Bleed Margins: If your business card design has a background color or pattern, please make sure it extends outside of the “final size” of the card. That way the card will never have white borders if the cards are cut slightly off center.
Final Size: The final size is the dimensions of your business cards after we trim the bleed margins off. We have a state of the art process to ensure your cards are centered and uniform, however be sure to read about the safe area below before submitting your design.
Safe Area: Any important text or graphical design elements that are not intended to run off the edge of the design must be within the safe area. This way they won’t run the risk of getting trimmed off on the final product.
Accepted File Types: Print Quality PDF (recommended), jpeg, jpg, png, ai, eps, or psd. Microsoft Word, Publisher, PowerPoint or Excel files must be converted to Print Quality PDF. We can convert your file for you through our free file check service.
Print File Dimensions: When uploading a completed design you created outside of our design studio, please ensure the file size you are submitting includes the bleed margins even if your design does not include a bleed. For more information on bleeds see the bleed margins section above.
Design Resolution: Designs must be submitted in at least 300dpi/300ppi (dots per inch/pixels per inch) to ensure a crisp and clean print. If you are not sure your file meets our standard, we offer a file check service free of charge.
Color Mode: For best results make sure your design is in CMYK color mode. We will also accept RGB color which is typically the default color mode in most design programs.
Minimum Line Weights & Type Sizes: Text can be as small as 7-point type. Lines must be at least .5 point thick. Anything smaller will not be legible.
Watermark Transparency: Watermarks, "phantom" or "ghost" imprints are available at no extra charge. A 15% opacity or a .1 or .2 fade in the design studio, depending on the color, is recommended if you intend to write over the imprint. As they are very light, text and phone numbers are not recommended in watermarks.
