Business cards are still worth printing if you regularly meet customers in person: tradies quoting on site, practitioners, stallholders, anyone at expos. If your business mostly happens online, they tend to sit in a drawer. We’ve had clients order 1,000 cards and use 40, and tradies come back for their third reprint in a year. The difference isn’t the design. It’s whether the business has moments where handing something over is the natural thing to do.
Who still gets value from cards
Cards make sense when you meet people face to face and they need a way to find you later. That covers more businesses than you’d think:
- Tradies who quote on site. Leaving a card on the bench with the quote is still normal, and people stick them on the fridge.
- Health practitioners and allied health, where a card doubles as an appointment reminder and a referral tool. GPs and other practitioners pass them on.
- Retail and hospitality, at the counter, in the bag, or as a loyalty card.
- Anyone who goes to markets, expos or networking events. People collect cards there and sort through them later.
- Real estate, finance and other “trusted adviser” roles, where the card is part of looking established.
Cards matter less if your business is mostly online, your customers book through an app, or you rarely meet anyone in person. In that case, a well-designed email signature and a QR code on your shopfront will do more.
A practical test: count the number of times in the last month you’d have handed a card over if you’d had one. If it’s fewer than five, start with a small run of 250 or skip them.
What to put on it
Less than you’d expect. A card’s job is to remind someone who you are and let them contact you. This is what we’d include, in order of importance:
- Your name and what you do. “Sam Turner, Licensed Electrician” tells people more than a job title like “Director”.
- One phone number. A mobile for most sole traders.
- Your website. Short and readable, without the https://.
- Your email, if people use it to contact you.
- Your logo. Big enough to recognise, not so big it crowds the details.
Then the things that depend on your business:
- Licence or registration number. Many trades have to show their licence number on advertising, and a card counts. Rules vary by trade and state, so check with your regulator (NSW Fair Trading for most NSW trades) before you print. Health practitioners might include their AHPRA registration, or a provider number if patients need it for referrals.
- ABN if you deal with businesses who’ll need it for invoicing.
- Address only if people come to you.
- A QR code, pointing to a booking page, your Google reviews or a vCard that saves your details to their phone.
Leave off: fax numbers, every social media icon you’ve ever had, a list of 12 services, and a slogan nobody remembers. If someone needs more, that’s what the website is for.
Size and layout
The standard Australian business card is 90 x 55 mm. Stick with it. Odd sizes look interesting and don’t fit in wallets or card holders.
Use both sides if you can. The front for your logo and a short line about what you do; the back for contact details. Double-sided printing costs a little more and gives everything room to breathe.
Type should be at least 7 to 8 point for contact details, and bigger is better. Thin, pale grey text on a white card might look elegant on screen. In real light, in someone’s hand, it’s often unreadable. Our typography basics guide explains why weight and contrast matter as much as size.
Paper and finish
This is where a card goes from “fine” to “keeper”. Weight is measured in gsm (grams per square metre):
- 300 to 350 gsm is the standard range for most online printers. It’s fine, but feels a bit thin compared to better cards.
- 400 gsm and up feels noticeably more substantial. It’s usually only a small step up in price and worth it.
- Uncoated stock (no shiny coating) feels natural, takes pen, and suits earthy, handmade or professional brands. Colours print a little softer.
- Matte or satin coating is a safe, smooth all-rounder.
- Gloss shows off photos but picks up fingerprints and can feel cheap.
Finishes worth considering if your budget allows:
- Soft-touch (velvet) laminate, which gives a smooth, slightly rubbery feel. People notice it.
- Spot UV, a glossy coating on just one element such as the logo.
- Foil, metallic gold, silver or copper. Lovely on a minimal design, garish on a busy one.
- Recycled or textured stocks, for brands where sustainability is part of the story.
Ask your printer for samples. Most will post a pack for free, and feeling the paper settles the decision faster than any description.
Common mistakes
- Text too close to the edge. Printers trim with a small tolerance. Keep everything important at least 4 to 5 mm inside the edge.
- A logo file pulled off the website. It’ll print fuzzy. Send a vector file in CMYK.
- Printing 1,000 to save money, then changing your phone number.
- Mixing too many fonts and colours. One typeface, two weights, and your brand colours is plenty.
Your next move
Count your handover moments from last month. If cards make sense, order a short run of 250 on decent stock and see how fast they go. If they don’t, put the money into your Google Business Profile instead.
If you’re designing cards alongside a flyer, the same discipline applies: one message, generous space. We’ve written about that in designing a flyer people actually read. And if your logo files aren’t print-ready, our graphic design team can sort the card and the files in one go, or just ask us what you need.