What is a business card?
Business card was made in 15th Century in China, but over the years it became popular all over the World and today it is indispensable in business world.
Business card is usually a piece of paper or it is made from any other material. Business card size is a standard size where we can get the information about a company or an individual. It is meant for sharing contact information and it is a kind of memory instrument, so you do not have to remember info by heart. A business card typically includes company logo, name, street addresses, telephone number, fax number, email, website and employees name and position in company. The formation of Business card must be as unique as possible. More specific it is, more you will be remembered by, which is the purpose. Usually you have just a few seconds to make a good first impression, so it is very important to have interesting business card which can help you to be recognized by.
Standard Business Card Size
Standard business card size can deviate from country to country. In America and Canada standard business card size is 3.5 inches by 2 inches. In Europe the standard business card size is 85mm x 54mm. If you come to the UK, the business card size is 3.346 inches x 2.165 inches. Business cards are the same size for example in Italy, France, Germany, Switzerland, Spain and Netherlands. Business card size is a little different in next countries: Norway, Denmark, Sweden, New Zealand and Australia, where it is 3.54 inches x 2.165 inches, but in Japan the standard business card size is 3.582 inches x 2.165 inches.
Business card size could also be different from standard business card size. Using different business card size or format you can get unique design of business card.
| ISO 216, A8 sized | 74×52 | 2.913×2.047 | 1.423 |
| Ireland, Italy, United Kingdom, France, Germany, Netherlands, Spain, Switzerland, Belgium | 85×55 | 3.346×2.165 | 1.545 |
| ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1, credit card sized | 85.60×53.98 | 3.370×2.125 | 1.586 |
| Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, Norway, Taiwan, Sweden, Vietnam | 90×55 | 3.54×2.165 | 1.636 |
| Japan | 91×55 | 3.582×2.165 | 1.655 |
| Hong Kong, China, Singapore | 90×54 | 3.543×2.125 | 1.667 |
| Canada, United States | 88.9×50.8 | 3.5×2 | 1.75 |
| Iran | 85×48 | 3.346×1.889 | 1.771 |
| Argentina, Brazil, Czech Republic, Finland, Hungary, Israel, Kazakhstan, Poland, Romania,Russia, Serbia, Slovakia, Slovenia, Ukraine, Uzbekistan, Bulgaria, Latvia, Mexico and South Africa | 90×50 | 3.543×1.968 | 1.8 |
Weight of standard business card size
The weight of standard business cards, packed in package of 500 sheets, is between 80 and 100 pounds.
Surfaces and Colors
Most business cards are made with white smooth surface, but there are unlimited possibilities of formation. For example: some business cards come in all colors, some business cards come just with text with no graphic and some business cards are featured with graphic designs. This depends in which branch you are in and from your imagination. A good advice how to make your business card more attractive while keeping standard business card size is making corners of the business card rounded.
Manufacturing
Business cards are, like other paper products, mostly made from wood pulp. But they can be also made from other materials, like metal, vellum, plastic…Of course you may have to consider standard business card size or unique form.
Single-Sided vs. Double-Sided
Some business cards are single-sided and some are double-sided. Double-sided business cards are also in standard business card size, but they are more expensive than one-sided business cards. Double-sided cards are very convenient if you need information in two languages, so you have information on each side in different language or you have on one-side logo of the company and on the other side other contact information.