Business card specifications — cheat sheet

Every spec you need on one page: sizes, paper weight, thickness, bleed, resolution, colour and finishes. Each figure is explained on its own reference page.

Size by country

Region	mm	inches	px @300 DPI
Malaysia / China / Singapore	89 × 54	3.5 × 2.13	1051 × 638
UK / EU (most)	85 × 55	3.35 × 2.17	1004 × 650
US / Canada	88.9 × 50.8	3.5 × 2	1050 × 600
Japan	91 × 55	3.58 × 2.17	1075 × 650
Australia / NZ	90 × 55	3.54 × 2.17	1063 × 650
Credit card (ID-1, ISO/IEC 7810)	85.6 × 53.98	3.37 × 2.13	1011 × 638

See the full card sizes reference or convert any size with the size & DPI tool.

Paper weight (GSM)

Use	GSM	≈ Caliper (US)
Light / everyday	250 gsm	≈ 0.30–0.33 mm (12–13 pt)
Standard	310 gsm	≈ 0.38–0.40 mm (15–16 pt)
Premium	360 gsm	≈ 0.44–0.47 mm (17–18 pt)
Heavy (custom run)	400 gsm	≈ 0.54–0.57 mm (21–22 pt)
Thick / duplex (mounted)	600–800 gsm equivalent	≈ 0.76–1.14 mm (30–45 pt)

Convert GSM↔lb with the paper weight converter. Preferred card weights are typical values, not a rule. pt is a thickness unit (1 pt = 0.0254 mm); the mm figures above are caliper measurements of production art card — density varies by mill, so a 300 gsm from one manufacturer can be thicker than a 310 gsm from another.

Thickness (caliper)

Standard cards are about 0.38–0.47 mm thick (caliper-measured 310–360 gsm art card); light 250 gsm runs 0.30–0.33 mm. Caliper and GSM are related but not the same — see caliper and thickness.

Bleed & safe area

Setting	Value
Bleed (most common)	1.5 mm each edge
Bleed (some printers)	2 mm each edge
Bleed for bound booklets	3–5 mm (not cards)
Safe area	~3 mm inside the trim

Work it out with the bleed & safe-area calculator.

Resolution

Supply artwork at 300 DPI at final size (600 DPI is safe overkill for offset). Vector (logos, type) is resolution-independent.

Colour

CMYK (four process inks) for photos and gradients — see CMYK vs RGB.
Pantone / spot for exact brand colours — see Pantone matching. Spot colour cannot be computed from CMYK; use a swatch book.

Finishes

Matt lamination
Gloss lamination
Soft-touch lamination
Spot UV
Foil stamping (flat or raised)
Emboss / deboss (blind or with foil)
Letterpress
Edge painting
Die cutting
Thermography
Aqueous / UV coating

See the finishes guide for what each one does.

FAQ

What is the standard business card size?

It depends on region: 89 × 54 mm (Malaysia/China/Singapore), 85 × 55 mm (UK/EU), and 3.5 × 2 in (US/Canada).

What is the standard bleed for a business card?

Most commonly 1.5 mm on every edge; some printers use 2 mm. Larger 3–5 mm bleeds are for bound booklets, not cards.

What resolution should card artwork be?

300 DPI at final size — about 1051 × 638 px for an 89 × 54 mm card.

Cite this page

PrintRuler — Business card specifications (cheat sheet). https://printruler.com/card-specifications/ · Free to quote with attribution to PrintRuler.