What are the differences between a calling card and a business card?

The differences between a calling card and a business card don't lie in the process or materials, but more in the philosophy behind them.

A business card is meant to represent a business. It may have personal information on it like a name and phone number, but the point of a business card is to ultimately sell the idea of the business itself and not necessarily the person who's handing it out.

A calling card is more of a personal token of an interaction rather than a front for a business interest. It represents the individual themselves and not something specifically motivated by commerce. Of course, it can certainly lead to business dealings, but it generates an interest in a human rather than an operation. 

From the inception of Hoban Cards, we've felt that calling cards were something that should remain simple and elegant. Any amount of information can be added to the card, but we are a fan of sticking to one or two pieces of contact information to reinforce its personal, intimate purpose. Because there are no logos on calling cards, we love to use great typography and interesting layouts to make you proud to carry them.

You might also be interested in reading a blog post we wrote on this subject titled A Guide to the Modern Letterpress Calling Card