Category: Print Guides

The standard business card size in Canada is 3.5″ × 2″ (88.9 × 50.8 mm), the same as in the United States. If you set your design up at this size with the right bleed and safe zone, it will print and trim cleanly at almost any print shop.

Business card dimensions at a glance

What are bleed and the safe zone?

Printers print cards on large sheets and then cut them. Cutting is precise, but not perfect, so a design can shift by a fraction of a millimetre.

• Bleed is extra background, 0.125″ (3.175 mm) on every side, that extends past the trim line. It prevents thin white edges if the cut drifts.
• The safe zone is the area 0.125″ inside the trim line. Keep all text, logos and important details inside it so nothing gets cut off.

Which paper thickness should you choose?

Business card stock is measured in points, where one point is one thousandth of an inch.

• 14pt (0.014″): sturdy and economical; a great everyday choice.
• 16pt (0.016″): noticeably stiffer and more premium in the hand.
• Thicker premium stocks: for a luxury feel, often paired with soft-touch lamination or spot UV.

Setting up your file

1. Create a document at 3.75″ × 2.25″ (with bleed), or at 3.5″ × 2″ with 0.125″ bleed added in your export settings.
2. Use CMYK colour mode and 300 DPI images.
3. Keep text at least 8pt and inside the safe zone.
4. Export a high-quality PDF with bleed (and crop marks if your printer asks for them).

Using Canva? Choose a business card template, turn on View → Show print bleed, and download as PDF Print with “Crop marks and bleed” ticked.

Ready to print? See our business card options or request a quote and we’ll check your file for free.

Most printing problems, like white edges, blurry photos or colours that look different from your screen, come from the file, not the press. Run through this checklist before you send artwork and your job will come out right the first time.

The print-ready checklist

• Correct size: the document matches the finished size of the product (e.g. 3.5″ × 2″ for business cards, 8.5″ × 11″ for Letter flyers).
• 0.125″ bleed: backgrounds and images that touch the edge extend 0.125″ past the trim on every side.
• Safe zone: text and logos sit at least 0.125″ inside the trim line.
• 300 DPI images: photos are 300 pixels per inch at the printed size (150 DPI is acceptable for large signs and banners).
• CMYK colour: the document and images use CMYK, not RGB.
• Fonts embedded or outlined: so text prints in the font you chose.
• No hairlines: lines are at least 0.25pt thick so they don’t disappear.
• PDF export: a high-quality PDF (PDF/X-1a or PDF/X-4 if available) with bleed included.

Why CMYK instead of RGB?

Screens create colour with light (RGB), while printers use four inks: cyan, magenta, yellow and black (CMYK). Very bright RGB colours, like neon greens and electric blues, can’t be reproduced exactly with ink and will print duller. Designing in CMYK from the start avoids surprises.

Getting a deep, rich black

For large black backgrounds, a “rich black” such as C60 M40 Y40 K100 looks deeper than plain 100% black. For small text, use 100% K (black only) so letters stay crisp.

Checking image resolution

An image that looks sharp on screen may be far too small for print. To print 4″ wide at 300 DPI, an image needs to be at least 1200 pixels wide. Images pulled from websites or social media are usually too small.

Exporting from common tools

• Canva: Share → Download → PDF Print, then tick “Crop marks and bleed”. Choose CMYK if your plan offers it.
• Adobe Illustrator / InDesign: set 0.125″ bleed in Document Setup, then export as PDF/X-1a with “Use document bleed settings”.
• Word or Google Docs: export to PDF, and tell us the finished size you want; we’ll check whether bleed can be added.

Not sure your file is ready? Send it with your quote request; we check every file for free before printing.

People use the words interchangeably, but stickers and labels are usually made for different jobs. Choosing the right one saves money and makes your brand look more professional.

The short answer

• Stickers are made to be handed out, collected and stuck on laptops, bottles and windows. They’re usually individual, die-cut and durable.
• Labels are made to go on your products and packaging. They’re usually on sheets or rolls so you can apply many quickly and consistently.

Materials: vinyl or paper?

Cut styles

• Die-cut: cut through the sticker and backing to the shape of your design. Premium and great for giveaways.
• Kiss-cut: cut through the sticker only, leaving the backing intact, so stickers peel easily. Common for sticker sheets.
• Standard shapes: circles, squares and rectangles are fastest and most economical for labels.

Sheets or rolls?

Sheets work well for small batches and hand application. If you label more than a few hundred products at a time, roll labels are faster to apply and can be used with label dispensers or applicators.

Labelling products in Canada

If you sell prepackaged products in Canada, especially food, your labels may need specific information such as bilingual (English and French) text, net quantity and ingredients. Requirements depend on the product, so check the federal regulations that apply to you (for food, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency) before you print a large run.

Our recommendation

• Brand giveaways and merch: die-cut white vinyl stickers.
• Candles, cosmetics and jars: vinyl or paper labels on sheets for small batches, rolls as you grow.
• Shipping and packaging: paper labels or printed seals.

Need help choosing? See sticker & label options or request a quote. Short runs and samples are printed in-house in Edmonton.