What to Put on Your Business Cards (and What to Leave Off)

Your business cards need your name, your title, your business name and logo, one or two ways to reach you, and your website. Leave off anything that will change soon or that nobody uses, keep the design consistent with your website, and send files with bleed and the right color settings so the card prints the way it looked on screen.

Business cards still matter because they get you looked up.

You meet someone at a networking breakfast. You talk for five minutes, swap cards and move on. That night, they pull your card out of their pocket and look you up.

That is the card’s real job: get you found, and make sure what they find feels like the same company they just met. If the card says one thing and the website looks like a different business, you have given them a question you never wanted them to ask.

So a business card is not a brochure. It is a bridge. Keep it short, make it easy to act on, and make it match everything else.

The essentials, in order of importance.

1. Your name. The way people should address you.
2. Your title or role. Something a stranger understands. “Owner” or “Project Manager” beats an internal title nobody outside your office uses.
3. Your business name and logo. The same versions you use on your website and signs.
4. One or two ways to reach you. Usually a direct phone number and an email address. If you list a main line instead of a direct line, make sure it reaches a person.
5. Your website. Short and readable. Leave off “https://” and “www.” if your site works without them.
6. Your address, but only if customers visit you there.

Nice to have

• A QR code that goes somewhere useful, such as a contact card, a booking page or a specific landing page. Test it before you print.
• One social profile, if you actually post there and it matters to your customers.
• A short tagline or list of services, if your business name does not explain what you do.

What to leave off your card.

Every extra line makes the important ones smaller. Cut these:

• A fax number, unless your customers truly fax you
• Every social network you have an account on
• A paragraph of services in tiny type
• A personal email address for business use
• Anything that will change soon, like an office you are about to leave or a number you are retiring
• Multiple phone numbers with no explanation of which to call

If you need more room, use the back. A clean front with the essentials and a back with your services, a QR code or a short line about what you do is easier to read than a crowded single side.

Paper and finish change how the card feels in the hand.

People judge a card by touch before they read it. The stock and finish you choose say something before your name does.

• Standard coated stocks are a reliable everyday choice with crisp color.
• Uncoated or linen stocks feel more natural and are easy to write on, which helps for appointment cards.
• Soft-touch laminates, like suede or silk, feel smooth and premium.
• Spot UV and foil add shine or texture to a logo or a single detail.
• Thick cards with painted edges stand out in a stack and feel different from anything else in someone’s wallet.
• Rounded corners or custom shapes can fit a playful or distinctive brand.

If you are torn, ask your printer for samples. Holding two options side by side settles the question faster than any screen preview.

Don’t cut corners on file setup (unless you want rounded ones).

Most printing problems start with the file, not the press. If you are sending your own artwork, check these before you upload:

• Bleed. Extend backgrounds and edge-to-edge images past the trim line, usually an eighth of an inch on each side. Confirm the exact amount with your printer.
• Safe zone. Keep text and logos well inside the trim, so nothing important gets cut off.
• Color mode. Print uses CMYK. Files built in RGB for screens can shift color when printed, especially bright blues and greens.
• Resolution. Use high-resolution images, typically 300 dpi at the printed size. A logo pulled from your website is usually too small.
• Fonts. Embed or outline them, so the printer sees the type you chose.
• File format. A print-ready PDF is the safest choice.

At Atomic Interactive, a designer reviews every file before it goes to press, checking bleed, resolution, fonts and color, and nothing prints until you approve the proof.

A business card checklist before you order

• My name and title are spelled correctly and read clearly.
• The logo matches my website and signs.
• The phone number and email are current and reach a person.
• The website address is short and works when typed.
• The QR code, if any, has been tested and points somewhere useful.
• Nothing on the card is about to change.
• The smallest text is still readable at arm’s length.
• Artwork has bleed, a safe zone and CMYK color.
• Images are high resolution and fonts are embedded or outlined.
• I have seen and approved a proof.

Your next step: set your card next to your website.

Pull up your website on your phone and hold your current card next to it. Do the colors, logo and type match? Is the contact information the same? If not, fix the card when you next reorder, and order cards for the whole team at once so they match each other too.

When you are ready, see Atomic Interactive’s business printing options, from standard cards to thick painted-edge stock.