Business card · US / Canada
US standard business card
The most common business card size in the United States and Canada. Equivalent to 3.5 × 2 inches. It is wider and shorter than the European 85 × 55 mm card and sits in most wallets and card holders without issue. With the standard 3 mm bleed the export size becomes 94.9 × 56.8 mm.
Exact dimensions (trim size)
| Unit | Width | Height |
|---|---|---|
| Millimetres (mm) | 88.9 | 50.8 |
| Centimetres (cm) | 8.89 | 5.08 |
| Inches (in) | 3.5 | 2 |
| Pixels @ 72 DPI | 252 | 144 |
| Pixels @ 96 DPI | 336 | 192 |
| Pixels @ 150 DPI | 525 | 300 |
| Pixels @ 200 DPI | 700 | 400 |
| Pixels @ 300 DPI | 1,050 | 600 |
| Pixels @ 600 DPI | 2,100 | 1,200 |
88.9 × 50.8 mm
Layout recommendations
On a card this size, less is almost always more. The most legible layouts use one or two typefaces, a clear hierarchy (name → role → contact), and generous internal padding. A 4–5 mm internal margin keeps text away from the safe-area boundary.
- · Name: 10–14 pt
- · Role / company: 8–10 pt
- · Contact details: 7–9 pt
Single-sided vs double-sided
Double-sided cards (logo or branding on the back, contact info on the front) cost slightly more to print but read as more considered. If you do go double-sided, account for slight front-to-back registration drift — keep any thin lines or edges at least 1 mm clear of the opposite-side edges.
From template to press-ready file
Export at 3.75 × 2.25 in with crop marks, 300 DPI images, fonts outlined or embedded; PDF/X-1a is the most widely accepted press format and many workflows also take PDF/X-4. US gang-run pricing is aggressive precisely because everyone submits this same geometry — a non-standard size quietly moves you to the expensive queue.
Keep text 0.125 in inside the trim (our generator’s green safe box), and remember the registration rule: thin borders near the edge advertise every half-millimetre of cutter drift.
Frequently asked questions
What is the standard US business card size?
3.5 × 2 inches, which is 88.9 × 50.8 millimetres. This has been the dominant size in the US and Canada for decades, originally derived from credit-card-adjacent dimensions.
What is the export size with bleed?
With the standard 3 mm bleed on all sides, the final export size is 94.9 × 56.8 mm. The trim line stays at 88.9 × 50.8 mm; the extra 3 mm is for the printer to cut into.
Where should text and logos sit?
Keep all important content inside a safe area roughly 3 mm in from the trim line. That means a usable safe area of about 82.9 × 44.8 mm. Anything outside that is at risk of being cut.
Does this size work in Europe and Asia?
It will work in most international card holders, but it is noticeably wider and shorter than European (85 × 55 mm) and Japanese (91 × 55 mm) cards. If you exchange cards internationally, designing for one region and trimming for another is common.
What DPI should I export at?
For commercial print, 300 DPI minimum. At trim size, that is approximately 1050 × 600 pixels; with bleed, 1121 × 670 pixels.
What pixel size is a 3.5 × 2 in card?
All whole numbers, because the size is inch-defined: 1050 × 600 px at 300 DPI trim; with the US 0.125 in bleed (3.75 × 2.25 in) the artwork is 1125 × 675 px. In PDF points the trim box is exactly 252 × 144 pt.
Will a US card fit European card holders?
Usually, with play. The US card (88.9 × 50.8 mm) is about 4 mm wider and 4 mm shorter than the EU 85 × 55 — it slides into most EU wallets and sleeves but sits loose vertically, and a tight EU-cut leather slot can pinch the extra width. If your market is mixed, the EU size travels better.
Why does the bleed differ from European specs?
Convention, not physics: US printers standardise on 0.125 in (3.175 mm) where European shops say 3 mm. The 0.175 mm difference is far below cutting tolerance — what matters is submitting the exact figure your printer’s spec sheet names, so their preflight passes without “fixing” your file.