Business Card Size (A Tale of Choosing Your Own Adventure)

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“Correct” business card size is like a “correct” interpretation of Inception: sure. Still, here are the most common dimensions to help you start your next design.

The standard business card size in the U.S. and Canada is 3.5” x 2”. Really, though, your next business card boils down to a single question, asked by you to you—while peering through a mirror into the depths of your soul.

What type of business card do I want to make?

It’s as simple and as complicated as that. Business card sizes vary by type, which makes designing a business card all about choosing your own adventure. 3.5” x 2” business cards might still classify as old school cool, but today’s business owners, entrepreneurs, and freelancers aren’t hurting for options.

What Size Is a Business Card?

Card Type Size (inches) Size (millimeters) Size (pixels; 300 PPI)
Standard
3.5 x 289 x 511050 x 600
Square
2 x 251 x 51600 x 600
Rounded
3.5 x 289 x 511050 x 600
Folded
3.5 x 489 x 1021050 x 1200
Slim
1.5 x 3.538 x 89450 x 1050

Now that you have the sizes, how do you go about answering that all-important, stuck-in-front-of-the-mirror question?

Business Card Size Types

Popular business card dimensions.

Standard: 3.5″ x 2″

There’s nothing wrong with sticking to the OG business card size and style. If you work in a corporate job, offer professional services, or target a more traditional clientele, standard size might be the adventure for you.

It doesn’t hurt that this type of business card easily fits in wallets, purses, and pockets. It’s the perfect pass-it-on-over or grab-it-and-go [professional] party favor.

Square: 2″ x 2″

Square cards are an uber-popular option for creatives. They’re sleek, different, and offer you the opportunity to design something that looks good but keeps things simple. Less space, right?

Rounded: 3.5″ x 2″

Humans are drawn to circles so, naturally, we’re drawn to rounded business cards. Notice that these aren’t any bigger or smaller than standard business cards. Just rounded around the edges, making for a modern design.

PicMonkey recently joined the Shutterstock family. Get started fast on your next design with one of their business card templates.

Folded: 3.5″ x 4″

You never want to overload a business card with information, but folded designs at least give you a bit more wiggle room. They’ll fold down into the common 2.5” x 3” card (vertically oriented).

Many businesses, such as dental practices, hair salons, and medical offices, use this structure to double as appointment cards. With all that extra space, you can get really creative with copy and design elements.

Slim: 1.5″ x 3.5″

Concision is the spice of life. Put that on a pillow.

Today’s business owners have a lot of freedom when it comes to designing effective business cards. If you’re a fan of no-fluff-straight-to-the-pointedness, then a slim card design might be just the card for you.

These are great to hand out and to use as packaging accents or tags. You know the deal, though—less space, so use your imagery and typography wisely.

Tips for Getting Business Card Dimensions Just Right

If you’ve found your “what” and are ready to make it, here are a couple final sizing tips so that you can focus 100% on the design.

Call in the Assist from a Business Card Template

PicMonkey’s tools make it easy to customize your business card design.

If this is your first time designing your own business card, why not start with a template? PicMonkey’s business card templates make sizing and design a piece of cake. Much simpler than explaining why the phrase “piece of cake” makes any sort of sense.

All you need to do is choose your favorite and customize it to represent YOU.

1. On the PicMonkey homepage, click Create new > Templates.
2. Type “Business card” into the search box and select the one you want to use. There are single and double-sided templates available (plus, you can add a page to any single-sided template).
3. Use the left tools menu to customize your design—swap any images and text with your own, change fonts (here’s a friendly guide for choosing the right font pairings), add your logo, alter colors, etc.
4. Click the Pages icon on the bottom toolbar to add a page to your design.
5. When you’re all done, click the Download button on the top toolbar to export your design for printing.

Account for Bleed Space When Printing

Extend your background into the bleed area so that it meets the edges of your card.

You’ll want to have your card professionally printed. Printers don’t print to the exact edge of a document, so if you’re using a solid color or texture as your business card background, then it’s important to stretch that color into the bleed area.

Bleed is extra space added to your design so that when it’s cut, there are no white lines around your edges (unless you want there to be). Bleeds add an extra ⅛” to your design.

You can toggle them on in PicMonkey. When you download your design, it will export with crop marks (as seen above) so that your print shop knows exactly where to cut.

Keep Your Design Elements Inside the “Safe Zone”

Recognize the “safe zone” for your design elements so that the final product prints without issue.

With the formation of the bleed area comes the formation of your “safe zone.” This is a common term when designing social media assets, and it applies the same here—keep those wonderful design goods of yours in a place where they won’t be tampered with.

If your bleed line creates a ⅛” buffer around your design, then keep any design elements at least ⅛” inside the bleed line. This’ll maximize protection around the most important parts of your business card.

There you have it—standard business card sizes and tips to boot. Now, go make your next pocket marketing tool.