Business Card Design Basics

Design your own business card for creative control

When you design a business card, you have ultimate creative control. Even with little design expertise, you can create an eye-catching business card, which can help you promote your business.

Divide your choices into categories and consider how each choice affects the price and quality of the project. Business card design basics include the following decisions.

1. Choose a printing method. You can either print yourself, using pre-printed business card paper or upload your design to an online printer.

2. Pick the best business card design layout. Your choices include horizontal or vertical, single- or double-sided, folded or a custom shape.

3. Decide whether you want a color or black and white business card.

4. Select paper color and a glossy, matte or a custom plastic surface.

 

Learn the basics of business card design

Several online business card printers have galleries of business card designs on their websites to give you ideas. Customize one of these templates to get a professional business card design for free. You can also study the templates to get a better understanding of what elements comprise a well-crafted business card.
Try: Choose from several topics relating to unique business card design, including using color, choosing graphics and ways to maximize the sales potential of your business cards at GreatFX Business Cards. Get tips on using full-color, plastic cards or laminations and varnishes, and view a gallery of business card templates at Andreoni.

Understand guidelines for uploading your full-color business card design to an online printer

Many online printers have online design software you can use to design a business card. Get more flexibility in your design by using your own software, but make sure you understand the printer's file format requirements. Read the requirements before you start to design your business card, paying attention to guidelines for trimming and bleeds.
Try: Get step-by-step guidelines from Overnight Prints for creating your custom business card file in Adobe Illustrator, Photoshop, Microsoft Word and many other popular graphics and publishing applications. Download a template for use in Illustrator, Photoshop or Quark Express and learn how to complete it and upload it to 4over4.com for printing.

Find fonts and images for your custom business card design

Add interest to your business card by using a unique font, a special piece of clip art or a photo. Consider using a photo design that bleeds to the edge of the business card, which means you make a design with the photo extending beyond the edge of the card.
Try: Browse free fonts for PC or Mac by many themes at Dafont.com, where you can type your company name into the "Custom preview" field to view it in each typeface. Sign up for a low-cost subscription to Jupiterimages where you can download royalty-free clip art images. Use tutorials from SXC to download photos and to learn other design aspects.

Design a business card quickly and easily with pre-printed business card paper

The type of material you use for your business cards is part of the design element. If you want to print business cards in-house, you can look for pre-printed and perforated sheets of paper designed specifically for business cards. These papers are a way to get color on a business card even if you print them on a monochrome printer.
Try: Browse a large selection of pre-printed business card paper at Desktop Papers or choose from the company's parent site, Desktop Publishing Supplies. Find pre-printed business letterhead and business card papers at thePaperSeller.

 

• Don't assume that printing your business cards will be less expensive than having an online printer make them. Depending on the business card design and the quantity, an online printer may be able to print it for less than the cost of buying special paper and ink for your computer printer.

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