Business Card and Letterhead Design: A Print-Ready Checklist

You open the box from the printer and your phone number is sitting a millimetre from the edge. The blue you approved on screen looks grey on paper. Now you have 500 cards and no good way to use them.

This happens a lot, and it's rarely the printer's fault alone. Stationery has technical requirements that don't show up on a screen preview. Here's a checklist you can use whether you work with us or anyone else.

What a stationery set usually includes

For most small businesses, three pieces cover everyday needs: the business card (many people still say visiting card), the letterhead for quotations, invoices and formal letters, and the envelope. Our service covers all three, with print files, so they look like they belong together. That consistency matters more than any clever effect. A customer who gets a card, then a quotation, then a bill should feel the same business behind all of them.

The checklist

1. Size and orientation

The common Indian visiting card size is 3.5 x 2 inches (about 90 x 50 mm). Letterheads are normally A4. Standard envelopes vary, so check which one your printer stocks before the layout is finished. If you want an unusual size, ask the printer for a quote first, because odd cuts raise costs.

2. Bleed and safe margin

Bleed is the extra background that runs beyond the trim line, usually around 3 mm, so a slightly off cut doesn't leave white edges. The safe margin is the space inside the edge where important text must stay, usually 3 to 5 mm. Text sitting outside it risks being trimmed. If your designer hasn't mentioned bleed, ask.

3. Colour mode

Screens use RGB. Printers use CMYK. A bright neon green or electric blue on screen often dulls in print. Print-ready files should be set up in CMYK, and a small test print is the best way to confirm colours before a big run.

4. Fonts and text

Fonts should be converted to outlines or packaged, otherwise the printer's computer may swap them for something else. Keep body text above roughly 7 to 8 points on a card. Tiny text looks tidy on a monitor and unreadable in your hand.

5. Content that earns its place

• Name and role
• One phone number that you answer, ideally with WhatsApp noted
• Email and website
• Address, if customers actually visit you
• GST number on the letterhead, where your billing needs it

Don't squeeze in every service you offer. A crowded card gets pocketed and forgotten.

6. Logo quality

If your only logo file is a screenshot from WhatsApp, say so early. A low-resolution logo prints blurry, and we may need to redraw it cleanly. Send the original file if you have one.

Paper and finishes: where the real cost sits

Design is a one-time cost. Printing is what you pay for every time you reorder. Thicker stock, matte or gloss lamination, spot UV, embossing and foil all raise the printing bill, not the design bill. Our advice for a first order is to keep the finish simple: a decent thick paper and a matte look. You can add fancy touches on the second print run once you know the design works.

Common mistakes

1. Approving the design from a phone screen at a small size.
2. Ordering 1,000 cards before checking one test print.
3. Putting a light grey phone number on a white card.
4. Forgetting that a letterhead needs blank space to actually write or print on.
5. Changing the phone number after printing because it wasn't double-checked.

Cost and timeline

Our Business Card and Stationery service costs ₹4,000, delivered in 3 days. It includes a business card, letterhead and envelope design with print files. It's one fixed set rather than tiers, and printing itself is paid to your printer separately. Delivery time assumes we get your text, logo and any colour preferences at the start. If you also want an extra item, such as a bill book or an ID card, tell us and we'll confirm separately.

Who it suits

Shops, clinics, consultants, small manufacturers and freelancers who want a clean, consistent identity on paper. If you need a full brand identity with logo design and guidelines, that's a bigger project than this service.

How we handle this at DegitalService

You send us your details and logo. We design the set with matching layouts, then deliver print-ready files that you can pass to any printer. We'll agree what the revision allowance is before we begin, so you know how many rounds of changes to expect. See the full description on the Business Card and Stationery page, or message us with questions about your printer's requirements. If you're ready, place your order here.