A new job, a market stall, a side business: sooner or later someone asks for your card. You can make one on your iPhone, then print it at home or send it to a print shop. This guide covers what usually goes on a card, the sizes, QR codes and printing, then how to do it with Card Cat, our business card app for iPhone.
What goes on a business card
- Your name, then what you do: a job title, a company, or both.
- One or two ways to reach you: a phone number, an email, a website. Two lines people will actually use are easier to read than every detail you have.
- Only what you want to share. A home address on a card you hand out at events is your choice, not a rule.
- The back is optional. Use it for a logo, a short tagline or a QR code, or leave it off and print single-sided.
Get the size right
- US and Canada: 3.5 × 2 in.
- Europe and most of the world: 85 × 55 mm.
Design at the real size from the start. A design stretched to fit later looks squashed. Cards are trimmed after printing, so keep your words away from the edges.
For a card that's easy to read, use dark text on a light card or light text on a dark one, stick to one or two typefaces, and make your name the largest thing on it. A logo with a transparent background (a PNG) sits on any colour; a logo on a white box looks pasted on.
Make the card in Card Cat
- Pick a design. There are six to start from: Classic, Band, Split, Minimal, Bold and Centered.
- Type your details. Name, job title, company, phone, email, website and address. Every field is optional, so fill in only what you want on the card. Until you type, the preview shows an example so you can see the design.
- Add your logo. Your whole logo is shown, never cropped. You can add a tagline for the back too.
- Choose a colour and the back. Pick one of the ink colours or your own. For the back, choose your logo, your tagline, a solid colour, or single-sided.
- Check the size. A new card starts at your region's size, 3.5 × 2 in or 85 × 55 mm, and you can switch it under Size.
Every change is saved as you type. Your cards wait in My Cards, where you can duplicate one for a colleague or a second business.
Add a QR code
Under QR code, choose Save contact (scanning adds you to the other person's contacts) or Website (scanning opens your website), then place it on the front or the back.
A code with too much in it, or printed too small, may not scan. Card Cat test-scans the card the way a phone camera would. It shows "QR code scans correctly" when the scan works. If not, it suggests a fix: choose Website, put the code on the back, or try another design. It's still worth scanning your first printed card with your own phone.
Print it at home
Tap Print & download and choose Print. Under Paper there are four choices:
- Avery 8371 (Letter) or Avery C32011 (A4) perforated card sheets, 10 cards per page. Print one test page on plain paper first and hold it against the sheet to check the alignment.
- Plain paper (Letter or A4), with cut lines. Thick paper or card stock works best; cut along the lines.
For a two-sided card, the back page is laid out for your printer's "Double-sided, flip on long edge" setting. No duplex printer? Print page 1, put the sheet back in turned over, then print page 2. You can also save or share the sheet as a PDF and print it later.
Avery is a trademark of its owner. Card Cat isn't made by or affiliated with Avery; the sheet names only say which sizes the layouts fit.
Send it to a print shop
Print shops and online printers usually ask for a PDF with bleed (the design runs a little past the edge) and crop marks (where to cut). Without bleed, a slightly off cut can leave a thin white line.
In Card Cat, choose Print shop and share the PDF. It has ⅛ in bleed for the US size or 3 mm for the European one, crop marks, and for a two-sided card the front and back as two pages, ready to upload to the printer of your choice.
Share it digitally
Not everyone needs paper. Under Image, save the front and back to Photos as PNGs, or share the front as an image, for a digital card or a social post. And with Share as contact (.vcf), you can send your details straight into someone's Contacts by AirDrop or message.
Making a card for a new job? Our guide on how to make a resume on iPhone covers the CV. Running a small business? Here's how to make an invoice on iPhone.
What it costs
The six designs, both sides, colours, your logo, QR codes, printing at home, the print-shop PDF, the image, Save to Photos, the contact file and My Cards are free, with no watermark: nothing is printed on your card except you. There are no ads, no sign-up and no account. Card Cat Pro is an optional one-time purchase that adds six Studio designs, five more typefaces for your name with a smaller or larger name, and taking the white background off your logo, on your device. More on the Card Cat page.
Your details and logo are kept on your device and in your own backups unless you share, save or print them.
Quick answers
Can I make a business card on my iPhone for free?
Yes. In Card Cat, designing, printing at home, the print-shop PDF and the image are free, with no watermark. Pro adds extra designs, type styles and a logo background clean-up.
How do I make a digital business card on iPhone?
Share an image of your card, or send your details as a contact file that goes straight into the other person's Contacts. Card Cat does both. It doesn't host your card on a web page.
How do I make a QR code business card on iPhone?
Add a QR code that saves your contact or opens your website, and test-scan it before you print. Card Cat checks the code at the card's size for you.
What size is a business card?
3.5 × 2 in in the US and Canada, 85 × 55 mm in Europe and most of the world.
Try Card Cat
Try Card Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/card-cat