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How to · Canva

How to make a print-ready business card in Canva

You designed the card. Now it has to come back from the printer looking the way it does on your screen: the right size, color to the edge, and nothing cut off. These steps get you a file any print shop can use.

Finished size
3.5 x 2 inches
Bleed
1/8 inch (0.125) on every side, added by Canva
File to send
PDF Print, with crop marks and bleed
Canva plan
Free works. CMYK color needs a paid plan

Part 1 of 3

Set up the card

  1. Step 1: Start at the finished size

    On Canva's home page choose Custom size. Set Units to in, enter 3.5 for Width and 2 for Height, and select Create new design. Or search for business card and pick the US size, 3.5 x 2 in.

  2. Step 2: Turn on the bleed

    Go to File > Settings > Show print bleed. (If you don't see it there, look under File > Rulers and guides.) Canva adds 1/8 inch around the card. The dashed line is where the card will be cut.

  3. Step 3: Turn on the margins

    Go to File > Settings > Show margins. A second line appears inside the card. Everything that must not be trimmed belongs inside it.

If you followed our older guide

It said to make the page 3.75 x 2.25 inches. Canva now adds that extra eighth of an inch for you, so a larger page puts the cut marks in the wrong place. If your card is already built that way, send it as it is and tell us. You'll see a proof before anything prints.

Part 2 of 3

Design it so nothing gets cut off

  1. Step 4: Stretch backgrounds past the cut line

    Any color, photo, or shape that should reach the edge of the card has to be dragged out to the outer edge of the bleed. If you see white gaps around the card after turning the bleed on, this is the fix.

  2. Step 5: Keep words and logos inside the margin

    Your name, phone number, email, and logo all go inside the inner line. Nothing but background belongs in the bleed.

  3. Step 6: Use sharp pictures and readable type

    Canva recommends pictures at 300 DPI for print. A quick check: zoom to 200 percent, and if a picture looks blurry there, it will print blurry. Keep type at 7 points or larger.

  4. Step 7: Add the back

    For a two-sided card, add a second page for the back and set it up the same way.

  5. Step 8: Read it one more time

    Check the spelling, the phone number, and the email address. A typo costs nothing to fix now.

Part 3 of 3

Download the file to send

  1. Step 9: Open the download window

    Click Share in the top right corner, then Download.

  2. Step 10: Choose PDF Print

    Open the File type list and choose PDF Print. Canva has been changing this window: if yours shows a single PDF choice with presets, pick the Print preset.

  3. Step 11: Tick Crop marks and bleed

    Tick the Crop marks and bleed box. This puts the cut marks and the extra eighth of an inch into the file. Without it, the bleed you set up is left out.

  4. Step 12: Pick the color profile

    If your plan offers CMYK, choose it: it is the color printers use. On the free plan, leave it on RGB. Very bright screen colors print a little more muted, which is one reason you see a proof first.

  5. Step 13: Download

    Click Download. If fonts or effects look wrong when you open the PDF, download it again with Flatten PDF turned on.

Checklist

Before you send it

  • The page is 3.5 x 2 inches
  • The bleed is on, and backgrounds reach its outer edge
  • Words and logos are inside the margin line
  • The file is a PDF Print with crop marks and bleed
  • Front and back are in the same file

Questions

Canva business card questions, answered

Don't see yours? Call 419.224.8747 and ask a person.

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What size should a business card be in Canva?

3.5 x 2 inches, the standard size in the United States. Set the page to that and let Canva add the bleed. Don't build the bleed into the page size.

Why does a business card need a bleed?

Cards are printed on larger sheets and cut down. If the color stopped exactly at the edge, the smallest shift in the cut would leave a white sliver. The bleed is an extra eighth of an inch of background that gets trimmed away.

Can I do this on the free Canva plan?

Yes. Custom sizes, the bleed, the margins, and PDF Print with crop marks and bleed are all on the free plan. The one thing that needs a paid plan is the CMYK color choice.

My PDF is bigger than 3.5 x 2. Is that right?

Yes. With crop marks and bleed turned on, the file includes the extra eighth of an inch on each side plus the marks around it. The marks show where it is cut back to 3.5 x 2.

Can I send a PNG or JPG instead?

A PDF Print is better. Canva says it is the only download that saves at 300 DPI, and it is the only one that carries the bleed and the cut marks.

I already made my card at 3.75 x 2.25 inches. Do I have to start over?

No. Send it as it is and tell us it was built with the bleed in the page size. You'll see a proof before anything prints.

Can you print the cards I made in Canva?

Yes. Add the PDF to your request and tell us how many you need. You'll see a proof before anything prints.

Start a business card order

Menu names in this guide were checked against Canva on October 7, 2026. Software changes; if a step looks different on your screen, call us at 419.224.8747 and we'll walk you through it.

Also worth a look

Card ready? Send it over.

Add the PDF to your request and tell us how many you need. You'll see a proof before anything prints.

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