What 500 business cards should cost

Here's how the published quotes compare. These prices are for 500 standard business cards before shipping.

SwagHawk's June 2026 comparison also lists Vistaprint at $36 and GotPrint at $36. Keep those quotes attached to that comparison rather than treating them as the November prices.

For your own order, make the comparison with the same choices selected at each printer. One-sided and two-sided cards have separate prices in the November check; don't compare a front-only quote from one company with a front-and-back quote from another.

Check the quantity behind the headline price

Vistaprint advertises business cards starting at 50 for $10. That's a different quantity from the 500-card order you're pricing here.

Start with the quantity you want. Then choose whether you need the back printed, and check the quote again before moving on to paper or finish options. Keep shipping separate while you're comparing the published print prices.

Need the back? Decide what you'd put there before selecting two-sided printing. You might keep your contact details on the front and put a QR code on the back, or keep the whole layout on the front. Sketch it either way before placing the order.

Set up the artwork before you upload

A standard US business card is 3.5 x 2 inches. Your artwork should be 3.75 x 2.25 inches, including 0.125 inch bleed on each side, with text kept inside a 3.25 x 1.75 inch safe zone.

Those are separate boundaries. Use the artwork size for the file, keep the finished card size in view as you design, and place your text within the safe zone rather than pushing it toward the edge.

Use 300 DPI images and CMYK color. Vistaprint recommends 100% black (K) for small text.

Check the QR code too. Make it at least 0.8 x 0.8 inches, and give it that space while you're arranging the layout, not after you've filled the card with everything else. Don't squeeze it into whatever corner is left.

Before you upload, look through the file against those specs: artwork size, bleed, safe zone, image resolution, color. Then read the text itself.

Pick the look without adding everything

The 2026 trend roundups from Vistaprint, Paperlust, Overnight Prints, Print Promo and Cardify point to minimal layouts with one premium detail. Bold color and earthy tones both appear in those roundups, along with textured paper, foil and spot UV finishes.

Recycled and sustainable stocks are in the mix too.

You don't need to use every idea. If you want a minimal card with a premium detail, choose the detail you want to feature and leave the rest of the layout alone. If bold color is the part you like, start there instead of adding foil just because it's another option on the order screen.

Keep the design choice separate from the price comparison. The quotes above are for standard cards; use them as your standard-card reference while you decide what you want to order.

Give the QR code a destination

QR codes and NFC chips also appear in the 2026 card trend roundups. Paperlust's April 2026 advice is to use them as additions to a printed card, never as replacements.

Choose where the QR code will lead before you finish the artwork. Heya, the builder publishing this guide, is one option for that page.

Heya Free costs $0, with no credit card and no time limit. It includes 3 sites, up to 5 pages per site and all 68 templates. You get a free yourname.heya.bio address with HTTPS, plus a small Made with Heya badge.

Want the code to lead to your existing website instead? Use that destination. Keep the printed card in the plan (not just the code), and leave room for the QR code at the recommended size.

Related guides: Business card mistakes, Business card trends, AI business card makers and QR code business cards.

More from Heya: All guides, Templates and Pricing.