NEW: Free 2008 calendar artwork for your business card.
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My Choice for
Creating Graphics
Xara Xtreme
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FREE Trial Copy
Advice for Creating a Professional Business Card
Maintain a familiar market identity with print and online graphics by having consistent layouts that match your corporate image. Begin with a logo, simple or professionally designed. Next, use the same color scheme in your business card design. Each should match your web site design and other printed marketing materials.
If you do-it-yourself and want to design a card for professional printing, there are basic technical requirements that you need to consider. You will need vector graphics software that will create high resolution artwork in CMYK for 4-color printing. This tutorial is for layout only. For vector graphics design my choice is Xara Xtreme (affiliate ad link) which is less than $100. Once you select a program or if the terminology is unfamiliar, learn as you go with the help files for your software.
Business Card Layout Template
This template is shown oversized for ease of viewing and includes semi-transparent elements from this web site for sample content. Finished business cards are 3.5 x 2 inches, however the artwork is oversized because most printers will print larger and trim each edge to the standard size. Use these guidelines when creating card artwork, or visit my blog for a complimentary Xara Xtreme business card template:
- Create a rectangle 3.625 x 2.125 inches for the outside border of the card
- Keep all text within the dotted lines shown. This is what printers call the "safe area"
- The dotted line border for the safe area is 0.187 (3/16ths) from the outside on all sides
- Photos may be placed outside the safe area to the edge of the artwork, or "bleed" area
- Most printers will trim each side (1/16th), so consider what they may crop as you do the design
- Once you are satisfied with your layout, export your artwork as JPG or TIF in 300 dpi resolution
- Email your artwork to your printer of choice for their review and a price quote for placing an order
Tip: You have done well if you can place a 0.750" (1.9cm) coin on your design without touching any text. Some of my designs break this rule because of customer demands. A brief message is better than loaded content, so keep it simple.
Final Advice: Photographs in Your Design
The biggest mistake clients make when providing content for printed material is poor quality photos. Pictures taken from your web site are usually low resolution, and while they may look fine on your computer screen, they are inappropriate for professional printing. Use high resolution (300 dpi) photographs to avoid having artwork rejected by the printing company. Visit the Royalty Free Photos Directory to search through galleries of more than 200,000 high resolution free photos online. Contact me if you have any questions .
