Business Card Size in Inches, mm and Pixels: US, UK and Other Countries

The standard business card size in the US and Canada is 3.5 x 2 inches (88.9 x 50.8 mm), which is 1050 x 600 pixels at 300 dpi. In the UK and Western Europe it is 85 x 55 mm, in Japan 91 x 55 mm, and across Eastern Europe, Latin America and South Korea 90 x 50 mm. There is no worldwide standard, so you pick the size by the country where the cards will be printed and handed out. Below you will find every figure in inches, millimeters and pixels, plus bleed, safe area and what to check in the file before it goes to the printer.

Business card size in inches and mm

In the US and Canada a business card is 3.5 inches wide and 2 inches tall. In metric that is 88.9 x 50.8 mm, usually rounded to 89 x 51 mm. Card holders, wallet slots, print shop cutting dies and perforated sheets for home printing are all built around this size.

No official standard defines the business card. The 3.5 x 2 inch format survives through habit and equipment: printers fit these cards on a press sheet with no waste, so any other size is normally treated as a custom order.

Business card size in pixels at 300 dpi

For print, a 3.5 x 2 inch layout needs to be 1050 x 600 pixels. That is the size at 300 dpi, meaning 300 dots per inch: at this density small text and thin lines come out sharp.

If the card is meant for a screen rather than paper (an email signature, a chat, a website), there is no exact pixel count. Just keep the 7:4 proportion. The 1050 x 600 file works here too, and it is easy to scale down.

Business card size chart by country

The chart lists the sizes print shops in each region use most often. Pixels are calculated for 300 dpi and rounded to whole numbers.

The formats differ by only a few millimeters, but it shows: a US card sticks out of a European card holder by about 4 mm, and a European 85 x 55 mm card is too tall for a slot made for the American format.

UK and European business card size: 85 x 55 mm

In the UK, Ireland and most of Western Europe a business card is 85 x 55 mm. It is shorter and taller than the American card and almost matches a bank card, so it sits well in a wallet. At 300 dpi it is 1004 x 650 pixels.

In the US this format is ordered by people who work with European clients or simply want a card "the size of a credit card". Printers handle it without trouble, but check first whether it counts as a custom size and whether that changes the turnaround.

The 90 x 50 mm business card

The 90 x 50 mm card is the standard in Poland, the Czech Republic, Brazil, Mexico, South Korea and many other countries. It is one millimeter longer and just under a millimeter shorter than the US card, and you cannot tell them apart by eye. At 300 dpi it is 1063 x 591 pixels.

If you are preparing a layout for a printer in the US or Canada, set the size in inches, not millimeters: American print shops take files that way and supply templates with the bleed in fractions of an inch. For a metric country, do the opposite and set millimeters.

Business card size in Japan, China and Korea

In Japan the standard card is 91 x 55 mm and it is called a meishi. In China, Hong Kong and Singapore the common format is 90 x 54 mm. In South Korea the main size is 90 x 50 mm.

For a business trip to Asia there is no need to reprint your cards in the local format: a US or UK card is accepted everywhere. The local size matters only if you print the cards on site or order a bilingual version from a local printer.

How to convert inches and mm to pixels

The formula is simple: multiply inches by the dpi. For a width of 3.5 inches at 300 dpi you get 3.5 x 300 = 1050 pixels, and for a height of 2 inches, 600. For millimeters, divide by 25.4 first, because an inch is 25.4 mm: 85 / 25.4 x 300 = 1004.

To skip the math, open the pixels to inches and cm converter: enter the width and height, choose the dpi and read the size in pixels. It also works in reverse and shows how large a finished image will print.

Business card size in pixels at 150, 300 and 600 dpi

The higher the dpi, the more pixels fit into the same physical size. For the 3.5 x 2 inch format the numbers are:

• 150 dpi: 525 x 300 pixels. Good only for a draft or a printout on an office printer.
• 300 dpi: 1050 x 600 pixels. The usual print shop requirement for an image file.
• 600 dpi: 2100 x 1200 pixels. Worth it when the card has very small text or fine line art.

Why 72 dpi is not enough for print

An image of 252 x 144 pixels looks like a full-size card on screen, but on a 3.5 x 2 inch piece of paper each pixel is stretched to a third of a millimeter. Letters turn jagged and the logo goes soft.

You can stretch a small image to 1050 x 600 in an editor, but that does not bring back sharpness: the new pixels have no detail to draw on. So build the layout at full size from the start, and use the largest logo you have, or a vector file.

What size to set in Photoshop, Canva and Word

The logic is the same in any editor: width 3.5 inches, height 2 inches, resolution 300 pixels per inch. In Photoshop you enter these three numbers when you create the document. If the editor asks for pixels only, type 1050 x 600.

In Word and other text editors the page or shape size is set in inches: 3.5 x 2. Pixels are not needed there, but the images and logo you place inside must be large enough, or they will print blurry.

How to check the size of a finished file

Open the file properties and look at the pixel dimensions. If they are 1050 x 600 or more in the same proportion, that is enough to print at 3.5 x 2 inches. The dpi value in the properties can be anything or missing altogether: it is only a note in the file, and quality is defined by the pixels.

The printer converts pixels to physical size when placing the file on the sheet. Just state the final size in your order. If the file is smaller than required, rebuild the layout rather than enlarge the finished image.

What bleed is

Bleed is extra background beyond the cut line. Cards are printed on large sheets and trimmed in a stack, and the blade can drift by a fraction of a millimeter. If the background ends exactly at the edge, part of the run comes out with a white sliver.

To prevent that, the background, color bars and photos are extended past the edge of the card. US printers usually ask for 1/8 inch on each side and European ones for 2 to 3 mm; the exact figure is always in the printer's file specifications.

Business card size with bleed

The file size with bleed depends on what the printer asks for. For the common formats it works out like this:

• 3.5 x 2 inches with 1/8 inch bleed: a 3.75 x 2.25 inch file, or 1125 x 675 pixels at 300 dpi.
• 85 x 55 mm with 3 mm bleed: a 91 x 61 mm file, or 1075 x 720 pixels at 300 dpi.
• 90 x 50 mm with 3 mm bleed: a 96 x 56 mm file, or 1134 x 661 pixels.

Safe area: where not to put text

For the same reason text and logos are kept away from the edge. The inset from the cut line is usually 1/8 inch, or 3 to 5 mm, and this is the safe area margin. Anything inside that margin risks being trimmed or ending up too close to the edge.

On a 3.5 x 2 inch card with 1/8 inch margins, the content gets a 3.25 x 1.75 inch rectangle. Avoid thin borders close to the edge: even a small shift of the blade makes a border look visibly uneven.

Which file format to send: PNG, PDF, CMYK

Most printers ask for a PDF in CMYK. Many also accept PNG, JPG or TIFF images at 300 dpi, especially for short digital runs. An RGB file is converted to CMYK by the printer, and bright blues and greens come out slightly more muted.

If all you have is a PNG and you need a PDF, you can wrap the image in a document with the Image to PDF tool. That only packs the picture into a PDF, it is not prepress: bleed and CMYK do not appear this way, so ask the printer whether such a file is acceptable.

What the business card maker on this site gives you

Our Business card online tool builds the front side in one of four sizes: 3.5 x 2 inches (1050 x 600 pixels), 85 x 55 mm (1004 x 650), 90 x 50 mm (1063 x 591) and 91 x 55 mm (1075 x 650). On the English page the default is 3.5 x 2 inches, and another size is picked from the "Card size" list. It has 9 designs, ready-made templates by profession, your own accent color, a logo and a QR code generated from a link.

The "Add print bleed" checkbox adds 3 mm on each side: the background and color blocks extend past the cut line and the text stays in the safe area. For a 3.5 x 2 inch card that file is 1121 x 671 pixels; for 85 x 55 mm it is 91 x 61 mm, 1075 x 720 pixels. What the tool does not have: PDF and CMYK. The file is always an RGB PNG at 300 dpi, so ask your printer in advance whether a PNG is accepted, and note that the bleed is 3 mm rather than 1/8 inch.

Vertical business card size

A vertical card has the same numbers swapped: 2 x 3.5 inches, or 600 x 1050 pixels. The printer runs it on the same equipment as a horizontal card, and the price is normally the same.

The vertical format works when the card carries a large logo and little text. A long web or email address fits poorly into a 2 inch width and has to be set small or broken. Our maker produces horizontal cards only.

Square, mini and folded business cards

Square cards, slim mini cards and folded cards are produced as custom orders. There are no common dimensions: each printer has its own list, so the layout for these formats is prepared on that printer's template.

Before ordering, think about where the card will be kept. Square and folded cards do not fit a regular card holder, and a mini card is easy to lose. An unusual format is memorable, but if there is nowhere to put the card, it gets thrown away sooner.

Which size to choose: 3.5 x 2 inches or 85 x 55 mm

If the cards are for use in the US or Canada, go with 3.5 x 2 inches: it is the default at every print shop and what card holders expect. Choose 85 x 55 mm if you are in the UK or most of your contacts are in Europe; it also sits in a wallet next to bank cards.

Both cards hold the same amount of text. The US card is better for long lines: a web address, an email, a company name. The European card has more height, which makes it easier to place a logo above the name.

How much text fits on a business card

The safe area comfortably holds a name, a job title, a company name and three or four contact lines. Contact details are usually set at 7 to 9 points and the name at 10 to 14. Below 6 points text is hard to read, especially light on dark.

If it does not all fit, do not shrink the type: cut the list. We explain which details you need and which only take up space in the article What to put on a business card.

How to make a business card in the right size

The easiest way is to build the layout where the size does not have to be calculated, only chosen. Our maker has a list of four sizes: the US 3.5 x 2 inches is selected by default, and the European, 90 x 50 mm and Japanese sizes are one click away. The file downloads right away, free and with no registration.

For other sizes you will need a graphics editor or the printer's template. The whole process, from the text to a finished print run, is covered in the article How to make a business card.

What is the standard business card size? In the US and Canada it is 3.5 x 2 inches (88.9 x 50.8 mm). In the UK and Western Europe it is 85 x 55 mm. There is no single worldwide standard.

What is the business card size in pixels? A 3.5 x 2 inch card at 300 dpi is 1050 x 600 pixels. An 85 x 55 mm card is 1004 x 650 pixels and a 90 x 50 mm card is 1063 x 591.

What is the business card size in the UK? 85 x 55 mm, the same as in most of Western Europe. It is shorter and taller than the US card and close to the size of a bank card.

What is the business card size with bleed? With a 1/8 inch bleed a US card file is 3.75 x 2.25 inches (1125 x 675 pixels at 300 dpi). With a 3 mm bleed a UK card file is 91 x 61 mm (1075 x 720). Your printer's specifications give the exact figure.

What resolution do I need to print a business card? 300 dpi. For very small text and fine lines printers sometimes ask for 600 dpi. 72 dpi is too low for print.

What size is a business card in Photoshop? Width 3.5 inches, height 2 inches, resolution 300 pixels per inch. If the printer asks for bleed, add it on every side.

What size is the card made by the maker on this site? You choose from 3.5 x 2 inches, 85 x 55 mm, 90 x 50 mm and 91 x 55 mm; on the English page the default is 3.5 x 2 inches (1050 x 600 pixels). The file is a PNG at 300 dpi, with an optional 3 mm bleed. Horizontal and front side only, no PDF and no CMYK.

Can I print a 90 x 50 mm card in the US or the UK? Yes, printers can produce any size, but it may count as custom. If the cards are for local contacts, the local format is more practical: 3.5 x 2 inches in the US, 85 x 55 mm in the UK.