How to Design the Perfect Business Card | Office Depot (2024)

Even in today's highly connected digital world, nothing can quite match the effectiveness of in-person networking. Trading business cards can be a great way to start those in person connections.

Business cards are still an important tool for representing your brand and making a strong first impression. They provide a convenient way to share contact details at a glance and can serve as a continuous reminder of your business.

Here are the key elements you should consider including on your business card.

What to Include on Your Business Card

  • Name: Your full name
  • Job Title or Position: Your title or position within the business
  • Contact Information: Physical address, email address, phone number, website, and social media accounts.
  • Company Name and Logo: Including your logo aids in brand recognition.
  • Services: Consider including your key services on your business card, while also maintaining a clean and uncluttered design.
  • QR Code: QR codes can be a helpful way to provide more comprehensive information that would not otherwise fit on the card.

Providing personal contact details is not the only purpose that business cards can serve. Some small businesses use business cards to encourage sales, for example, by including a space for loyalty stamps on the other side of the card (this is a popular option for cafes).

Your business card could also serve as a discount voucher. If, for example, you are in the retail sector, including a 15% discount on the back of the card is a great way to promote your business and get feet through the door.

Business Card Design Basics

The design of your business card is where you can highlight your brand in a distinctive and memorable way.

If you’re creative, you’ll probably want to opt for a business card design that is expressive and eye-catching, and perhaps quite colorful.

If, on the other hand, your business falls within a sector that is more traditional, you may want to opt for a more minimalist aesthetic.

Shape & Size

A standard business card is 3.5 inches by 2 inches and laid out horizontally. This is the safe choice that most people are familiar with. For this size, an image resolution of at least 1050 pixels by 600 pixels is optimal for printing quality.

If you want to stand out more, consider using a square shape, rounded corners, or vertical design.

Regardless of the size and shape that is best for your brand, it is important to consider these three factors:

  • Bleed Area: the outermost area that will be trimmed off when cut.
  • Safety Line:content outside of this line is at risk of being cutoff
  • Image Resolution:using a proper image resolution makes your logo and text crisp.

Font Selection & Size

A strong font can be the difference between a good business card and a great one. Sans-serif is an easy-to-read font that is good starting point.
If you want to go beyond “good” though, you can try out the look of a few different fonts. Consider asking for feedback from friends or colleagues, as it can be a great way to get different perspectives.

Depending on your industry, you may want to try a more modern, elegant, or classic font.

Be careful not to make your fonts too small – for readability, we recommend all your text be at least 8 pts. Your most essential elements like your name can be larger or even bolded to help stand out.

Final Touches - Finish, Texture, Thickness

Finally, choosing the right finish, texture, and paper thickness can give your business card the perfect final addition.

Finish

Most business cards are printed on matte or gloss paper. Your choice depends on the aesthetic you want to achieve and the practicality of the card.

  • Matte finishhas a smooth, uncoated feel making it easy to write on and do not show fingerprints.
  • Gloss finishhas a shiny, reflective coating that catches the light and enhances color vibrancy.

Special Touches

Adding raised print to your business card can give it an elegant feel. Raised print used for a particular text on your card (such as your business name) can also help it really stand out.

Choosing a magnetic business card can help your business stay top of mind and can be easily displayed on the fridge.

Paper Thickness

Business cards are typically printed on 12pt, 14pt, or 16pt weight. Ultra thick 32pt, 34pt, and 80lb paper is also available.

Opting for a thicker paper may increase the cost of your business cards, but it can offer benefits such as enhanced durability and reduced chances of misplacement.

Getting Your Business Cards Printed

A striking, memorable business card that stands out from the rest could be the perfect way to seal the deal with a new client relationship.

At Office Depot OfficeMax, we offer business card printing the same day if requested for basic orders if placed before 2pm. For more complex orders, we can have your cards ready in 3-7 days.

We can ship your business cards to you, or they can be picked up at your nearest Office Depot or OfficeMax store.


How to Design the Perfect Business Card | Office Depot (2024)

FAQs

How to Design the Perfect Business Card | Office Depot? ›

It's easy to order a set of standard business cards online, often with same day delivery.

How long does it take Office Depot to make business cards? ›

It's easy to order a set of standard business cards online, often with same day delivery.

What should a business card look like? ›

Most business cards are rectangular, about the size of a credit card, and laid out horizontally. People are familiar with this format, so it's a safe choice, but if you want your business card to stand out, consider using a square shape, rounded corners or vertical orientation.

What credit score is needed for Office Depot business credit card? ›

The credit score needed to get an Office Depot Credit Card is generally within the Fair score range (640-700). However, as with most other credit card applications, Citibank will look at more than just your score when deciding.

How much does 50 business cards cost? ›

Design details that will affect your card's cost. Expect that printing a batch of 50 simple business cards on basic card stock will cost you approximately $20 USD, although prices can vary depending on your printer. Now that you've locked down your first design steps, you're ready for the design details.

How much does it cost to make 500 business cards? ›

If larger business cards make sense for your business, then it's important to keep in mind that the larger the business card is, the higher the price will be. For the standard 3.5” x 2” business card size, when ordering 500 custom business cards, the average cost per business card is around $0.06-$0.24.

What does P mean on a business card? ›

The letter "P" placed before a phone number on a business card typically signifies the word "Phone" or "P" for "Phone Number." It is a common convention used to indicate that the number following the "P" is a phone number.

What information you should not put on your business card? ›

Personal information: Exclude personal information, such as your home address, social security number, or personal phone number. Use your business contact information instead. Confidential information: Leave out confidential information, such as trade secrets, financial information, or client details.

What comes first on a business card? ›

Your logo, the name, company, and job title comes first.

What 3 principles of design are the most important for designing a business card? ›

The most effective business cards follow the basic principles of design. Take into consideration design principles such as emphasis, hierarchy, pattern, white space, and unity. These all work in tandem to create functional, visually appealing designs. Check out our blog to learn how to choose your brand colors.

How can I make my business card more creative? ›

Photo-centric business cards

Add a photo. Designing your business card around a photo (whether it's a photo of you, your product, or something related to your business) can make them more memorable and visually interesting—which will also make them more likely to drive results.

What type of business cards stand out the most? ›

Designing a circle, square, oval, octagon or whatever-other-shape-you-can-think-of business card (seriously—the sky's the limit) is a surefire way to stand out from the crowd and win the title of “most unique business card.”

What program to use for business card design? ›

Craft a quality business card with Adobe Illustrator.

Use distinctive design to make your own business card stand out from the pack and reinforce your brand identity. Industry-leading desktop and mobile apps offer total control over color and placement, typography, and graphical design.

Can I design a business card in Word? ›

Making business cards like these while you're online is quick and easy. Choose one of our business card templates, and open it in Word for the web. Tip: If you're already in Word for the web, get to the business card template by going to File > New, and then below the template images click More on Office.com.

Is there a business card template in Word? ›

Word and Publisher come with built-in templates that you can use to print different types of labels, business cards, dividers, name badges, postcards, and more. To see them in Word or Publisher, click File > New and search for labels or business cards.

How do I create a custom business card in Word? ›

Open Word: Find the Word icon in the applications folder or search for it in the Start menu. Choose a template: Go to the 'File' tab, select 'New' and search for 'business card. ' Pick a template that suits your style. Customize: Change text, colors, fonts, and other design elements to make the card perfect.

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