Business card size UK: your printer-ready guide

The standard business card size in the UK is 85 × 55 mm (finished trim). That single measurement covers the vast majority of cards printed here, and for good reason: it matches credit and debit card dimensions, slots neatly into wallets and card holders, and aligns with ISO 7810 ID-1 format. If you're briefing a printer or setting up artwork today, start there.

Quick conversions:

• 85 × 55 mm = 8.5 × 5.5 cm
• 85 × 55 mm = 3.35 × 2.17 inches
• At 300 DPI: approximately 1004 × 650 pixels (trim size)

Must-do before you send to print:

• Add 3 mm bleed on all edges (artwork becomes 91 × 61 mm)
• Keep text and logos inside a 3–6 mm safe area from the trim edge
• Work in CMYK colour mode, not RGB
• Export as PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4

Key takeaways

The UK standard business card size is 85 × 55 mm: use it as your default, add 3 mm bleed, work in CMYK at 300 DPI, and choose your stock and finish to match your brand positioning.

Table of Contents

• What is the standard business card size in the UK?
• How to set up your artwork: bleed, safe area and pixel dimensions
• Paper weight, finish options and corner treatments
• Design rules: typography, layout, QR codes and orientation
• File formats and export settings UK printers expect
• Prepress checklist: what to check before you place your order
• When should you stick to 85 × 55 mm, and when can you experiment?
• Jarvisandco can handle your print-ready design from brief to file
• Sources

What is the standard business card size in the UK?

The 85 × 55 mm format is the default across the UK and most of Western Europe. It fits standard card wallets, business card holders, and Rolodex-style filing systems without any trimming or folding. That compatibility is why it dominates.

The table below shows the UK standard alongside the most common alternatives, including international formats you may encounter at trade shows or when networking abroad.

Sources: Solopress UK size guide; InDesignSkills country size chart

The US card is slightly wider and noticeably shorter. It will not sit flush in a UK card wallet, which matters if you're printing for an audience that mixes UK and US contacts. The Australian format is close enough to the UK standard that most holders accommodate it, but it's still a non-standard order at most UK printers.

Creative format trade-offs:

• Square (55 × 55 mm): Distinctive and memorable, but won't fit most wallets. Works well for boutique brands and event giveaways where the card itself is a talking point.
• Mini (85 × 25 mm): Slim and unusual. Very limited space for information, so only practical if your design is minimal by intent.
• Long / slim: Stands out in a stack but often gets folded or discarded when it doesn't fit a holder.
• Folded: Doubles your content space. Useful for service menus or maps, though thicker and harder to store.

How to set up your artwork: bleed, safe area and pixel dimensions

Getting the dimensions right on screen is only half the job. Printers cut cards from larger sheets, and the blade can shift by a millimetre or two. Bleed and safe areas exist to absorb that movement without ruining your design.

The three zones you need to know:

• Trim size: 85 × 55 mm. The finished card after cutting.
• Bleed area: Extend all background colours and images 3 mm beyond the trim on every edge. Total artwork size should include bleed beyond the trim to prevent white edges from cutting inaccuracies.
• Safe area: Keep all text, logos and critical elements at least 3–6 mm inside the trim edge. Anything closer risks being clipped.

The Print Warehouse recommends a 3 mm bleed as standard, noting that following this rule reduces trimming errors and keeps special finishes intact. PaperOrb confirms the pixel equivalents: trim at 300 PPI gives roughly 1004 × 650 px, and the full artwork with bleed (91 × 61 mm) gives approximately 1075 × 720 px.

How to calculate mm to pixels at 300 DPI:

Multiply millimetres by 11.811 to get pixels at 300 DPI.

• 85 mm × 11.811 = ~1004 px
• 55 mm × 11.811 = ~650 px
• 91 mm × 11.811 = ~1075 px
• 61 mm × 11.811 = ~720 px

File setup steps:

1. Create a new document at 91 × 61 mm (artwork with bleed).
2. Set resolution to standard print DPI and use CMYK colour mode appropriate for printing.
3. Add guides at 3 mm from each edge to mark the trim line.
4. Add a second set of guides at 6–9 mm from each edge to mark the safe area.
5. Place all background colours and images to the outer edge of the document (the bleed).
6. Keep all text and logos inside the inner guides (the safe area).
7. Save your working file, then export separately for print.

Paper weight, finish options and corner treatments

The dimensions tell a printer how to cut your card. The stock and finish tell your contact what to think of your brand before they've read a word.

GSM ranges and what they feel like:

• 300–350 gsm: Standard weight. Feels like a quality card but flexes slightly. Fine for everyday networking.
• 400–450 gsm: Noticeably stiffer. The most common choice for professional services.
• 540–700 gsm: Luxury weight, often achieved by laminating two sheets together. Feels substantial and premium in the hand.

Common finishes:

• Gloss laminate: Vivid colours, slight shine. Fingerprints show easily.
• Silk laminate: Smooth, low-sheen finish. A good all-rounder.
• Matt laminate: Flat, understated. Popular with law firms, consultancies and healthcare professionals.
• Soft-touch laminate: Velvety texture. Memorable and premium-feeling, though it adds cost.
• Spot UV: A gloss coating applied to specific areas (a logo, a pattern) over a matt base. Creates contrast and tactile interest.
• Foil stamping: Metallic or holographic foil pressed onto the card. Eye-catching, but requires a dieline and additional prepress setup from your printer.

Rounded corners are available on standard 85 × 55 mm cards and add a polished, modern feel. The card dimensions stay the same; the printer simply uses a corner-rounding die after cutting. If you're ordering rounded corners alongside foil or spot UV, confirm with your printer that both finishes are compatible on the same run, as some special finishes require additional dieline specifications.

Pro Tip: If you work in professional services, finance or healthcare, a 400–450 gsm matt or soft-touch card signals authority without being showy. Save spot UV and foil for brands where visual impact is part of the service proposition.

Design rules: typography, layout, QR codes and orientation

A business card is roughly the size of your thumb. Every design decision has to work at that scale.

Typography:

• Primary text should be large enough for legibility, and secondary text should be sufficiently sized to remain readable.
• Stick to one or two typefaces. More than two looks cluttered at this size.

Layout and hierarchy:

• Lead with your name and one clear role or tagline. Everything else is secondary.
• Leave breathing room. White space is not wasted space at 85 × 55 mm; it makes the card easier to read at a glance.
• Align elements to a grid. Even a simple two-column layout keeps the card feeling organised.

QR codes:

• Minimum size: 15 × 15 mm on the printed card. Smaller than that and many phone cameras struggle to read it reliably.
• High contrast is non-negotiable: dark code on a light background, or a light code on a very dark background.
• Place the QR code on the back of the card so it doesn't compete with your primary information on the front.
• Always test the QR code before sending to print. Link it to a specific landing page, not just your homepage, so you can track scans.

Portrait vs landscape:

Landscape is the default and what most people expect. Portrait works well for brands with a strong vertical logo or a minimal, editorial aesthetic. The choice should follow your brand identity, not trend. Consistent branding across print and digital builds recognition, as consistent branding strengthens trust and sales across every touchpoint.

What to avoid: tiny text below 7 pt, low-contrast colour combinations (light grey on white, for example), more than four contact details on the front face, and background images that make text hard to read.

File formats and export settings UK printers expect

Sending the wrong file type is the most common reason for delays. Most UK printers accept PDF, but the settings inside that PDF matter just as much as the format itself.

Tradeprint's prepress guide recommends designing at 300 DPI, working in CMYK throughout, keeping text inside the safe area, and embedding or outlining all fonts before export.

Recommended export settings:

• File format: PDF/X-1a (most compatible) or PDF/X-4 (supports transparency layers).
• Colour mode: CMYK. Never send an RGB file to a commercial printer.
• Resolution: 300 DPI minimum. 350 DPI is fine; anything below 200 DPI will print visibly soft.
• Fonts: Embed all fonts, or convert text to outlines before export. Missing fonts cause printers to substitute a default typeface.
• Transparency: Flatten all transparency effects before saving the final PDF.
• Bleed marks: Include crop marks and bleed marks in the export settings so the printer can see exactly where to cut.

Export steps:

1. Finalise all design elements and check spelling.
2. Convert all text to outlines, or confirm fonts are embedded in your export settings.
3. Flatten transparency (in Adobe Illustrator or InDesign: File > Print > Advanced > Flattener).
4. Export as PDF/X-1a: set colour space to CMYK, resolution to 300 DPI, and include bleed and crop marks.
5. Open the exported PDF and check it looks correct before uploading to your printer.

Prepress checklist: what to check before you place your order

A quick check before you upload saves you from reprints, delays and wasted spend. Work through this list against your final PDF.

Preflight checklist:

• Bleed: Background extends 3 mm beyond the trim on all four edges (total artwork 91 × 61 mm).
• Safe area: All text and logos sit at least 3–6 mm inside the trim edge.
• File format: PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 (not a JPEG, PNG or Word document).
• Colour mode: CMYK throughout. Check for any stray RGB or Pantone swatches.
• Resolution: All images and placed artwork at 300 DPI or above.
• Fonts: Embedded or outlined. Open the PDF in a viewer and check no font substitution has occurred.
• Dielines: If ordering rounded corners, foil or spot UV, confirm the dieline layer is included and matches your printer's template.
• Proofing: Review a soft proof or printed proof before approving a full run.

Common mistakes that cause reprints:

• No bleed, leaving white edges after cutting.
• Sending an RGB file that shifts colour when converted by the printer.
• Low-resolution logos (often pulled from a website at 72 DPI).
• Missing fonts that get substituted automatically.
• Forgetting to include the dieline for special finishes.

Sticking to the standard 85 × 55 mm format reduces the risk of errors. Non-standard sizes sometimes require manual setup at the printer, which increases the chance of a mistake and often adds cost. A printer-ready PDF with embedded fonts, correct CMYK and 3 mm bleed is the single most reliable way to avoid a reprint.

When should you stick to 85 × 55 mm, and when can you experiment?

The standard format is the right choice most of the time. But there are situations where a creative format earns its place.

Stick to 85 × 55 mm when:

• You work in finance, law, healthcare or any sector where conservative presentation signals credibility. Adobe Express notes that wallet compatibility and perceived authority are the key reasons professional sectors favour the standard size.
• You're printing in volume for trade shows, conferences or wide distribution.
• Your contacts use card wallets or filing systems.
• You want the widest choice of finishes and paper stocks from your printer.

Consider a creative format when:

• Your brand identity is deliberately unconventional (a boutique studio, a creative agency, a luxury product brand).
• You're producing a limited run for a specific event or campaign.
• The card itself is meant to be a keepsake or conversation piece.
• You have a strong visual concept that only works in a square or folded format.

A solicitor handing out square cards at a networking event risks the card being left on the table. A jewellery brand doing the same might find that the unusual format is exactly what gets the card kept. The format should serve the brand, not the other way around. For guidance on how print collateral fits into a wider brand identity, small business branding is worth reading alongside this guide.

A note from Jarvisandco on what actually matters in practice

After working on branding and print projects for UK businesses across a range of sectors, the pattern is consistent: the businesses that get the most value from their cards are the ones who treat the card as part of a considered brand system, not an afterthought. The dimension is the starting point. What people remember is the weight of the card in their hand, the texture of a soft-touch laminate, or the precision of a well-placed spot UV logo.

Follow the printer specs in this guide and you'll avoid reprints. But if you want a card that genuinely reflects your brand, brief a designer who understands dielines, finishes and how print and digital identity work together.

Jarvisandco can handle your print-ready design from brief to file

Getting the artwork right for print takes more than knowing the dimensions. Bleed, safe areas, dielines for special finishes, CMYK colour accuracy: each one is a small thing that causes a big problem if it's missed.

Jarvisandco handles print design and print coordination for UK businesses, from business cards and brochures through to full brand identity work. We set up artwork to printer specifications, manage proofing, and coordinate with print suppliers so you don't have to chase anyone. If your brand needs a refresh before the cards go to print, our logo design service covers that too.

Whether you need a single print-ready file or a full brand and print package, get in touch and we'll come back to you quickly with a clear next step.

Sources

The following references were used throughout this guide and are worth bookmarking if you're setting up artwork or briefing a printer.

• Business card size UK: Choosing the right dimensions for your brand. — Adobe Express
• Your Ultimate Guide to Standard Business Card Size — The Print Warehouse
• The definitive guide to printing business cards in the United Kingdom — Tradeprint blog
• UK business card size — PaperOrb
• Business card size & dimensions guide — Solopress UK

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