Business cards are credit card size cards that create a lasting impression on customers. These pocket-size cards include name, logo, address, email, website and contacts. It is the simplest and straightforward mode of advertising and brand identity. Beforehand, we dive into the steps of business card printing, which you should keep these three preliminary pointers in your mind:
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Know yourself–
Ask a question about your company. What does your company do? What products are they producing and selling? Is it an individual or a business? How your card should look according to your work? What design should be used? These questions will help you in making a business card that will suit your business.
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Logo and Color schemes –
Your finished logo and color schemes are significant in making your card, and it also creates brand identity.
Currently, you know about your company, logo and color schemes. Now we are going to learn the steps to design a business card.
Shape and Form
We have traditional card shapes and other types. However, it depends on you what shape you want. Mostly, the shape of standard cards has sharp edges or round edges. Some companies use their outline of mascots or use the outline of their products as their card shape. Using these outlines shapes generates a good impression and shows your creativeness. Note that what shapes and forms you are using, the cards must be the pocket size.
Size
We can’t select a size on our own. There are standard business card printing sizes, and most every country has different sizes:
- Africa and Argentina, Bosnia Brazil, Bulgaria, Costa Croatia, Czech Estonia, Finland, Herzegovina, Hungary, India, Israel, Kazakhstan, Korea, Lanka, Latvia, Lithuania, Mexico, Montenegro, Poland, Republic, Rica, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, South Sri Ukraine, Uzbekistan – 3.543 × 1.968
- Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Slovenia, Spain, Switzerland, Turkey, United Kingdom – 3.346 × 2.165
- Australia, Colombia, Denmark, India, New Norway, Sweden, Taiwan, Vietnam, Zealand – 3.54 × 2.165
- China, Hong Kong, Malaysia, Singapore – 3.543 × 2.125
- Canada and US – 3.5 × 2
- Japan – 3.582 × 2.165
- Iran – 3.543 × 1.968
There are some vital guidelines regarding the size of the shape i.e.
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Bleed area –
It is the utmost part of the card which is removed. Your colors and design should extend out from the actual size. The size of the bleed area is 0.125 in. (3mm).
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Trim line –
It is the line that will be cut to make a card of the wanted size. The size of the trim line is 0.125 in. (3mm).
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Safety lines –
Outside this line, everything gets cut, and your essential details like logo, URL, name and contact info should be inside this line. The size of the safety line is 0.250 inches.
Add Graphics
The first thing you are going to add is your company’s logo. It should be placed in the center, and you can add other graphics too. We know that business cards have two sides. On one side, the logo is large and on the different side logo is small, and here, other contact details are added. You can add images on your cards like cartoons. The business card of the American filmmaker and animator Chuck Jones contains the image of a duck that is in a hurry.
Text
After adding the graphics, now you have to decide what text you are going to add. Mainly, it includes your name, company name, logo, job title, contact number, email, web, social media, address, QR code, URL, and slogan.
Typography
Here, typography is essential because you have to add your all contact details and company information in less space. But for this, you have to remember these three key categories:
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Size –
To make your text readable to the viewer, your typography size must be 8 pts. (Points). You can change the size of the text that is important, like name or company name.
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Font –
Choose the font according to your company or your work profession. If you are a calligraphist, then your business card will have an intricate calligraphic font.
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Color –
Choose colors that your brand has, or you can see what color looks good according to the card’s background. Do not use the same color schemes because it will be hard to read the font.
In typography, the main thing is readability. If your card has a creative design, but the reader cannot read, there is no benefit of being creative. Therefore, your content on the card should be readable.
Special Effects
In business card printing, there are several business card printing techniques which are below:
- Embossing – This technique is used to elevate the image or text.
- Spot UV coating – In this printing, we apply a glossy varnish on specific areas. Mostly these are the areas where important information is placed.
- Letterpress – In letter pressing, the text or image is pressed on the paper.
- Foil stamping – Foil stamping gives a sparkly and reflective look. You can do foil stamping on text or images.
Special Materials
You can use various materials to make a business card, i.e. paper and cardboard, metal, plastic, plexiglass, wood, and other materials. It will look good if you choose the material according to your business or work. If you are working with marine or anything related to water, you can make waterproof cards, or if your work is related to mechanics, you can make metal cards.
