Bulk Quantity • Custom Finish
Special Printing • Custom Coating
A business card is the most personal piece of print you carry. It leaves your contact information in the hands of the person you just met - and the quality of that card makes an immediate, physical impression about your standards as a professional or a business. A card printed on thin stock with muddy color signals something. A card printed on heavy 16PT stock with sharp color and a UV or matte finish signals something else entirely.
Copies America prints business cards across five product lines - from fast-turnaround standard cards to specialty finishes including suede coating and painted edges. All cards are printed at commercial press quality on 14PT or 16PT cardstock with full-color offset or digital printing. Orders ship nationwide from our Plainview, New York facility, typically within 3 to 5 business days, with rush production available on request.
Choose from our Quick service for fast turnaround on standard configurations, or our Normal service options for premium stocks, specialty coatings, and finishing that make your card stand out when it matters most.
| Standard Size | 3.5" x 2" finished - the universal business card size that fits all standard cardholders, wallets, and business card files. Rack cards are 4" x 9". |
| Paper Stock | 14PT Gloss Cover (Quick) or 16PT Gloss Cover (Standard, Painted Edge, Suede). Both are heavy, rigid cardstock. 16PT is noticeably thicker and more substantial in hand. |
| Printing | Full color both sides (4/4) or full color front, blank back (4/0). CMYK offset or digital printing at 300 DPI minimum resolution for sharp text and clean color reproduction. |
| Coating Options | Gloss UV - high-shine protective coating that makes colors vibrant. Matte - smooth, non-reflective finish preferred by professional services. Suede - velvety soft-touch coating. Painted Edge - color applied to all four card edges as a decorative finishing detail. |
| Turnaround | Next business day available for Quick Standard Business Cards. Standard production is 3 to 5 business days from file approval for all other options. Rush production available - contact us before ordering to confirm availability. |
| Quantities | Starting at 250 cards. Common quantities: 250, 500, 1,000, 2,500, 5,000. Per-card cost drops significantly at higher quantities. |
| Shipping | Nationwide to all 50 states. Standard and expedited shipping options available at checkout. |
| Document Size | 3.5" x 2" at final trim size. Set up each side as a separate page in your document, or supply front and back as separate files. |
| Bleed | Add 0.125" bleed on all four edges. Full bleed document size: 3.75" x 2.25". Any background color or image that extends to the card edge must extend into the bleed area. |
| Safe Zone | Keep all critical content - name, phone number, email, logo - at least 0.125" from the trim edge on all sides. The safe zone prevents text from being cut off during trimming. |
| Resolution | 300 DPI minimum at final print size. Images placed at 72 DPI from the web will print blurry - always use high-resolution originals. |
| Color Mode | CMYK only. RGB files will be converted during prepress, which can shift colors - especially bright blues, oranges, and greens. Convert to CMYK in your design application before submitting. |
| File Format | Print-ready PDF preferred. Flatten all transparency and embed all fonts before exporting. We also accept AI and EPS with embedded fonts and links. |
| Black Text | For small body text and fine lines, use 100% Black (K only) rather than rich black. Rich black on small text causes color registration issues that make type appear blurry. |
| 14PT Gloss UV | Our Quick business card option. Sturdy 14PT gloss cardstock with a high-shine UV coating. Bright, vibrant colors at fast turnaround. Works well for most industries and standard networking situations. |
| 16PT Gloss UV | The same gloss UV finish on heavier 16PT stock. The extra thickness is immediately noticeable - it communicates quality before the recipient reads a word. Recommended for real estate, financial services, legal, and hospitality. |
| 16PT Cover Stock Gloss | Heavy 16PT cardstock with a gloss coating and no UV overcoat. A slightly softer sheen than UV - good color reproduction with a more understated finish than high-gloss UV. A practical choice when you want premium weight without the full intensity of a UV shine. |
| 16PT Matte | Non-reflective finish with a clean, refined look. Common choice for attorneys, consultants, architects, and medical professionals who want a card that reads as authoritative rather than promotional. |
| Suede Coating | A velvety, soft-touch surface applied over 16PT stock. The tactile quality is immediately noticeable - the finish itself becomes part of the brand experience. Ideal for luxury brands, high-end real estate, and creative agencies. |
| Painted Edge | A bold accent color applied to all four trimmed edges of the card, creating a visible color band when the card is viewed from the side. Available in a range of edge colors. A distinctive detail used by designers, architects, photographers, and premium consumer brands. |
The standard business card size in the United States is 3.5" x 2" finished. This is the size that fits all standard cardholders, wallet slots, and business card filing systems. It is also the size used in Canada and most of the English-speaking world. European business cards are slightly larger at 85mm x 55mm (approximately 3.35" x 2.17"), which is worth knowing if you work with international contacts who use European-sized cardholders. Copies America prints standard 3.5" x 2" cards across all of our business card product lines. We also print 4" x 9" rack cards for display stand and counter use. If you need a non-standard size, contact us before ordering to confirm availability and pricing.
PT refers to the thickness of the paper stock - a higher number means thicker and more rigid. 14PT is a sturdy, professional cardstock that works well for most business card applications and is what we use for our Quick turnaround option. 16PT is noticeably heavier and stiffer - when you hold a 16PT card it has a weight and rigidity that communicates quality before you even look at the printing. For most professionals, 16PT is worth the modest price difference. Industries where first impressions matter most - real estate, financial services, legal, luxury retail, hospitality - almost universally use 16PT or heavier. Our Standard, Suede, and Painted Edge business cards are all printed on 16PT stock.
Painted edge business cards are printed on thick 16PT cardstock and then have a color applied to all four trimmed edges of the card - creating a visible color band or stripe when the card is viewed from the side or held at an angle. The effect is subtle when the card is lying flat on a desk but immediately visible when someone picks it up or fans through a stack. Edge colors are typically matched to a key color in the card design - a brand color, a logo accent, or a complementary tone. Painted edge cards are popular with designers, architects, photographers, creative directors, and any professional or brand where visual distinctiveness and design sensibility are part of the positioning. They are also used by luxury consumer brands, boutique hotels, high-end real estate agencies, and premium service providers who want their card to stand apart from a standard stack.
Suede business cards are printed on 16PT cardstock and coated with a specialty soft-touch laminate that creates a velvety, matte surface. The coating is applied after printing and gives the card a tactile quality that is immediately noticeable when someone picks it up - similar to the feel of a matte phone case or a high-end paperback cover. The surface has a slight grip to it and looks deeply matte with no shine or reflectivity. Colors appear rich and slightly deeper under the suede coating compared to gloss. Suede is the right choice when you want the card itself to communicate a premium or luxury positioning before anyone reads the content. It is popular with real estate professionals, financial advisors, creative agencies, beauty brands, and executive-level business contacts where the tactile impression reinforces the professional image.
Gloss UV is the most common choice - it produces bright, saturated colors and a professional shine that works for most industries. If your card design uses bold colors or photography, gloss will show them at their best. Matte is the professional services standard - law firms, financial advisors, healthcare practices, and consulting firms tend to choose matte because it reads as authoritative rather than promotional, and it eliminates glare under office lighting. Suede is the premium tactile option - the velvety coating creates a sensory experience that is genuinely memorable and positions the card as a luxury object rather than a printed utility. One practical note: suede and matte surfaces show fingerprints more readily than gloss, which is worth considering for cards that will be handled frequently before distribution. If you are unsure which finish suits your brand, contact our team and we can walk through the options with you.
Yes - this is called variable data printing. If you have multiple employees or agents who each need cards with their individual name, title, phone number, or email, we can print a complete run with unique information on each card from a single data file. You provide a spreadsheet with the variable fields and a template design with the fixed elements, and we merge the two to produce individual cards for each person in the list. Variable data business card printing is commonly used by real estate brokerages, insurance agencies, financial advisory firms, and any business that needs personalized cards for multiple team members without placing separate orders for each person. Contact us with your quantity and variable fields to get a quote before placing your order.
Set your document to 3.5" x 2" with 0.125" bleed on all four sides, making the full document size 3.75" x 2.25". Work in CMYK color mode from the start - do not design in RGB and convert at the end, as conversion shifts colors in ways that are difficult to predict. Keep all important content at least 0.125" from the trim edge on all sides. Use a minimum resolution of 300 DPI for all images. For small text and fine lines, use 100% Black (K channel only) rather than a CMYK mix, which can produce blurry edges on small type due to color registration variation. Export as a flattened, print-ready PDF with all fonts embedded. If you use Adobe InDesign or Illustrator, the PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 export preset handles bleed marks and color settings automatically. For painted edge cards, do not extend your design into the area that will receive the edge color - that area is the trimmed edge itself, not part of the printable face.
Standard production time is 3 to 5 business days from file approval, not including shipping transit time. Rush production is available on request - contact our team before placing your order if you have a deadline to confirm availability and pricing. Copies America ships business cards to any address in the contiguous United States from our Plainview, New York production facility. Standard ground and expedited shipping options are available at checkout. For large orders with specific delivery requirements, or for orders that need to ship to multiple addresses - for example, individual shipments to multiple agents at different office locations - contact us before ordering to discuss fulfillment options.
Select your product above to configure your order, or call us at 1-800-423-2679 if you have questions about stock, finish, or file setup. Our team responds within 2 hours on business days - Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST.
Get insider tips about printing, design, marketing and more on your favorite social network.
Enter your registered email address to reset your password. An email will be sent to your registered email address with a password reset link
If you don’t remember your email address please give us a call during normal business hours 9:00 am – 7:00 pm EST at 1-800-423-2679 or leave a voice mail and we will return your call next business day.
Don’t have an account?
Create a new account
