Typically, all business cards are the same size and dimensions. You have probably seen the odd one here and there and that is usually just someone trying to distinguish themselves from the crowd in terms of standing out and just being different. The standard finished dimensions of a business card are 3.5 inches by 2 inches. Where you will find your variation is on the "bleed" or border around the finished card. Having a bleed area with your color basically allows you to avoid having white borders. In my opinion, it looks much cleaner and more professional to have the colors go completely to the edge. I'll explain the bleed border and a few other important factors about business card size below.
Bleed borders are an extremely important part of creating the right size business card. Most of the do-it-yourself business card websites will do the calculation for you BUT if you're trying to design a business card from scratch be sure to take bleed into consideration. I always recommend visiting the print shop for their blank business card template or even just to find out the actual size they need for printing. If you're going to make your own business cards then I suggest reading the literature on the business card paper that you have. It will most likely have a diagram and size of the business card on the back. Don't quote me on this, but almost always the bleed border will be a quarter inch total. This basically means that your finished (or complete) dimensions should be 3.75 inches by 2.25 inches. You must keep all text and designs within the actual business card size of 3.5 inches by 2 inches though. The outside border should only contain the colors of the background. This is important to remember because you usually don't have any control over where the card is cut (or perforated) after printing.
It may seem agitating, but working with bleed borders and business card sizes is very imperative to a well designed business card. Take your time and plan out the business card well. Last but not least, an important tip would be to avoid putting borders on your card design. Usually, the business cards are not cut absolutely straight. Ultimately, this means that your borders will not look even after being cut.


Discuss this article below!
There no comments for this article yet!
Post Your Comment
If you have any questions or comments on this article please feel free to add them using this form. Remember to check back soon for responses!