Visiting Card Maker

What to put on a visiting card

A visiting card has one job: help someone remember who you are and reach you later. Everything on it should support that. The usual order of importance is your name, what you do, and one or two ways to contact you. Company name, logo, address and a tagline come next. Anything beyond that tends to crowd the card and push the text size down.

• Name: the way people actually address you. If everyone calls you Ram Thapa, do not print Ram Bahadur Thapa Magar unless the full name matters in your work.
• Job title: short and specific. "Civil Engineer" says more than "Technical Head".
• Phone: the number you answer. Add a second number only if callers really need it, such as an office landline next to a mobile.
• Email and website: write them in lower case and leave out "https://". People type what they see.
• Address: area and city are usually enough. A full street address helps for shops, clinics and offices that people visit.
• Extra line: a social handle, a tax or VAT number, or a WhatsApp number if that is how customers reach you.

In this tool, any field you leave empty is simply left off. The layout closes the gap, so you never get an empty line or a stray icon.

Visiting card sizes

There is no single world standard, but two sizes cover almost every print shop. The tool supports both and draws every template to fit the size you choose.

If you are not sure, choose 3.5 x 2 inches. It fits standard card holders and wallets, and almost every print shop can cut it.

Choosing a template for your work

Use the filters above the gallery to narrow the 50 templates by style. Each template keeps its own layout, so switching only changes the design. Your details stay as they are.

• Minimal: lots of white space and small type. Good for architects, designers, consultants and anyone whose work speaks for itself.
• Corporate: color bands, panels and clear structure. Suits banks, trading companies, construction firms and offices with a formal brand.
• Elegant: serif fonts, frames and gold or deep colors. Works well for law firms, jewellers, hotels, boutiques and event planners.
• Creative: curves, diagonals and geometric shapes. Good for agencies, photographers, cafes, schools and startups.
• Bold: large names and strong colors. Useful when you want to be remembered quickly, such as at trade fairs or for freelancers.

A practical test is to hold the preview at arm's length. If your name and phone number are the first things you read, the template is doing its job.

Adding your logo

Open the Logo tab and choose your file. PNG, JPG, WEBP and SVG files are accepted. The tool trims empty space around the logo and fits it inside the space each template reserves for it, so it is never stretched.

• Best: an SVG file, or a PNG with a transparent background, at least 600 pixels wide. Ask your designer for these files if you have them.
• Acceptable: a JPG on a white background. On colored templates it is shown on a white badge so the white box looks intentional.
• Avoid: a logo copied from WhatsApp or a screenshot. These are usually small and blurry once printed.

On dark templates, a dark logo would disappear. The Auto badge setting places it on a small light badge in that case. You can force the badge on or off, and adjust the logo size between 70% and 130%. If you have no logo, the templates draw a monogram from the initials of your company, or your name if the company field is empty.

Colors and fonts

Each template comes with three color presets. You can also set your own main and accent colors under Design. Your colors are kept when you browse other templates, which is a quick way to see your brand colors across many layouts. Text color switches between dark and light automatically so it stays readable on whatever color you choose.

• Use your logo colors. Pick the darker one as the main color and the brighter one as the accent.
• Keep contrast high for small text. Pale yellow or light grey text on white is hard to read once printed.
• Printed colors are usually a little darker and less bright than on screen, especially on matte paper. Very bright blues and greens dull the most.
• Use two fonts at most. The font pairings in the menu are chosen to work together. A serif name with a clean sans serif for contact details is a safe classic.

Getting it printed

Most offset and digital print shops, and many online printing services, print business cards. Download the print-ready PDF and take it on a USB drive, upload it, or send it by email. Ask the shop to print at 100% size.

• Paper: 300 to 350 gsm art card is the usual choice and feels sturdy. 250 gsm feels thin. Textured or kraft paper is available at some shops for a more crafted look.
• Lamination: matte lamination looks refined and resists fingerprints. Gloss makes colors brighter but shows scratches and glare. Writing on laminated cards with a ballpoint pen is difficult, so skip lamination on the back if you write appointment times on cards.
• Quantity: cards are usually printed in lots of 100. For a first run, 100 to 200 is plenty. You will likely change something by the time you reorder.
• Proof: ask for one printed proof before the full run, and check the phone number and email letter by letter.

Printing at home or in the office

Choose A4 sheet, 10 cards under Export. Page 1 has ten fronts and page 2 has ten backs, positioned so that each back lines up behind its front when the sheet is printed on both sides.

1. Load thick paper that your printer supports, such as 200 to 300 gsm card. Check the printer manual, as many home printers stop at around 220 gsm.
2. Print page 1 at 100% scale. Turn off "fit to page" or "shrink to fit".
3. Put the sheet back in the tray to print page 2 on the reverse, flipping on the long edge. Print one test sheet on plain paper first and hold it up to a light to check that front and back line up.
4. Cut along the crop marks with a paper trimmer or a metal ruler and a sharp blade. A trimmer gives much straighter edges than scissors.

Using the QR code

Turn on QR code on the back under Design. The default option stores a contact card (vCard): when someone scans it with a phone camera, the phone offers to save your name, phone numbers, email, website and address in one tap, with no typing. The other option opens your website.

Keep the QR code at the size the template gives it. The more details you add, the denser the code becomes. Scan the preview with your own phone before printing, and print the code dark on a white background, as the tool does. If you also accept eSewa, Khalti or bank QR payments, print that payment QR separately. Mixing two codes on one small card confuses people.

Common mistakes to avoid

• Too much text. Five contact lines is a practical maximum. Long addresses and three phone numbers force tiny type.
• Text too close to the edge. Templates keep a safe margin, so do not ask the print shop to enlarge the design.
• Low-resolution logo. A logo that looks fine on a phone can print blurry. Use the original file.
• Printing from a screenshot. Always use the PNG or PDF download, which are made at 300 DPI.
• Not proofreading. Read every digit of the phone number aloud before printing 200 cards.