The prospect of getting business cards might seem simple enough, but there is a surprising variety of sizes available. Whether you're deep into the design process and ready to order or you're just doing some preliminary research, it's helpful to have an overview of options.
Standard Business Card Sizes
The standard business card size is 3.5 x 2 inches. If you need to know a variety of systems of measurement, from computer-based systems (i.e. pixel, pica) to metric, this list will pinpoint the numbers you need:
- Inches: 3.5 x 2 in
- Millimeters: 88.9 x 50.8 mm
- Pixels (assuming the average image quality of 300 DPI): 900 x 750 px
- Picas: 21 x 12 pc
Non-Standard Business Card Sizes
When you go to conferences or gatherings where hordes of people are passing out business cards, the standard size card can easily get lost and forgotten in the stack. A business card with a non-standard size can help you stick out among the sea of cards competing for attention.
Folded
Twice as tall as the standard card, it's meant to fold down into the standard size. The folded page, however, gives you the chance to place more information on the card so that it functions as a mini-brochure or greeting card.
- Inches: 3.5 x 4 in
- Millimeters: 88.9 x 101.6 mm
- Pixels: 900 x 1200 px
- Picas: 21 x 24 pc
Square
The square business card is quick to attract attention for its creative, unusual approach.
- Inches: 2.25 x 2.25 in
- Millimeters: 57 x 57 mm
- Pixels: 675 x 675 px
- Picas: 13.5 x 13.5 pc
Micro
The micro business card is another attention-grabbing, non-standard size that has a sleek, slim shape and the handy ability to literally stick out in a stack of business cards.
- Inches: 1 x 3 in
- Millimeters: 25 x 76 mm
- Pixels: 300 x 900 px
- Picas: 6 x 18 pc
Adding Room for Bleed
When designing your business card, it is wise to add extra room for bleed. The usual space needed for extra bleed is 1/8-inch (3.175 mm, 37.5 px, 0.75 pc). For example, when adding this extra space to the standard business card, the dimensions would be 3.75 x 2.25 in (95.25 x 57.15 mm).
The Perfect Fit
It's important to have a business card design that adds something positive to your brand's presentation. It might seem like a small detail, but those small details add up to big first impressions when you meet a potential client or industry colleague. Whether you're keeping them in a suit pocket ready for on-the-spot networking or you've got them displayed proudly on your desk, it feels good knowing your business cards are the perfect fit for your brand. This is especially true if you will need measurements across a variety of mediums, i.e. pixels for digital measurement or metric and imperial for paper printing.
