CouchSurfing

Are you tired of writing out the CouchSurfing website info to new friends every time? Here's a solution! You can create as many professional business cards as you want through Vista Print! :-)

Here we'll provide you with the artwork graphic files. You can use these files to create CouchSurfing business cards on VistaPrint.com and then have them mailed directly to you. Vista Print is always running specials, so you can probably get 250 for about $20, 500 for $30, etc.

If you need help figuring out how to do this, just ask your local Ambassadors, or contact us for more help.

Here's the general process you'd take to get these printed:

Poor Person's Business Cards Click here for a PDF that you can print out to make business cards instantly!

1. VISTA PRINT VS. ANOTHER PRINT COMPANY: These instructions are for printing via VistaPrint.com. If you know of a better place to have these cards printed, let us know! We do not have a partnership with Vista Print or any other printing company and receive nothing in return for recommending them, we just like using them. But if you want to let us know about a better option we would love to hear about it. Or, if you just want to print them elsewhere, go for it.
2. BROWSER: First, you'll probably need to use Internet Explorer. Yeah, totally sucks. Sorry. There's some weird document imaging tool halfway through this process that lets you create the card and it requires IE.
3. GO: Visit VistaPrint.com and click on their Business Cards section (this link works now.. hopefully it will keep working.). By the way, if these directions don't seem right, Vista Print may have updated their site... we may need to update these instructions... let us know!
4. CLICK ON THE: Start from Scratch: Upload your own design link. (near the bottom)
5. CUSTOMIZATION TOOL - FRONT: Use the customization tool to create the front and back of the card. Double click the background of the card in the tool to upload the front image. A popup window will appear and ask you where you want to get your image from. Choose 'Upload artwork from file' and click Next. Now click 'browse' and select the front image from your computer's hard drive. Click Next. The small window does the upload and then closes. Now the business card on the previous page should show you the CS logo and beach image. Now look for the 'backside' link. Click it.

   The front image can be downloaded here:

   Front Image (download)

6. CUSTOMIZATION TOOL - BACK: Now you should be looking at the backside of the card. On the left side of the page we'll need to do a couple things. First, let's select 'Grayscale Printing -- $4.99' (unless you want color). You can select blank if you don't want anything printed on the back of the card... but it's probably better to have the CS description and/or your contact information. If you have some gray/red bands at the top and bottom of the back, make sure to click the 'Choose a Different Backside Template,' 'Solid Colors', page 2, then choose the light cream colored one. That'll give us a nice colorless background to print the text on. Too bad they don't just have a choice for a plain white background.
7. ADD YOUR OWN TEXT: Let's add some custom text to the back side of the card. On the left side of the page locate a box labeled 'Message.' Compose whatever you want your back side message/text to be (compose in a text editor or paste from below). Now paste your message/text into that box. The message should now appear on the business card unformatted. If you're pasting the text from below, you'll need to change the font size to 8 and make sure that the 'What is CouchSurfing? is bold, along with your contact information. Use the tool bar above the card to do this. Hopefully it'll make sense. Just highlight the words you want to change and click the bold, paragraph align, font face, etc.

   Here's an idea of what you could write and how your back could look:

   What is CouchSurfing? CouchSurfing.org helps you make connections worldwide. You can use the network to meet people and then go and surf other members' couches! When you surf a couch, you are a guest at someone's house. They will provide you with some sort of accommodation, a penthouse apartment or maybe a back yard to pitch your tent in. Stays can be as short as a cup of coffee, a night or two, or even a few months or more. When you offer your couch, you have complete control of who visits. The possibilities are endless and completely up to you. Find out more... log on! - CouchSurfing Ambassador http://www.couchsurfing.org/

8. APPROVE: Once the card looks like you want it, just enter your initials in the area titled 'Online Proof Approval' and then click the Next button.
9. REGISTRATION: On this next page, register with your information: fill in your username, email, password.. yadda, yadda. Click Register.
10. PRINTING OPTIONS: This next page is where you 'Select Options' for the printing. Select the quantity you'd like. Select matte or glossy finish ($10 more). (All of the cards we've ever printed and sent to members have been glossy. We don't know what the matte looks like... but we think the glossy is worth the extra.)
11. ACCESSORIES/MAGNETS: On this next page they ask you if you 25 refrigerator magnets for $10 or if you want to buy some other junk. We got a few to give out... they're kinda sweet. If you want to give some out to hosts/guests, go for it.
12. MY SHOPPING CART: Now you should see the total cost of your business cards. If you were able to use one of the 50% off coupon links, you could get 250 cards printed front and back for $29.96. 500 cards would be $36.96 (5 bucks more!). Change the quantity if you like. Click Checkout.
13. SHIPPING: Next you enter your shipping information and select the speed of delivery. Depending on where you're shipping to, it'll generally average around $10 to ship your new cards.
14. BILLING INFO AND TOTAL AMOUNT: Ok, we're almost done. Fill in your credit card information and then click 'Accept without labels.'
15. AFTER THEY ARRIVE: Enjoy! Go nuts! Give them to everyone you think would benefit from CouchSurfing. Use them as conversation starters. It's amazing how many strangers we've handed cards to who then found us again on CS when we thought for sure we'd never see them again.

They come in boxes like these boxes that are smaller boxes that arrive inside of larger boxes.