On long trips, I like to bring something with me to hand out. In 1988, it was a xeroxed paper. In 2010, it was a calling card printed by our home inkjet. Today, young people tell me that no one uses business cards, they just send a contact from their smart phone. I will have that available, but still like paper cards. They require no information from the receiver, so I can hand them to folks who might be wary of letting me have their contact details. And also, I can hold back my cell phone number from them. Finally, it will be quicker to hand over a card than fuss with phones – important if I meet a cyclist going the other way, and we just stop to chat for a minute without dismounting.

I found it was actually cheaper to order cards online, than to print them, myself. Vistaprint is probably the best-known place for this sort of thing, but I went to Staples, since they offer free local pickup at their stores. I was able to design and preview the complete card online, on their website. 250 cards for $9.99 plus tax.