How to Make Print-Ready Business Cards

When it comes to printing your business card, one of the hardest aspects is formatting your business card correctly, so it comes out as expected when printed. During the design process, your business card needs to be appropriately formatted into a print-ready file so the printer can pop out your design perfectly. Otherwise, all of your hard work and time spent can go right down the tube. If you are looking to create print-ready business cards, check out these helpful business card printing tips.

• Your color mode needs to be set correctly. RGB color mode is set for screens, not for print output. So instead, set your color mode to CMYK when creating print-ready business cards. CMYK is the color model used in the printing world.

• Make sure the resolution is set correctly. If the resolution of your file is set to low, your design will come out “fuzzy” looking. 300 dpi resolution is the industry standard for print, so ensure your file is set for that resolution and not at 72 dpi, the resolution for screen.

• If you don’t think your font size will affect the quality of your print, think again. A business card needs to be legible, so avoid using small fonts. Otherwise, your card may not be readable once it’s printed. To help prevent this, make sure you never use a font lower than 8pt.

• During the design process, make sure you leave your final design file as a layered, editable one. In many cases, the design final is needed for the printer, so make sure you have your design layered, and ensure that each layer is labeled correctly. Also, be sure to include the link to any commercial fonts purchased/used.

• While there are the standard dimensions used in the print industry, you should still check with your printer beforehand. Meaning, before you send out any artwork or design, you should check the specs beforehand with your printer to ensure that your work is the correct size and bleed. Also, make sure your file is saved as the correct file format.

• Be cautious when it comes to bleeds. While you want to stretch your design to the edge of the bleed area to ensure an excellent printing job, make sure you never include anything important (design or text) past the bleed, since it may be cut off during printing. Also, avoid adding borders to your business card. With the bleed, there’s a good chance that your border will look lopsided once printed.