Campaign & Field|Commercial Print

Business Cards

Printed heavy, cut clean, and ready when the rest of the job is. Order them on their own or alongside the mail program so the card, the literature, and the mailer all match.

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At a glance

Sizes 3.5x2

Stock 100lb Gloss Cover, 14pt, 14pt Uncoated, 16pt

Coating / finish AQ, UV Front Side, UV Both Sides, None / Uncoated

Print sides 4/0 Full Color Front Only, 4/4 Full Color Both Sides

Mailing Not a mailpiece — produced for hand distribution, display or fulfillment

Standard 3.5 x 2 in cards on heavy cover stock - the exact stocks and finishes are listed under At a glance.

Cards typically ride along with the rest of an order, so they finish when the job ships. See turnaround times.

Overview

About business cards

A business card is the smallest piece of brand infrastructure you own and the only one you hand over in person, so it earns the same color management and stock quality as everything else on the order. A card that arrives limp, off-color, or trimmed crooked undercuts the polish of the literature it is handed out with. We treat it as part of the same job rather than an afterthought printed on whatever was loaded.

The geometry is simple and unforgiving. The standard card is 3.5 by 2 inches, printed front-only or on both sides. Background art and photos need to run 0.125 inch past the trim on all four edges so that when the sheet is cut to size there is no sliver of white at the border, while names, logos, and phone numbers stay inside a safe area set in from the cut. Preflight checks that bleed and safe margin before anything runs, so a logo does not get shaved off in finishing.

Stock and finish are where a card starts to feel like a brand decision. 14pt cover is the standard weight, sturdy without bulk and right for most runs; 16pt cover has a noticeably heavier hand when you want the card to feel premium the moment it is picked up. Finish sets the signal on top of the weight: an aqueous (AQ) coat adds a smooth, low-glare protective surface, UV gives a high-gloss shine that makes color pop and photography snap, and uncoated feels natural in the hand and takes pen for anyone who writes a note on the back. The stocks offered are listed under At a glance.

Two production details save reprints. QR codes are verified scannable at print size during preflight, because a code that resolves on screen can choke once it is 0.6 inches wide with tight quiet zones and gloss glare over it. And because color is managed across the order, cards printed with your postcards, self-mailers, and signs come out consistent piece to piece rather than close-but-not-quite when each is printed in isolation weeks apart.

End to end, a card order runs the same disciplined path as the mail: your print-ready file is preflighted for size, bleed, resolution, and QR legibility; color is proofed against the rest of the order; the job is printed, coated to the finish you chose, and cut clean to 3.5 by 2; and it releases with the larger run so everything arrives together for will-call or shipping. Reorders start from the saved artwork sized to the exact product it ran on, so the second printing matches the first.

Production & delivery

Getting your business cards to you

Business Cards are produced in Vista, California and finished ready to use — they are not USPS mailpieces. Choose will-call pickup, local delivery, or shipping when you place the order.

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Common Uses

Where business cards earn their keep

Candidates & field staff

Contact cards that match the campaign literature they are handed out with, so the walk piece, the mailer, and the card in a voter's hand all read as one program.

Companies & practices

Brand-consistent cards for a whole team, printed with the collateral they accompany so nobody is carrying a card that is a shade off from the brochure.

Events & booths

The thing people still actually keep from a table. A heavier 16pt card with the right finish survives a tote bag and a follow-up call weeks later.

Trades & home services

Cards left at the door or in the mailbox flap after a visit, printed on the same run as the door hangers and postcards that drive the route.

Referral & appointment cards

A two-sided card with a QR code to book or review, verified scannable in preflight so the scan works the first time it is pointed at a phone.

Good To Know

Before you order

Standard size is 3.5 x 2 inches; print front-only or two-sided
14pt cover is the standard weight, 16pt cover for a heavier, premium hand — full stock list under At a glance
Aqueous (AQ), UV gloss, and uncoated finishes each carry a different brand signal; uncoated takes pen ink
Art that reaches the edge needs 0.125 in of bleed on all four sides; keep text and logos inside the safe area
QR codes are verified scannable at print size in preflight, before the run
Not a mailpiece — cards are a hand-delivered product with no address or barcode zone
Color is managed across the whole order, so cards match your literature, mailers, and signs
Reorders start from your saved artwork, sized to the product it originally ran on

Questions

Business Cards FAQs

What is the standard business card size?

3.5 x 2 inches. We print them front-only or two-sided on the cover stocks listed under At a glance — 14pt cover is the standard weight, 16pt for a heavier feel — with your choice of matte, gloss, or uncoated finish.

What is the difference between 14pt and 16pt cover?

Both are heavy cover stocks; 16pt is roughly 0.016 inch thick versus 0.014 for 14pt, so it feels noticeably more substantial in the hand. 14pt is the standard and right for most runs; choose 16pt when you want the card to signal premium the moment it is picked up.

AQ, UV gloss, or uncoated — which should I pick?

An aqueous (AQ) coat is smooth and low-glare, UV gives a high-gloss shine that makes color and photos pop, and uncoated feels natural and takes pen if people write on the back. It is a brand decision more than a quality one; tell us the feel you want and we will match it.

Can you match my brand colors?

Yes. Send brand color values or existing printed pieces and we manage color across the run. This matters most when cards print alongside other collateral, so the card, the literature, and the mail all read as the same blue or red.

Do you check QR codes before printing?

Preflight verifies the code scans at its printed size, with adequate quiet zones and contrast, before the job runs — because a code that resolves on screen can fail once it is under an inch wide with gloss over it.

How do I set up my file so nothing gets cut off?

Build to 3.5 x 2 with 0.125 inch of bleed on all four sides for any art that reaches the edge, and keep text and logos inside the safe margin. Preflight flags files that miss either before production, not after.

Price your business cards

Quantity, size, and dates. Quotes come back fast, and an account is free.

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