Did you ever wish you had a calling card to give someone you met on a cruise or while attending boating related event? Don't resort to writing your contact information on a scrap of paper or an old moorage receipt. Produce your own calling card that won't be lost or tossed by the end of the day.

Yachtcards are miniature portraits of your yacht or other vehicle presented on a 3.5" by 2.0" business card. You can produce cards on your own inkjet or laser printer using perforated blank card stock such as that sold by Avery Products. Cards can also be produced by printshops both local and online. I personally use a Dell color laser printer and Avery 8371 card stock.

One advantage to producing your own cards in small quantities is the ability to change them easily or create cards for special occasions such as a manufacturer's rendezvous or yacht club regatta.

To produce a batch of cards, I start with a photo and draw initial lineart on the computer. I then print it on a laser printer and complete the detail by hand using various Pilot pens. The completed lineart is scanned back to the computer for painting, final editing, and layout. When the artwork is complete, its sent to the color laser printer and printed 10 cards per sheet. Avery offers free templates for Microsoft Word that work with the blank card stock. The 8371 version prints them 10-up. Full-bleed stock that allows the design to go right to the edge is also available. The cost is nearly double so I avoid it.

Please browse over to the sample gallery and see some examples of artwork and completed card I've done over the past few years.