Craftarea

Business Card Design

Short answer

Craftarea designs business cards from your logo and contact details: usually 2-3 options, then refinement of the chosen one. Artwork is prepared print-ready — CMYK, 2 mm bleed, outlined fonts. Timing is agreed after the project review. Send the card dimensions, stock, printed sides, finish and quantity, required date and collection or delivery location.

The most common mistake in business card design is overloading the card with information. 90x50 mm is a very small canvas: more than five or six elements will not fit while keeping the card readable. This page describes how we approach design at Craftarea — what information belongs on the card, which type sizes stay legible in print, how colour is chosen, and why the colour you see on screen differs from the printed result. Even if you already have artwork, this page is useful: it sets out the technical requirements that preflight checks.

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Key facts

Number of options
2-3, then refinement
Preparation time
Timing by agreement
Minimum type size
6-7 pt (contact details)
Colour space
CMYK
Bleed
2 mm per side
Logo format
AI, EPS, SVG (vector)
Delivery format
Print-ready PDF
Quote
Timing by agreement

What information belongs on a business card

The minimum mandatory set is: first and last name, job title, company name or logo, phone and email. A website and address are often added. Social media only when it is genuinely the main channel for the business — Instagram makes sense for a cafe, usually not for a lawyer. On a double-sided card the front holds the name and logo, while the back is a good place for a QR code, a slogan or a short list of services.

  • Name, surname, job title
  • Company logo or name
  • Phone and email
  • Website — if you have one
  • QR code — on the back, at least 15x15 mm

Typography: which type sizes stay legible in print

Type that reads fine on screen can be unreadable in print. A name is usually set at 9-12 pt, a job title at 7-8 pt, contact details at 6-7 pt. Going below 6 pt is risky, especially with light weights that thin out on press. No more than two typefaces should appear on one card; usually a single family in different weights is entirely sufficient. When mixing Georgian and Latin text, the typeface must fully support both scripts.

Colour: why screen and print differ

A screen works in RGB and emits light, while print reflects light using CMYK inks. This is a physical difference and an exact match is never achievable. Bright blues, neon greens and vivid oranges suffer most — they go slightly darker in CMYK. If a brand has a strictly defined corporate colour, printing a control proof before the run is advisable. When printing on a dark field, note that a 100% black area prints greyish — a rich black build is better.

Common design mistakes

In practice five mistakes repeat most often, and all five stop at preflight. First, missing bleed, which leaves a white sliver after trimming. Second, text too close to the edge, which cutting eats into. Third, an RGB file whose colours shift in print. Fourth, unembedded fonts that substitute on another machine. Fifth, a low-resolution logo pulled off the web that prints blurred.

  • No bleed — white sliver at the edge
  • Text near the edge — trimmed into
  • RGB file — colours shift
  • Unoutlined fonts — typeface substitutes
  • Low-resolution logo — blurred edges

Design technical requirements

Design technical requirements
ElementRecommendedMinimum
Name type size10-12 pt9 pt
Job title7-8 pt7 pt
Contact details7 pt6 pt
Logo width20-30 mm15 mm
QR code18x18 mm15x15 mm
Bleed2 mm2 mm
Safe area4 mm3 mm
Resolution300 dpi300 dpi

How It Works

  1. 1

    Materials received

    We need your logo (vector preferred), contact details and, if it exists, a brand book or corporate colours.

  2. 2

    2-3 options

    We prepare options with different compositions and send you a preview version.

  3. 3

    Refinement

    We refine the chosen option according to your notes — text, colour, layout.

  4. 4

    Print preparation

    We produce the final PDF in CMYK with 2 mm bleed and outlined fonts.

  5. 5

    Approval and printing

    The final artwork is confirmed, then goes to press.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many options do I get?
Usually 2-3 different compositions. We then refine the chosen option according to your notes.
My logo is not vector — what now?
If you only have a raster version (JPG, PNG), it needs to be at least 1000 pixels wide. A smaller logo prints blurred. Where needed, vectorising the logo can be done as a separate job.
Can I choose a ready template?
Yes. If time is short we can start from a standard layout and adapt only the colours and typography to your brand.
Is a double-sided design more expensive?
In design terms the reverse is usually simple and adds little work. In printing, however, double-sided (4+4) does cost more than single-sided (4+0).
Can I supply artwork and order printing only?
Of course. In that case the file goes through preflight and, if there is a technical problem, we return it with specific notes.
How do I know the design will print well?
The on-screen version always differs slightly. For critical colours we print a control proof — that is the only reliable way to see the result before the run.

Related Services

Print-ready artwork preparationBusiness card sizeBusiness card printingCorporate business cards

Ready to order?

Send your artwork, quantity and preferred deadline — we will confirm pricing and production details after reviewing the project.

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