Business card size: mm, inches and pixels
A US business card is 3.5 x 2 in (88.9 x 50.8 mm), a European one 85 x 55 mm. Sizes by country, in pixels at 300 dpi, with bleed and a QR code.
The standard business card in the United States and Canada is 3.5 x 2 inches (88.9 x 50.8 mm), or 1050 x 600 pixels at 300 dpi. In the UK and much of Western Europe it is 85 x 55 mm (3.35 x 2.17 inches), or 1004 x 650 pixels at 300 dpi.
There is no world standard: each country follows its printers' habit. Here are the common sizes in every unit, what to add for printing, and the QR code that fits.
What is the standard business card size in each country?
The sizes below are the trimmed sizes, the card as you hold it. Pixels are for a print file at 300 dpi, the resolution printers usually ask for.
| Where | mm | cm | inches | pixels at 300 dpi |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| United States, Canada | 88.9 x 50.8 | 8.89 x 5.08 | 3.5 x 2 | 1050 x 600 |
| UK, France, Germany, Spain, Italy and much of Western Europe | 85 x 55 | 8.5 x 5.5 | 3.35 x 2.17 | 1004 x 650 |
| Australia, New Zealand, Denmark, Norway, Sweden | 90 x 55 | 9 x 5.5 | 3.54 x 2.17 | 1063 x 650 |
| Japan | 91 x 55 | 9.1 x 5.5 | 3.58 x 2.17 | 1075 x 650 |
| China, Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia | 90 x 54 | 9 x 5.4 | 3.54 x 2.13 | 1063 x 638 |
| Much of Eastern Europe, Russia, Brazil, Mexico, South Africa | 90 x 50 | 9 x 5 | 3.54 x 1.97 | 1063 x 591 |
| Credit card size (ID-1) | 85.6 x 54 | 8.56 x 5.4 | 3.37 x 2.13 | 1011 x 638 |
The country lists follow the table in Wikipedia's article on business cards. Habits vary inside a country too, so ask your printer if you are not sure. A vertical card uses the same numbers with width and height swapped.
An 85 x 55 mm card is almost the size of a bank card, which measures 85.6 x 54 mm.
How many pixels is a business card?
It depends on the resolution, so a size in pixels alone means little. The rule is simple:
- Pixels = inches x dpi. A 3.5 inch card at 300 dpi is 3.5 x 300 = 1050 pixels wide.
- From millimetres: divide by 25.4 to get inches first. 85 mm is 3.35 inches, so 1004 pixels at 300 dpi.
- At 600 dpi every figure doubles: a US card is 2100 x 1200 pixels.
Guides differ by a few pixels because some round the millimetres and some include the bleed. Some design tools also ask for points: 1 inch is 72 points, so a US card is 252 x 144 pt and an 85 x 55 mm card about 241 x 156 pt.
What are bleed and the safe zone?
Cards are cut from a large sheet, and the cut can move a little. Two margins protect your design:
- Bleed is extra background past the cut line, so no white edge shows if the blade drifts. In the US it is usually 1/8 inch on each side, which makes the file 3.75 x 2.25 inches (1125 x 675 pixels at 300 dpi). Metric printers usually ask for 3 mm on each side: an 85 x 55 mm card becomes a file of 91 x 61 mm (1075 x 720 pixels).
- The safe zone is the margin inside the cut line where nothing important goes: text, logo, QR code. Printers usually ask for 1/8 inch (about 3 mm), some only 2 mm; 5 mm leaves more room for error.
Your print shop's template wins over any guide.
How big can a QR code be on a business card?
The short side of the card decides. Take away the safe zone at the top and the bottom, and this is the room left for the code, its white margin included:
| Card | Short side | Room for the code (5 mm safe zone) |
|---|---|---|
| US, 3.5 x 2 in | 50.8 mm | about 40 mm |
| Europe, 85 x 55 mm | 55 mm | about 45 mm |
| Eastern Europe, 90 x 50 mm | 50 mm | about 40 mm |
You rarely need all of it. As a rough guide, a code that holds a short link needs at least 2 cm (0.8 inch), and one that holds a whole contact about 3 cm, because more data means smaller squares. The code also needs an empty white margin around it. Our guide to QR code size on a business card explains the numbers and how to test a print.
How do you lay out an 85 x 55 mm card with a QR code?
Say you print in France on a standard 85 x 55 mm card, with 5 mm of safe zone. The code can be up to about 45 mm tall; you choose 30 mm with its margin, which leaves about 40 mm of width, after a small gap, for your name, title, phone and email. The print file is 91 x 61 mm with bleed, or 1075 x 720 pixels at 300 dpi.
A few words under the code, such as "Scan to save my contact", tell people what it does. If the code opens a link, the page can show more than the card has room for: a photo, every number, your socials.
Can I get a print-ready card with my QR code?
Yes, if you make a free digital business card on vCardGen. You build the card in the browser and sign in with a code sent by email. From your account you can download a picture of an 85 x 55 mm card, 1004 x 650 pixels: your details on the left, your card's QR code on the right, about 39 mm with its white margin. You can also print eight of them on one sheet with cut marks, on A4 or US Letter paper.
Two things to know. The card is the European size, so a US print shop expecting 3.5 x 2 inches will need to crop or resize it. And the picture holds no size of its own, so a program like Word may show it larger: set its width to 85 mm. You can change your card's details at any time, and the printed code keeps opening the right page.
