Whether you’re in marketing, graphic design, or web development, at some point in your career you will run into the need to have an online portfolio. While a hard-copy version is still great for interviews – and make sure you have a swanky folder in which to hold the items – so much business is done over the ‘Net now that lacking an online portfolio can actually be detrimental to your career.

Thanks to a shout-out by DesignFlavr, I came across an article that details some of the biggest mistakes individuals make when designing their online portfolio layouts. Kyle Meyer of Astheria trudged through two hundred different portfolios and drew a number of conclusions from the layouts that he saw, from the altogether annoying background music that plays automatically upon entering the site to a lack of contact information to poor navigation. The result was a post entitled “My Last Portfolio Sucked, Yours Might Too.”

My online portfolio is guilty of utilizing thumbnails, I’ll admit, but I’m redesigning it as we speak so I’ll definitely keep some of these “what not to do” hints at the back of my mind. In the meantime, take a look at your own portfolio and then check out the article, and its follow-up, “Portfolios that Accomplish Goals,” available here.

• Build a Killer Online Portfolio in 9 Easy Steps
• Improving the Quality of Leads Through Your Online Portfolio
• Online Portfolio – Web Designer’s Number One Weapon

While much of what I do entails just the use of a computer, from start to finish, there does come a time when some of our data sheets, case studies, business cards, and white papers require printing. Kinko’s is all well and good for less “in your face” projects, but sometimes you really have to leave it to the professionals.

Allow me to introduce PrintingForLess.com. The name, similar to those link-harvesting sites such as CheapAirfare.com and FreeStuff.com, is misleading; I have used them for nearly two years now, and have no plans to use anyone else because the quality of their work really is that good. On top of that, they are extremely focused on the customer’s happiness, seemingly a rare thing in this day and age, and they are quite affordable.

So, if you’re looking to do some large-scale print jobs (250 or more pieces), definitely take a look at their site. You won’t be disappointed.