Someone at a meetup asks for your card and you've run out, or you never printed any. A digital business card gets your details onto their phone there and then, and you can still print the same card later. This guide covers the kinds of digital card, what to put on one, and how to make and send yours with Card Cat, our business card app for iPhone.
Three kinds of digital business card
"Digital business card" can mean a few different things:
- A picture of your card. The same card you'd print, as an image you can text, post or keep in Photos. People see your design and your details, but they still type the details in themselves.
- A contact file. A small file (a .vcf) with your name, number and email. When someone opens it, their phone offers to add you to Contacts, so nothing gets typed by hand.
- A QR code. A code on your card, printed or on screen, that someone scans with their camera to save your contact or open your website.
Some services also host your card on a web page with a link. That usually means an account with them, and your details sit on their servers. Card Cat doesn't do that: it makes the picture, the contact file and the QR code on your iPhone, and you send them yourself.
What to put on it
The same rules as a paper card apply:
- Your name, then what you do: a job title, a company, or both.
- One or two ways to reach you that you actually answer, such as a phone number and an email, plus a website if you have one.
- Only what you're happy to pass around. A digital card is easy to forward, so think twice before adding a home address.
Our guide on how to make a business card on iPhone has more on layout, colour and sizes.
Make the card in Card Cat
- Pick a design. There are six free ones to start from.
- Type your details on the Details step: name, job title, company, phone, email, website and address. Every field is optional, so fill in only what you want to share.
- Add a logo if you have one. A PNG with a transparent background looks best.
- Choose a colour and the back on the Design step: your logo, a tagline, a solid colour, or single-sided.
Your card is saved as you go, and it waits in My Cards for next time.
Send a picture of your card
Tap Print & download, then switch Use to Image.
- Save to Photos saves the front, and the back too if your card has one, as high-resolution PNGs.
- Share image sends the front only, so it's the one to use when the front carries your details.
A picture is good for a message, an email signature or a social post. Keep in mind that the person still types your details in from it, which is where the contact file helps.
Send your details as a contact
On the same Print & download screen, tap Share as contact (.vcf) and send it by AirDrop or message. The file holds the name, job title, company, phone, email, website and address you typed, and leaves out any you didn't. It doesn't include your logo, tagline or design. It's plain text in the standard vCard format, so the other person usually needs no extra app to open it.
Add a QR code
On the Design step, under QR code, choose:
- Save contact: scanning offers to add you to their contacts, with the same details as the contact file.
- Website: scanning opens your website. Type your website on the Details step first, or the code won't show.
Then pick Front or Back under Place on. Card Cat test-scans the card as you edit and shows "QR code scans correctly" when it works. If you've typed a lot, a contact code can get too dense for a card, and Card Cat suggests choosing Website or putting the code on the back. Our guide on how to add a QR code to a business card goes into more detail.
The code is drawn on the side you placed it, in the card's image too. Save to Photos saves both sides, but Share image sends only the front, so put the code on the front if you'll share the image. Then someone can scan it straight off your screen. Try it once with a friend's phone before you rely on it, since screens and cameras vary.
Digital and paper together
You don't have to pick one. The same card prints at home on card sheets or plain paper, or goes to a print shop as a PDF with bleed and crop marks. Our guide on how to print business cards at home walks through it. A printed card with a Save contact code gives people both: something to keep, and your details in their phone with a scan.
What it costs
The six designs, both sides, colours, your logo, QR codes, the image, Save to Photos, the contact file, printing at home, the print-shop PDF 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 digital business card for free?
Yes. In Card Cat, the image, the contact file and the QR code are free, with no watermark and no account.
How do I send my business card from my iPhone?
In Card Cat, tap Print & download. Send a picture with Share image, or your details with Share as contact (.vcf), by AirDrop or message.
Does a digital business card need an app to open?
Usually not an extra one. A picture opens like any photo, a .vcf contact file opens in the phone's Contacts, and a QR code scans with the camera.
Does Card Cat give my card a web link?
No. Card Cat doesn't host your card online. You send the picture or contact file yourself, or let people scan the code.
Try Card Cat
Try Card Cat: free, no watermark, no sign-up → iyio.com/apps/card-cat