A business card is the equivalent of an advertisement but made portable. Every serious business owner should have business cards to give out to potential clients – and it doesn’t even have to be expensive. You can learn how to print business cards all by yourself in a few easy steps.
Our business card printing guide describes each step and provides tips on choosing the right design template for your cards. Let’s get started!
How to Print Business Cards
Getting exposure for your business requires a decent investment to get started. Thankfully, business card printing is something anyone can do from home at minimal costs. So, follow the steps on how to print business cards at home below:
1. Brainstorm designs
The first step is to establish a general idea of how you want your cards to look. Here are a few tips to do it effectively:
Define your brand - Your color and font choices aren’t random or according to your taste. They need to depict specific feelings you want to evoke in your clientele (e.g., light blue for trust and openness, green for health and stability, and pink for femininity).
Choose what information to include - Besides your name and job title, add additional information like your business name, phone number, email address, website, and social media.
Choose the typography - Steer clear from novelty fonts because they tend to be juvenile and difficult to decipher. Go for Futura or Helvetica instead.
Decide between a solid color design and patterns - If you want to add a playful tone to your cards, a fun pattern can attract the looks of potential customers. On the other hand, a simple, single-color design looks sharp and professional.
2. Gather your equipment
First, you need a printer that handles card stock to print business cards. Next, get a few ink colors with your card design in mind. The fewer color options, the better for a cohesive look.
You’ll also need sturdier business card paper, which is more pliable than standard paper stock. Choose between a 14 or 16-point card stock for a matte look or 100lb glossy paper for a shiny finish. Get lamination paper to protect your cards from spills and scratches.
You can also print through design software like Canva or Adobe Illustrator or go for commercial printing services, in which case you don’t need any supplies. We’ll elaborate more on this later.
3. Choose the printing paper size and format
The standard business card size is 3.5″x 2″ because it fits in neatly with all the other cards in your wallet. However, some like to take a more creative approach and develop an out-of-the-box shape (e.g., in the form of your logo).
4. Apply the finishing touches
Finally, choose the colors, font, photos, and graphics. Elevated business cards feature QR codes, tables, charts, and other visual elements to hold the reader's attention. Choose from premade designs to save time.
5. Print the cards
If you don’t know how to print business cards with your home printer, here’s an easy way. Save the finished cards in your desired format and start printing. Take extra measures to ensure the design transfers on paper as intended (the colors go well together, the font is readable, the design doesn’t overpower the writing, etc.).
Using Canva to Print Business Cards
Canva offers a convenient business card printing solution. Their fully customizable business card templates require no more than a few clicks to pick, tweak, and print your cards for an acceptable price. Here’s how to print business cards from Canva step by step:
Open the Canva business card designer.
Choose a template based on your occupation, or pick one of the trending templates that meets everyone’s needs.
Once you’ve chosen your template, click ‘Create a business card’ at the bottom. You’ll be taken to the card editor.
Once you’re in the editor, it’s time to make the card truly your own. Choose between a pattern or solid color and add elements and text.
Save your cards as PDF, JPG, or PNG files, or order your ready-made cards through Canva Print with free standard shipping.
How to print double-sided business cards at home
If you decide to use your printer, make sure it has the option for duplex printing, meaning it can print on both sides of a piece of paper. Then, change the file orientation from portrait to landscape and create a two-sided layout.
This step is the most important: make one print on plain paper to test your creation. Once you’ve ensured that the card comes out right and the layout is in the correct order, you can print on specialized paper stock.
Costs of Business Card Printing
How much does it cost to print business cards? Consider the expenses of supplies, such as the printer, paper, and ink, when estimating the costs. High-quality business card paper costs $0.10 to $0.30 per sheet.
Example: Let’s say the paper costs $0.20, and you want to print 150 business cards. Multiply the per-sheet cost by the number of cards, and you’ll get $30.
Keep in mind that purchasing in bigger bulks sometimes qualifies you for discounts. Next, use a free designing software like Canva. If you print through them, the cost per sheet will increase since you’re also taking advantage of the design capabilities.
Sometimes, it’s better to invest more in a higher-quality product. At Canva, you’ll pay a minimum of $20.00 for 50 cards.
Conclusion
Learning how to print business cards is made easy with online card creators like Canva, which can also print your design at a fair rate. However, printing at home can be even cheaper if you already have a printer and ink.
Are you still wondering how to print business cards at home from Canva? Choose a card template and refine it in the creator mode, from shape and size to color and pattern. Then, save the design and print it yourself or order it directly from Canva.
Follow our guide step-by-step, and your cards should come out exactly as you imagined! Happy printing!