Standard Business Card Sizes: What You Need to Know Before You Print

If you’re designing or reprinting your business cards, the first thing you’ll want to get right is the size. While business cards might seem like a small detail, their dimensions directly affect how they look, feel, and fit into a wallet.

At Veesham Printing Press, we’ve printed tens of thousands of cards for professionals across Dubai and beyond. One of the most common questions we get is: “What’s the standard business card size?”
The answer? It depends on where you are, and what impression you’re going for.

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Common Standard Business Card Sizes by Region

Here’s a breakdown of the most commonly used dimensions around the world:

Region	Size in mm	Size in inches
UAE / Middle East	90 x 50 mm	3.54 x 1.97 in
US & Canada	89 x 51 mm	3.5 x 2 in
UK & Europe	85 x 55 mm	3.35 x 2.17 in
Japan	91 x 55 mm	3.58 x 2.17 in
Australia	90 x 55 mm	3.54 x 2.17 in

Most clients at Veesham choose between 90 x 50 mm (classic and widely accepted in Dubai) and 85 x 55 mm (modern and compact). Personally, if I were designing for a luxury brand or creative agency, I’d go for 85 x 55 mm; it has a slightly sleeker profile and feels more contemporary.

How to Choose the Right Size for Your Brand

There’s no single “best” size — it comes down to how you want your brand to come across. Here are a few tips:

1. Consider Your Audience

A legal or financial firm might want to stick with traditional dimensions (90 x 50 mm), while a design studio could go slightly smaller or choose a square format.

2. Fit and Function

You want your cards to fit easily in wallets, cardholders, and lanyards. Oversized or non-standard shapes can be memorable, but may get discarded if they’re impractical.

3. Design Breathing Room

Smaller cards offer less design real estate. If your card includes a logo, contact details, QR code, and social media handles, sticking to a standard rectangle is safer.

4. Print Finish Compatibility

Foil stamping, embossing, and spot UV finishes often work best on standard sizes. Non-traditional sizes may limit finishing options or increase costs.

Creative Alternatives (Still Within Practical Limits)

While most cards are horizontal rectangles, we also print:

Vertical business cards (same size, just flipped)
Square cards (e.g., 65 x 65 mm or 60 x 60 mm)
Folded business cards (90 x 100 mm folded to 90 x 50 mm)

These alternatives are great when you want your card to double as a mini brochure, appointment reminder, or product tag. We often suggest this to salons, wellness clinics, and boutique brands that need to display more information while remaining pocket-sized.

Design Tips Based on Size

Regardless of which size you choose, here are some golden rules to follow for print-ready artwork:

Bleed area: Add 3 mm bleed on all sides (e.g., for 90 x 50 mm, supply 96 x 56 mm)
Safe zone: Keep all text at least 4–5 mm away from the edge
Resolution: Minimum 300 DPI
Color mode: Always use CMYK for print, not RGB
Fonts: Avoid anything too small; 7 pt is usually the minimum

Not sure if your design is set up correctly? We’ll check it for free before printing, send it over.

Ready to Print?

Whether you have a design ready or need help choosing the right size and finish, our team is here to assist. We offer a wide range of card stocks (from textured to soft-touch), finishing options (like velvet lamination, foil, and spot UV), and same-day delivery in Dubai. Let’s get connected today!

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