Emma is our prepress and print production voice, built from the knowledge of our production team, with over 20 years in printing.
What size should my design file be for a business card?
Build your business card file slightly larger than the finished size so the artwork extends into the bleed. For a standard 3.5 x 2 inch card, the size accepted by commercial printers in the US, set the document to 3.75 x 2.25 inches, which adds a 0.125 inch bleed on every side.
| Setting | Value |
|---|---|
| Finished size | 3.5 x 2 in |
| Document size with bleed | 3.75 x 2.25 in |
| Resolution | 300 DPI |
| Color mode | CMYK |
Any background color or image meant to reach the edge should extend all the way out to the bleed boundary, because the cutting blade drifts slightly on every pass and a short background leaves a thin white line. Keep essential text and logos inside a safe zone about 0.125 inch from the trim so nothing important gets cut. Flatten or outline fonts before exporting a print-ready PDF so type does not shift. In Photoshop or any other tool, always set your canvas to the full bleed size, never the trimmed size. Downloadable templates with bleed and safe-zone guides already marked make this setup nearly foolproof.
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