1. Printer ink is expensive and I use a lot of it! I'm a big nerd when it comes to making my own banners and other classroom decorations. It's fun, and the things that I make look better to my eye than the things you can buy at the store. But printing at home comes with buying ink. At about $50 every time I need new black and color ink, it adds up very quickly.
2. The copy machines at school are not always functioning. We run out of toner, copy paper, or there are paper misfeeds which make the copier inoperable. Plus, it takes time to go make copies, and time is a precious commodity to us elementary teachers!
3. Products designed for business people are more professional looking and snappy! And snappy is very very cool!
I created a bunch of products last summer, most of which were inspired by other teachers around the web. Here's how they turned out (and they are clickable for an up-close view!):
Although it isn't completely clear by the uploads, we have postcards, business cards, pamphlets, there's a mouse pad thrown in there, and more. The best part - EVERYTHING WAS FREEEEEE! Again, I only paid shipping, which came to a total of about $50 for all of this stuff (and you get like 100 postcards per pack, 250 business cards, etc).
