CR80 card size: mm, inches and pixels

A CR80 card is 85.60 × 53.98 mm (3.370 × 2.125 in), 0.76 mm thick, with 3.18 mm rounded corners. At 300 dpi that is 1011 × 638 pixels. CR80 is the card industry’s name for the ISO/IEC 7810 ID-1 format: the size of a credit or debit card and of most hotel keys and ID badges.

To check a design against these numbers, drop it into the free CR80 card template and artwork checker. It draws the trim, bleed, safe area, chip and stripe at true scale and flags anything too close to an edge.

What are the exact CR80 card dimensions?

The nominal CR80 card is 85.60 × 53.98 mm with 3.18 mm corners and 0.76 mm thickness, as set by ISO/IEC 7810:2019. ISO notes that the card was first designed in inches, which explains the odd metric values: 3.370 in, 2.125 in, 1/8 in corners and 30 mil.

Why do some sources say 3.375 inches?

Because 3.375 in is a rounded figure that happens to be the widest card ISO allows; the nominal width is 3.370 in. ISO/IEC 7810 lets a new card measure 85.47 to 85.72 mm wide, which is 3.365 to 3.375 in. US printer drivers, templates and suppliers round the card up to 3.375 × 2.125 in (85.725 × 53.975 mm).

The 0.125 mm difference is invisible on a card but matters in pixels, because 3.375 in at 300 dpi lands exactly on a half pixel.

How many pixels is a CR80 card?

At 300 dpi a CR80 card is 1011 × 638 pixels; at 600 dpi it is 2022 × 1275. For any other resolution, divide millimeters by 25.4 and multiply by the dpi (dots, or pixels, per inch), then round to the nearest whole pixel. Print needs 300 dpi at the finished size (see the guide to image resolution for print).

Why do pixel charts say 1011, 1012 or 1013 pixels?

They start from different widths and round halves in different ways, but all three describe the same card at 300 dpi. 1011 px is the ISO width, 3.370 in × 300. 1013 px starts from 3.375 in: 3.375 × 300 = 1012.5, rounded up. 1012 px is that 1012.5 rounded down.

A second error shows up in AI answers: 324 × 204 px listed as the 72 dpi size. That is the 96 dpi size; at 72 dpi the card is 243 × 153 px. The table below traces every pixel size you are likely to meet back to where it comes from.

Our rule: start from the ISO size, round halves up and add the bleed your printer asks for. If your printer publishes its own canvas, use that instead.

How big is a CR80 card with bleed?

With 3 mm bleed on every side, CR80 artwork is 91.60 × 59.98 mm, or 1082 × 708 px at 300 dpi. With 1/8 in bleed it is 91.95 × 60.33 mm, or 1086 × 713 px.

Bleed is background that runs past the cut line, so no white sliver shows if the cut drifts (see what bleed is in printing). Factories that punch cards out of printed sheets need it. Direct-to-card printers do not, and retransfer printers build about 1 mm of overprint into their canvas.

Which bleed to use is the printer’s call. Of 40 card-factory artwork guides we reviewed, 16 asked for 1/8 in and 9 for 3 mm, and 35 asked for 300 dpi images. Keep text and logos at least 3 mm inside the trim; the bleed and safe area calculator builds a template for any of these values.

What image size does a desktop card printer expect?

Most desktop card printer makers publish a 300 dpi canvas. Direct-to-card printers print straight onto a blank card, so the file has no bleed and the canvas is within a millimeter of the card size. Retransfer printers print onto a film and fuse it to the card about 1 mm past each edge, so their canvas is larger.

Sources: Zebra’s ZC350 spec sheet (“Image size: 1006 x 640 pixels”), the Entrust Sigma DS4 card design guide, Magicard’s card templates and printer manuals, and MagTek’s card design recommendations. HID Fargo’s direct-to-card printers publish a print area (85.3 × 53.7 mm) rather than a canvas, and Evolis asks for a CR80 page (8.6 × 5.4 cm); for those, send the exact card at 1011 × 638 px and check a test print.

Even edge-to-edge printing can leave a fine white line, because punched PVC cards have a slightly rounded edge, as Magicard’s manuals warn. It shows most on dark backgrounds.

How much can a real card differ from 85.60 × 53.98 mm?

ISO lets a new card measure 85.47 to 85.72 mm wide and 53.92 to 54.03 mm tall, 0.68 to 0.84 mm thick, with corners of 2.88 to 3.48 mm. Embossed or well-used cards may grow slightly more.

The limits hold at 23 ± 3 °C and 40 to 60% relative humidity, and thickness is measured away from raised parts such as the stripe, chip and embossing. A 3 mm corner, which some templates use, is in tolerance; the nominal 3.18 mm is 1/8 in.

What other card sizes are there?

Besides CR80, the industry uses a few other CR sizes, and ISO defines three more formats. CR names are trade names with no standard behind them, so suppliers’ figures vary slightly; ISO sizes are exact.

Is a vertical ID card a different size?

No. A vertical (portrait) ID card is the same CR80 card turned a quarter turn: 53.98 × 85.60 mm, or 638 × 1011 px at 300 dpi. Some printer makers state their canvas in portrait, as Entrust does with 638 × 1013 px. Turn the card clockwise so a chip ends up at the top; where the chip goes on a card gives the portrait coordinates.

Where do the chip and magnetic stripe go on a CR80 card?

The chip sits on the front, left of center, and the stripe runs along the top of the back. Plate sizes, contact positions and keep-clear zones are in chip position on a card; tape widths, tracks and the flat zone are in magnetic stripe dimensions. For the surface itself, see gloss vs matte vs frosted cards.

Ready to set up a file? The free CR80 card template and artwork checker exports PSD, SVG, PDF and PNG files with 3 mm, 2 mm or 1/8 in bleed, or a PNG at each printer canvas above, and checks your artwork against them. The free 3D credit card mockup generator then shows the finished card at true scale, front and back. If you make cards for customers, ProofScene turns your production proof-sheet PDF into an interactive 3D proof they can turn over before they sign off; see card and credential proofing or try it with a free account.