Business Card Size: Standard Dimensions, Bleed and Safe Zone

The standard business card size in Canada and the United States is 3.5 x 2 inches (88.9 x 50.8 mm). To print one edge to edge, design it at 3.75 x 2.25 in, which adds 1/8 in of bleed on every side, and keep text and logos inside a 3.25 x 1.75 in safe zone.

Every business card and spot UV business card we print online is the 3.5 x 2 in North American standard.

Business card sizes around the world

Standard	Inches	Millimetres
Canada and United States	3.5 x 2	88.9 x 50.8
Most of Europe	3.35 x 2.17	85 x 55
Credit card (ISO ID-1)	3.37 x 2.13	85.6 x 54

The North American card is longer and narrower than the European one, so a European layout does not simply scale to 3.5 x 2. A vertical card is the same card turned: 2 x 3.5 in.

Bleed and safe zone on a 3.5 x 2 card

Three boxes matter in the file. The bleed edge at 3.75 x 2.25 in, where backgrounds and images must reach. The trim line at 3.5 x 2 in, where the card is cut. The safe zone at 3.25 x 1.75 in, 1/8 in inside the trim, where all text and logos belong. At 300 PPI, the full file with bleed is 1125 x 675 pixels. Our bleed entry explains why the margin exists.

Stocks and options on our cards

Our business cards come in 12pt silk coated, 12pt gloss coated, 12pt 100% recycled, 12pt uncoated matte, 16pt uncoated and 10pt white linen stocks, printed one or two sided, in colour or black and white, with matte or gloss lamination and rounded corners as options. See the paper guide for what the point sizes mean.

Which one for your job?

Stick to 3.5 x 2 in unless the card is meant to stand out by size: it fits every wallet, card holder and business card sleeve in North America. If your designer delivered a European 85 x 55 mm file, ask for it to be rebuilt at 3.75 x 2.25 in with bleed rather than stretched.

Common questions

What size is a business card in pixels?

At 300 PPI, a 3.5 x 2 in card is 1050 x 600 pixels at trim size, or 1125 x 675 pixels including 1/8 in of bleed on every side.

Is a business card the same size as a credit card?

Close, but no. A credit card is 3.37 x 2.13 in (85.6 x 54 mm); a North American business card is 3.5 x 2 in, slightly longer and slightly narrower.

What size should I design my business card file?

3.75 x 2.25 in, which is the 3.5 x 2 in card plus 1/8 in of bleed on each side, with text kept inside the central 3.25 x 1.75 in.

Products where this term matters

See also in the dictionary: Bleed, Paper weight and finishes, Spot UV · full dictionary