock, lay out your design 10-up and use a guillotine cutter to cut them into individual cards. Or, you can get a small quantity printed up at Kinkos.
My cheapo cannon printer has enough adjustability in the paper feed gate that it could feed a single wide strip of perforated cards, software is likely going to be the issue, you might be able to make up a template in MS word or something that would just print on the first card in the strip, then you would refeed the strip when done.
In reply to EastCoastMojo:
I think the objective here is not to make up cards, but fill the fields in electronically, individually.
I did something similar some years ago. I used ECM's method with Avery business cards and a MS Access database. One field in the data base was a "print" field so I could tell it to print where "print was true.
You could do something similar with mail merge in MS Word but it wouldn't have quite the flexibility of the database.
I need quick. Front desk checkout won't have time (sad, I know) to deal with mail merge and perforated cards to tear.
I'm really looking toward one business card piece of paper at a time. We seem to be running into a dead end. 3"x5" card might be our answer as they will feed in to a normal workgroup class laser printer. :(
What if you used one of those Dymo label printers, but printed to name badge stock instead of adhesive stock?
People still use reminder cards? Why not have do it all electronically? Send them an email that has an appointment request in it so they can auto-add to their electronic calendar of choice.
Why not a label printer? The size and speed are exactly what you are looking for, the labels are perforated to tear off individually, AND you are giving customers the option of sticking the reminder onto something if they desire. I'd include a QR code so they can scan and add the appointment directly to their calendar.
Thermal printer and add it to their receipt?
^^^ My kids' Orthodontist uses a similar system.
+1 for electronic, I'd find that to be an annoying PITA.
But if you must have printed cards, +1 for QR codes and a label printer, or an inkjet that can print individual cards (yes some can do it).
There's still a significant percentage of the population that is not all electronic, all the time.
Honestly, the easiest solution is still the oldest: write it in. Quick, simple, cheap.
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