Visiting Card Size in India and What to Print on It

By Neha·Published October 19, 2026

A visiting card is still how many Indian customers remember a business. The plumber's card stuck on the fridge, the CA's card in the wallet, the tailor's card on the counter. A badly sized card that will not fit a wallet, or one with a phone number too small to read, quietly loses you the next call.

This guide covers the standard visiting card size in India, what to print on it, how to add a QR code, how to choose paper in plain words, and how to print ten cards on one A4 sheet.

Short answer: The common visiting card size in India is 3.5 × 2 inches, which is about 89 × 51 mm. Print your name, business name, one or two phone numbers, WhatsApp, and your area and city. Add a QR code that opens your website or a WhatsApp chat. Use 300 to 350 gsm card with a matte finish for most businesses. Ten cards fit on one A4 sheet.

What is the standard visiting card size in India?

The size most Indian print shops use is 3.5 × 2 inches, or about 89 × 51 mm, in landscape. This is the same as the common US business card size, and it fits standard card holders and most wallet slots.

Some printers also offer European sizes such as 85 × 55 mm or 90 × 55 mm. They look almost the same in the hand but are slightly taller, so they can stick out of a wallet slot made for 89 × 51 mm cards. Always ask your local press which size their cutter and templates are set for before you send a design.

Two printing words need a line of explanation. Bleed is extra background colour that runs past the cutting line, so that a slightly uneven cut never leaves a white sliver at the edge. Safe area is the inner zone where your text should stay, so that nothing gets trimmed off. Vistaprint's business card file preparation guide uses a 1/8 inch bleed, which is about 3 mm. Your local press may use its own figure, so follow their template if they have one.

What should you print on a visiting card?

Print only what a customer needs to reach you and remember you. On a card this small, every extra line makes the important ones harder to read.

1. Your business name. Exactly as on your signboard and your Google listing.
2. Your name and role. "Priya Sharma, Proprietor" or "Dr Anil Verma, Dentist". If the business name matters more, make that the largest text instead.
3. One line about what you do. "Bridal makeup and hair, Kothrud" or "GST and income tax filing for shops". Keep it under eight words.
4. Phone number. The one you answer in working hours, written in a readable way: 98765 43210.
5. WhatsApp number, if it is different from your phone.
6. Area and city. A full postal address is often too long. "Vijay Nagar, Indore" is usually enough. Add the full address if customers need to visit you.
7. Email and website, if you have them and check them.
8. A QR code, covered in the next section.

Leave out a fax number, a long list of every service, three different phone numbers and slogans that say nothing ("Quality is our motto"). A Lucknow CA does better with "Income tax, GST, company registration" than with a paragraph.

Make sure the name, phone and area on the card match your Google Business Profile and your directory listings word for word. Customers who search your name after meeting you should find the same details.

The free Visiting Card Maker has fields for exactly this list: name, role, business name, a one-line tagline, phone, WhatsApp, email, website and address. You can add your logo, pick one of three designs and choose what the QR code opens. It also warns you if a phone number looks too short or the card has no way to contact you.

Should you put a QR code on your visiting card?

Yes, for most businesses. A QR code is a square pattern a phone camera can read; scanning it opens a link without the customer typing anything. On a visiting card, it saves a customer from typing your website or saving your number by hand.

Good things for the code to open:

• A WhatsApp chat with you. Best for most local services, because the customer can message you straight away. Make the link with the WhatsApp Link Generator, which builds a wa.me link with a message already typed, such as "Hi, I got your card and want a quote".
• Your website, if it is kept up to date and works well on a phone.
• Your Google review page, on a separate thank-you card given after a job. The Google Review Link Generator makes a link that opens your review box directly. Our guide on sharing your review link on WhatsApp explains when to ask.

A few rules keep the code working:

1. Size. Print it at least about 2 cm across. A card is held close to the phone, so this is enough, but smaller codes struggle in poor light.
2. Contrast. Dark code on a light background. A light code on a dark card often fails to scan.
3. Space around it. Leave a small blank border on all sides.
4. No logo in the middle unless your printer has tested it at that size.
5. Test it on two different phones before printing a hundred cards.
6. Label it. "Scan to chat on WhatsApp" or "Scan to visit our website", so people know what will happen.

If you also show a UPI QR code at your counter, keep it clearly separate from this one. Our guide to the UPI QR code for your shop covers that side.

Which paper and finish should you choose?

For most small businesses, 300 to 350 gsm card with a matte finish is the safe choice. It feels sturdy, does not bend in a wallet and is easy to write on.

GSM is how heavy, and so how thick, the paper is. Normal printer paper is about 75 gsm. Visiting cards are usually 250 to 350 gsm. Lower than 250 gsm feels flimsy, and higher feels premium but costs more and may not feed through a home printer.

Common finishes, in plain words:

Glossy and laminated cards are hard to write on with a normal pen. If you or your staff note appointment times on the back, choose matte or uncoated card for at least that side.

Prices vary a lot by city, quantity, paper and finish, so ask two local presses for a quote on the same specification: size, gsm, finish, one side or both, and quantity.

How do you print 10 visiting cards on one A4 sheet?

Ten cards of 89 × 51 mm fit on one A4 sheet in two columns of five. A4 is 210 × 297 mm, and the cards take up 178 × 255 mm, which leaves room for a margin and for cutting.

Printing at home:

1. Make your card in the Visiting Card Maker and press Print. It lays out ten cards on an A4 page with light dashed lines to cut along.
2. In the print window, set Scale to 100%, not "Fit to page". Otherwise every card shrinks.
3. Set Margins to None.
4. Turn on Background graphics, or coloured backgrounds will not print.
5. Print one test page on plain paper. Measure one card with a ruler: it should be 89 mm wide.
6. Print on card stock your printer can handle. Check the printer's manual for the thickest paper it accepts, and feed one sheet at a time.
7. Cut with a metal ruler and a sharp paper cutter or craft knife, not scissors, for straight edges.

Home printing is fine for a first batch of 20 or 50 cards, or to test a design. For a few hundred cards, a local press gives better paper, sharper print and cleaner cuts.

Taking it to a local press: save the print page as a PDF using "Save as PDF" in the same print window. Take the PDF on your phone or a pen drive, tell the press the paper and finish you want, and ask them to check the size and cut against their template. A press may prefer your design as a single card file with bleed rather than an A4 sheet, so ask first.

A quick checklist before you print

Run through this before you print anything:

• The size is 89 × 51 mm, or matches your printer's template.
• Your phone number is readable at arm's length.
• Name, phone and area match your Google listing exactly.
• The QR code scans on two phones and opens the right page.
• There is a label under the QR code saying what it opens.
• No spelling mistakes, especially in your email and website.
• Text stays well inside the edges.
• You have printed one test sheet and checked it with a ruler.

Once your cards are out, they work best alongside the rest of your local presence. Many customers who take your card will message you on WhatsApp first, and our WhatsApp Business marketing guide covers how to handle those chats well.

Frequently asked questions

What is the visiting card size in mm and inches?

The standard visiting card size in India is 3.5 × 2 inches, which is 88.9 × 50.8 mm, usually rounded to 89 × 51 mm. When sending a design to a printer, add about 3 mm of bleed on every side, making the artwork about 95 × 57 mm, unless your printer gives you a different template.

What is the best gsm for a visiting card?

For most businesses, 300 to 350 gsm is the best balance. It is stiff enough not to bend in a wallet and still affordable. 250 gsm is acceptable for a budget batch but feels thinner. Anything heavier is a premium choice. If printing at home, check your printer's manual first, since many home printers cannot feed very thick card.

Can I print visiting cards at home?

Yes. Use a design laid out ten to an A4 sheet, set the print scale to 100% and margins to None, turn on background graphics and print on card stock your printer supports. Cut with a metal ruler and a sharp cutter. Home printing suits small batches and test runs; for larger quantities, a local press gives cleaner results.

What should the QR code on my visiting card open?

For most local businesses, a WhatsApp chat is the best choice, because customers can message you instantly. A website is good if it works well on phones and is kept up to date. Whatever you choose, test the code on two phones before printing, and add a short label such as "Scan to chat on WhatsApp" under it.

Should my visiting card have a back side?

It is optional. Most customers only need the front, with your name, number and QR code. A back side is useful for a short list of services, a map line or a space to write appointment times. Keep it simple, and choose an uncoated or matte finish on that side if anyone will write on it.