Business card size in Ireland: the measurements that matter
The standard business card in Ireland is 85mm wide by 55mm tall. It is the same standard used across the UK and most of Europe, and it is the size a wallet, a card holder and a cardholder slot in a diary all expect.
The three measurements to set up
- Trim size: 85 x 55mm. The finished card.
- Bleed size: 91 x 61mm. Add 3mm on each edge. Any colour or image meant to reach the edge must run all the way out to here.
- Safe area: 79 x 49mm. Keep every piece of text and your logo at least 3mm inside the trim.
Cards are printed several to a sheet and cut in a stack, and the blade moves by a fraction of a millimetre through that stack. Bleed means a slight drift shows more of your background instead of a white sliver. The safe area means the same drift does not shave the top off your phone number.
How it compares
A US card is 3.5 by 2 inches, which is 88.9 x 50.8mm: wider and shorter. If you are handed a template from an American site, check the millimetres before you use it, or your card will come back the wrong shape. Square cards are usually 55 x 55mm and rounded corner cards are cut from the standard size with a 3mm radius.
Resolution and colour
Set the artwork at 300dpi and build it in CMYK rather than RGB. A logo saved for a website is typically 72dpi and will print soft at card size. Deep blues and bright oranges in particular shift when they are converted from screen colour to print colour, so if the shade matters, ask.
What to put on it
Name, what you do, phone, email, and the website. That is usually enough for the front. Leave the back for one thing: a logo, a short line about the business, or nothing at all. White space is what makes a card readable at arm's length in a noisy room.
We print business cards to order at exactly this size, on 400gsm silk or 300gsm uncoated card, with square or rounded corners. Standard business cards, matt laminated both sides, are the usual choice, and there is an unlaminated silk card if you write on yours. The card, the compliment slip and the letterhead can all be set from the same artwork so they match properly. Send us your logo and details and we will set it and show you a proof.
