The Ultimate Guide for Perfect Business Cards

Say what you will about print, but business cards are one of the best conventional tools even in the digital age. Nowadays, there’s plenty of ways to exchange contact information, but there’s something about the tangibility of a custom business card that still makes them effective for networking. Business card printing not only makes introductions professional but also a little more meaningful.

Custom business cards let you show enough personality, style, and creativity to impress potential clients. So how do you print business cards for a memorable first impression? Starting from design conceptualization to finishing and materials, here’s PrintRunner’s ultimate guide to making business cards.

Design Concept

“Who are you as a business?”

This may be the first time someone interacts with you and your brand. How do you want people to perceive your business? Think about your audience as you begin designing your business cards. Are you serious and corporate, or are you more artistic? Should your content be straightforward or playful? Do you cater to designers or in a similar creative field? It’s a good exercise to study and gather ideas from designs in your industry and build from that.

Materials

Now comes the tactile factor. People often equate the quality of the card to the quality of the business. Just from touching your card, you want customers to get a sense that you’re an expert in your field and that you’re someone they can rely on.

There are plenty of business card materials you can choose from to underscore your design concept. Aside from traditional paper and cardstock, some brands use plastic business cards, wood, metal, and even magnetic business cards. The material’s coating options also impact your overall design. Matte coating has an elegant, almost silky texture and creates a more visually subdued effect. Gloss and high-gloss UV coating are not as smooth but add shine and vibrance to your prints. Most online printers also add spot UV business card options for a textured effect. Want to make a big impact? Go for premium printing like painted-edge business cards, metallic business cards, and foil business cards.

Whatever material you select, be sure it relates to your services and your overall branding.

Shape

Think about how you would want your business cards to work for you. The standard business card is rectangular because of its convenient shape and allotted space. For unique first impressions, go for circle, oval, and even die-cut business cards from PrintRunner. These are great conversation starters and can help your business stand out especially during networking events. However, these shapes offer limited space except for key information. If you want to decide to stick to the traditional rectangle business card, try rounded corners for a touch of creativity.

Size

There is no correct business card size that must be followed. Depending on where you are in the globe, each region has a preferred standard size. Like business card shapes, you need to choose a size that fits your needs. The standard business card in the US and Canada is 2” x 3.5”. This fits easily into any wallet & convenient to hand out. Other countries prefer slightly larger cards like 3.58” x 2.17” (Japan and the UK) and 3.54” x 2.12” (China and India).

It may be challenging for some to their contact details and essential information about their business in a small card, but you can also try folded business card options to get double the space. These are perfect if you want to include a full list of your services or multiple store locations.

Colors

How do you choose the best colors for your business card? Of course, you must be consistent with branding but bear in mind that certain hues influence feeling and perception. Color theory and psychology applies when choosing brand colors, creating marketing campaigns, developing new products, and yes, even printing business collaterals.


To give a brief explanation of the main colors and their meanings:

Red encourages action and evokes the strongest emotions like energy, excitement, and passion. It is also a popular color for fast food brands because it’s been shown to stimulate the appetite.
Yellow promotes positivity and happiness. It’s in the same warm spectrum as red, so it promotes action and fun. Brands like Ferrari, Shell, Best Buy, Ikea are yellow to immediately capture attention.
Orange, being a mix of red and yellow and is often associated with adventure, energy, and creativity. Brands like Amazon, Nickelodeon, and TNT elicit those feelings from their customers.
Blue evokes dependability and strength. Pioneer companies like banks, insurance firms, and computer manufacturers have blue logos because it gives the perception of reliability.
Green communicates health, nature, and even money. It can be a versatile color depending on the specific shades and hues. Dark green can communicate organic, natural ingredients. Beverages and alcohol with bright green logos communicate energy and fun.
Purple, known as the color of royalty, evokes feelings from both warm and cool hues. This powerful color inspires calmness, vitality, and spirituality. Versatile like green, purple can be used across a variety of industries like beauty, food, and even tech.
White is not often used as a primary color choice, but its neutrality provides a contrast to designs. It represents purity, cleanliness, and efficiency.
Black is favored for its simplicity and modern look. Almost all luxury brands incorporate this color in their branding because of its elegant and exclusive feel.

Fonts and Typefaces

Of course, the most important aspect of any business card is your contact details. This takes more than just slapping an email and phone number and sending it off to print. Fonts and typefaces are key features that get your cards noticed and communicate your style and personality. Choose a font that people can easily read but matches your overall branding. Expert designers also recommend choosing two cohesive fonts to create some contrast.

Images and Patterns

Now that you’ve laid the foundation for your business cards, you can begin adding design elements. A good, general rule for business cards is “less is more”. Your logo is important, but other images and patterns you add should complement your contact information without adding clutter.


With plenty of business card options, it’s easy to customize and make business cards that impress as soon as you hand them out. Print business cards today and upload your design on the PrintRunner website. You can also create your own artwork from scratch with our easy-to-use online design tool.

If you need help getting started, call us at 1-888-296-5760 and our customer care representatives can assist you.

FAQs

How fast can you print my business card order?
Our fastest printing turnaround for business cards is one (1) business day. This means that your order can be printed and ready for delivery in just 24 hours. Printing turnaround varies for different business card types. You can check your options on the product page order calculator. Note that the turnaround time does not include shipping transit time, weekends, and holidays. You can check the Estimate Shipping Date on the online calculator. This will show the transit time based on your ZIP code.

How do I design my business cards?
You can use our website to create your design online. To start, use the order calculator to choose the type of business card, size, shape, material, and quantity. After, click Design Online to get started. The design toolbar lets you upload or search for images online, change colors, and add text and shapes.

Do you offer business card templates?
Yes, we offer free templates you can download and use with your preferred design editing application. These are blank print templates to help you set up your print file with the correct and folding lines. These are found in the product page Templates tab.

Will I see a proof of my business cards before printing?
Yes. Our dedicated prepress team will review your design to check if it is print-ready, then send you a PDF file to approve. This allows you to check for any errors and make necessary revisions. After you approve this PDF file, we will proceed with production.

How thick are your business cards?
PrintRunner carries a wide range of business card material options with varying thickness. Our cardstock options are measured in “points” or “pt.”. The higher the number, the thicker the material. Our most popular business card material is 14 pt. cardstock because it’s thick enough for double-sided printing. It is also lightweight yet durable. If you need something premium, 16 pt. cardstock is slightly thicker and has more weight. Our premium business cards also come in 18 pt. cardstock material.