Bleed size for business cards
The standard bleed for a business card is 3 mm (0.125 inch) on every side, and the safe margin for text is at least 3 mm inside the trim. That means you set your document up slightly larger than the finished card, run the background to the outer edge, and keep text away from the cut. The extra 3 mm all around is trimmed off, leaving the exact card size.
Open the bleed calculator, pick the business-card preset, and download a to-scale template or add bleed to your finished design.
Business card sizes with bleed
Take the finished (trim) size, add 3 mm to each side, and set your document to the result. Here are the common cards.
| Card | Trim size | Document size (with 3 mm bleed) |
|---|---|---|
| US business card | 3.5 × 2 in (88.9 × 50.8 mm) | 3.75 × 2.25 in (94.9 × 56.8 mm) |
| EU business card | 85 × 55 mm | 91 × 61 mm |
| UK business card | 85 × 55 mm | 91 × 61 mm |
| ISO / credit-card size | 85.6 × 53.98 mm | 91.6 × 59.98 mm |
| Square card | 65 × 65 mm | 71 × 71 mm |
Why business cards are unforgiving about bleed
A card is small and held close, so any edge fault is obvious. A white sliver on a large poster viewed from across a room is invisible; the same sliver on a card in someone's hand is the first thing they see. Cards are also usually printed with a full-color background and often gang-run alongside other jobs, which makes precise cutting harder. That combination is why business cards are the job printers most often reject for missing bleed.
Setting up your card correctly
- Document size, not trim size. Build the file at the document size with bleed (for example 91 × 61 mm), not the 85 × 55 mm trim.
- Background to the edge. Extend any background color or image all the way to the outer bleed edge.
- Text inside the safe area. Keep text and your logo at least 3 mm inside the trim; 4 to 5 mm looks more deliberate on a small card.
- Both sides. Apply the same setup to the front and the back.
- Export with marks. Export a print-ready PDF with crop marks and bleed. See how to add bleed in Illustrator or how to add bleed in Canva.
The fastest way to get it right is to design onto a correct template: the bleed and safe area calculator generates one to scale, with the bleed, trim and safe area on separate layers, or adds bleed to a card you have already designed.
Related reading
See what is bleed in printing, image resolution for print, and the industry page on card and credential proofing.
Business card bleed, answered
Short, straight answers to the questions we are asked most. If yours is not here, ask.
Ask us anythingWhat is the bleed size for business cards?
The standard bleed for business cards is 3 mm (0.125 inch) on every side. On a standard EU card that means a document size of 91 × 61 mm for an 85 × 55 mm card; on a US card it means 3.75 × 2.25 in for a 3.5 × 2 in card. Keep text at least 3 mm inside the trim.
What size is a business card with bleed?
Add 3 mm to each side, so 6 mm total to width and height. EU 85 × 55 mm becomes 91 × 61 mm; US 3.5 × 2 in becomes 3.75 × 2.25 in; UK 85 × 55 mm becomes 91 × 61 mm. The extra is trimmed off, leaving the finished card size.
What are standard business card sizes?
The common trim sizes are US 3.5 × 2 in (88.9 × 50.8 mm), EU and UK 85 × 55 mm, and the ISO/credit-card size 85.6 × 53.98 mm. Square cards (for example 65 × 65 mm) and mini cards are also offered by many printers.
How much safe margin do business cards need?
Keep text, logos and anything important at least 3 mm inside the trim line. On a small card, content that sits close to the edge looks like an error even when it is not cut off, so 4 to 5 mm reads better for text blocks.
Do double-sided cards need bleed on both sides?
Yes. Every side that will be printed and cut needs full bleed and a safe area. Set up the front and back at the same document size, both with 3 mm bleed.