Business Card Size: A Guide to Business Card Sizes

---

Your business card is a powerful marketing tool. There is a standard size to business cards that allows them to easily be tucked away in the credit card slots of an individual's wallet. While some companies choose to deviate from this standard business card size, it is generally recommended that you stick to the standard, as it provides a more professional look and feel. While traditional business cards often only had information on one side, many modern business cards present information and graphics on both sides. 

What is the standard business card size?

The standard business card size refers to how big the card is when finished. Many designers include a bleed, which is graphic elements of the card's design that extend 1/8 of an inch beyond the standard card size during design. Once the design is finished and the card is printed, this additional area will be trimmed off, ensuring that the graphics extend clear to the edge of the card as if they are "bleeding" off the edge.

Business card size in pixels

A pixel is the smallest unit of a digital image that can be displayed or represented on a digital display device. Graphic designers often use pixels as a measurement. The standard business card size in pixels at 300 pixels per inch is 1050 pixels wide by 600 pixels tall.

Business card size in inches

The standard business card is 3.5 inches wide by 2 inches tall when finished.

What info should I include on a business card?

In spite of its small size, a business card actually contains a lot of information. The information commonly found on a business card includes:

• The company's logo
• Company name. This is perhaps the most important information on the card and deserves prominence through font size and placement.
• A company tagline that summarizes your offerings in a matter of a few words.
• Your name. This is also important information that deserves a prominent font and placement, as you are the personal connection to the company for the individual who receives your card.
• Job title. Because many people struggle with remembering names, job titles are important to include on business card as they often help an individual to remember you by your area of expertise.
• Website. It is no longer necessary to use the http portion when listing a web address, and doing so uses up valuable space and can result in your card looking cluttered. Just your web address name and .com or whatever extension your address contains will suffice.
• Contact details, including your email, address, and phone number. If you prefer one type of contact, such as you would rather communicate by phone than email, give prominence to the preferred method through font size or bolding.

Get a second opinion

When designing a business card, it is important to have someone else take a look at the card to ensure that the information is presented as you would like it to be. Some of the feedback this person should provide for you after looking at your card includes:

• What information stands out the most on the card?
• Is it clear what products and services you offer?
• Is this person able to easily see how to contact you?
• Is there enough contrast between the print, logo, and background that you're able to see all of the elements of the card?

Conclusion

In closing, bear in mind when designing your card that you will want to set the text and other graphic elements in from the edge of the card so that none of your information is trimmed off once the card has been printed. It is also worth noting that standard business card sizes vary slightly from country to country. If you're designing a business card for your company in China, it will likely be a different size than one designed for a U.S. company or one that is located in Europe.