I personally, don't charge to meet with clients to discuss the work they're about to give me!
If they're after consultancy work and i'd be going into their offices to discuss their marketing strategies and the like then yes, i would charge for my time and knowledge, but not to meet to discuss work, if that makes sense?
Some of the clients i deal with already have hosting as i'm redesigning their site and they want to stay with them.
I have my own dedicated server so i offer hosting too. I will always offer to register any domains and host anything they need, bit won't force it on them if they have other ideas and i'll always explain everything.
It does work out well though as, if you get enough clients, you can get a regular income from hosting websites alone!
It definitely seems like you've got a problem with the actual creation and artworking of the business cards.
When creating things for print, you should never work with RGB, the RIPS that the printers use to convert will never come out the same, generally it's more muted and softer colours, which is what i think part of your problem is.
Always work with CMYK and if this is a "company colour" you should choose a pantone reference to use, Pantone 299 C is very similar to the colour you need.
I would also tend to agree with Opus about the printing, they'll probably be getting them printed in high quantities so will be getting them printed using Litho.
If i were you, i'd find a local printing company and give them a ring. Most printers will be happy for you to pop in, show you around, explain the printing process and will be able to help you out. Chuck your source files onto a CD and head down there for a chat!
Hartley - Nope, it was a full service marketing agency. I won't go into the full details but it was a mixture of things, lack of new business, big employment push just before the recession hit the uk etc. etc.
I used to freelance about 12 years ago but wasn't exactly motivated enough to go out and get work (i was 17) so i ended up going the full time job route. Having worked for several design agencies and companies along the way, the last agency i worked for shut it's doors and i got made redundant. I'd been thinking about freelancing so it has just pushed me into it sooner!
I'm a web designer/developer and graphic/print designer as well as having marketing experience.
