How to print business cards at home (8 per sheet)

What size should my business card be?

There isn't one world standard. The common sizes, from Wikipedia's comparison of national sizes (Wikipedia), are:

The editor's Business card template is 90 × 55 mm. For another size, go to Page Design › Size › Custom size… and type the width and height in millimetres. If you're not sure, match a card you've been given locally: it'll fit people's wallets and card holders.

How do I design the card?

1. Open the editor and choose File › New. Pick the Business card template, or the Business card blank size if you want to start from nothing.
2. Click the text to change the name, job title, phone, email and website. To add a logo, use Insert › Pictures.
3. Keep important text at least 4 mm inside the edge. Home cutting is never perfectly straight, and a phone number right on the edge can get trimmed.
4. Keep body text at around 7 to 9 pt. It looks big on screen at high zoom, so print a test to judge it.
5. Need a back? Add a second page with Insert › Page and put your logo or a short line there.

If you already have a card designed in Publisher, open the .pub file instead. Files from Publisher 2002 onwards open with their layout. See how to open a .pub file online.

How do I print 8 cards on one sheet?

1. Choose File › Print.
2. Under Copies per sheet, pick 8 per A4 sheet (2 × 4) or 8 per Letter sheet. An A3 sheet fits 16.
3. Leave Crop marks for cutting ticked. The editor leaves a 10 mm edge around the sheet and 6 mm gaps between cards, so the marks sit in the gaps.
4. Click Print. In your browser's print window, set Margins to None, Scale to 100% or Default (never "Fit to page"), and turn on Background graphics so coloured backgrounds print.

Each page of your publication gets its own sheet, so a two-page card prints a sheet of fronts and then a sheet of backs. You can also choose Save as PDF as the printer and take the PDF to a copy shop.

What paper and printer settings work best?

We can't recommend a specific card weight for every printer, because home printers vary a lot. These steps keep you out of trouble:

• Check your printer's limit first. Its manual or the maker's website lists the heaviest paper it accepts and which tray to use. Thick card often feeds better from a rear or manual feed slot with a straighter path.
• Tell the printer it's card. In the printer's own settings (often under More settings or Printer properties), choose a heavy paper or card type. This changes how ink or toner is laid down.
• Match the card to the printer. Inkjet and laser printers need different coated papers. The packet usually says which it's for.
• Print a test on plain paper. Measure a card with a ruler: it should be exactly 90 mm wide, or your chosen size. If it's smaller, something is still scaling the page.

How do I line up double-sided cards?

The cards are centred on the sheet, so a sheet of backs lines up with a sheet of fronts if your printer feeds straight. Home printers can shift a sheet by a millimetre or two, though, so:

• Print fronts and backs on plain paper first, hold the sheet up to a window and check they line up.
• Give the back a plain background or a design with no border near the edge. Small shifts then don't show.
• On a printer without automatic two-sided printing, print the fronts, put the sheet back in the tray the right way round, then print page 2 only using Pages › Custom range.

How do I cut them neatly?

• Use a metal ruler and a sharp craft knife on a cutting mat, or a guillotine or rotary paper trimmer.
• Cut the long lines first. Line the ruler up with a pair of crop marks, cut right across the sheet, then cut the strips into cards.
• Change the blade often. A blunt blade tears card instead of cutting it.
• Expect each card to lose a sliver if you cut slightly inside the marks. That's why text needs a safe gap from the edge.

Home printing or a print shop?

If a printer asks for bleed, tick Show 3 mm bleed line on the page panel and stretch any background colour out to that line before exporting. Our PDF guide explains the export settings.

Common questions