Size Matters in Printing Business Cards

As you may well know, a business can conducted not only on a locality but also more importantly, on a much larger scale. It is no longer surprising that you can market and do business with someone from a different country.

This is now possible with the boom of digital technology. Deals can be made even outside your area. Hence, you need more business cards to pass on not only according to your own country’s standards but according to other countries as well. As such, advertising your business to other countries is possible, even with a little card.

One of the things you need to consider when printing to determine its size, for the simple reason that size does matter especially if you want to have an impressive brand image to your target clients. Paying attention to the size of your business card is important if you want to establish a professional image for your business.

Although most cards are printed horizontally and often come on the accepted standard size of 2 x 3.5 inches, you need to consider these two if you want to successfully engage in business deals that you are likely to benefit from.

• On ISO standards

Internationally accepted standards are based on the International Standards Office (ISO) where the requirements are set so that everybody will conform to the same size. This is necessary to establish consistency in the calibration of all printing presses.

According to the ISO standards, there are two settings introduced – the ISO 216 or A8 card size, and the ‘credit card’ setting.

The ISO 216 has dimensions of 2.913” in length and 2.047” in height. It is 74mm x 52mm when in the metric version. The ‘credit card’ version, on the other hand, measures 3.370” by 2.125” or 85.60mm x 53.98mm. Both versions are well accepted in the international scene and most countries do their business card printing according to these standards.

• As per standards of a specific country

You can also go by the specific standards of a country. This is especially helpful if you are concentrating on engaging in business in a particular country or a limited number of countries. This can help you have a more personalized card that will fit the requirements of the location where you are working.

For the United States and Canada, the common size is 3.5 x 2 inches; while in Australia and New Zealand, it is slightly bigger with 3.54 x 2.165 inches. The rest of Europe and Britain is 3.37 x 2.12 inches. Japan’s standard version is 3.58 x 2.17 inches; while in China, it is 3.56 by 2.15 inches.

In others, a tent card is also recognized where your business cards are folded creating more small pages to put more information about you and your business.

The bottom line is to keep dimensions according to what would work best for your objective and marketing needs. If it fits your needs and your budget, then pick the right size to give you the edge over your competition.