Whether you’re a designer or not, printing business cards can seem like a total guessing game. What exact size should I design for? What the heck is “bleed,” and why is that something I want? What kind of paper should it be printed on? These are all great questions – here are 3 considerations when you’re designing business cards for your company.
1. What does “bleeding” have to do with designing business cards?
Don’t worry, “bleed” isn’t violent! It’s a technical term that’s critical to the final outcome of your business card. Bleed means that the color on the card goes beyond the edge of the card. How is it possible for anything to go beyond the edge, you ask? Well, we print your business cards on a large sheet, and print the color beyond the cut marks. In fact, bleed is done during the process of designing business cards, and on a standard business card, we prefer to allow for an 1/8in bleed.
2. Which stock is the best stock?
When it comes to stock, the options are practically endless. If we’re designing business cards to print, we typically prefer to use a heavier stock that keeps the cards sturdy, rather than flimsy and weak. After choosing weight, you must pick whether you want your business cards to be glossy or matte. That simply means we’re going to add a clear coat on top – well, or not. We can also UV coat the card to make it shiny and more durable; this is highly recommended for cards with bleed.
3. How should your company colors be arranged on your business cards?
Business cards are a great place to express your company’s individuality. Feel free to play around with different shapes, textures, and color palettes! Remember, though, that you’re dealing with quite a small canvas; as such, it’s important to keep some color theory in mind when designing business cards. In most cases, you’ll want to put dark colors on top of light colors; this provides the most contrast and is easiest to see, which is very beneficial for smaller, finer lines. Additionally, the goal of a business card is to get as much information across as possible in a short amount of time. Thus, you don’t want your colors to be too distracting. Keep this in mind as you decide how many colors to include and where you put them within your design.
For all your printing needs, business cards or otherwise, reach out to our team of printing experts here at Zipp Printing. We’d love to assist you with everything from designing business cards to printing apparel or other marketing materials. Reach out to us today!