Square business card printing

A square business card measures 55 × 55 mm, or 5.5 × 5.5 cm: the same height as the usual Swiss card, but 30 mm narrower. Among landscape cards it stands out at once, and that is exactly why people choose it. It suits graphic designers, photographers, architects, hair salons, tattoo studios, jewellers and any brand whose logo speaks for itself.

The minimum order is 10 cards, and the more you order, the lower the price per card. Open the configurator in the 5.5 × 5.5 cm square format, then choose paper, finish and quantity: the price in CHF appears immediately.

Little space, strict hierarchy

A square card offers just under two thirds of the area of an 85 × 55 card, so every piece of information needs a fixed place, and anything that does not find one has to go.

• Front: the logo or brand mark, on its own, large, with plenty of white space. Round or centred logos look particularly good in a square.
• Back: name, job title and one or two ways to reach you, such as phone and email.
• Everything else (address, opening hours, social media) goes through a QR code or your website rather than into tiny type.

Stick to one typeface in no more than two sizes and keep text away from the trim edge: on such a small card, text easily strays into the safety margin. To print the back as well, select 4/4, meaning full colour on both sides. The configurator opens on the 4/0 variant, front only in four-colour CMYK. There are also print options with varnish or a spot colour.

Where the square makes a difference

• A Zurich design studio shows only its brand mark on the front, with name, job title and a QR code to the portfolio on the back.
• A jeweller in Lucerne has her round monogram finished in gold hot foil, echoing her shop window.
• A hair salon in Basel uses the back as an appointment card: at the till, staff note the date and time of the next visit.
• A photographer in Lausanne prints her own images full bleed on the front. With several designs in the same order, the picture changes from card to card while the back stays the same.

Paper and finishes that serve the logo

In the square format you can choose between matt coated paper (300 to 500 g) or gloss (300 g), uncoated white offset (350, 400 and 500 g) and matt chromo sulphate board (350 and 450 g); several of these also come in a PEFC or FSC® version. The right choice depends on the job the card has to do:

• A logo surrounded by white space: matt coated 400 or 500 g. The calm surface lets a single mark breathe, and the thickness gives a small card some weight.
• An appointment card to fill in: white offset 350 g, uncoated, so pens and pencils write easily. Leave the back free of lamination and varnish.
• Full-bleed photos: gloss coated 300 g, for vivid colour right to the edge.

When it comes to finishing, a single element usually carries the effect on a square card: hot foil in gold, silver or copper on the monogram, or partial gloss UV varnish on the front, which makes only the logo shine. Relief varnish is not offered in this format. Soft-Feel, front only or both sides, gives the whole card a velvety touch instead. Laminations and protective varnishes complete the list in the configurator, though not every finish can be combined with every paper. The difference between coated and uncoated paper is explained on our paper types and materials page.

Preparing your artwork at 55 × 55 mm

An image covering the whole card needs 650 × 650 pixels at 300 dpi at the trimmed size of 55 × 55 mm, bleed not included. A vector logo, by contrast, stays sharp at any size, down to the finest lines. Place the mark at the optical centre: in a square, the slightest offset is obvious. There is no dedicated template for business cards; bleed and the safety margin are marked on our print templates for flyers, posters and postcards, and the printing glossary explains both terms. Every print file is checked before production.

If you need more room for an address, a phone number or a second language, the classic card remains the better choice: see 85 × 55 business card printing. Other sizes, such as 9 × 5 cm or the narrow 7 × 3 and 3 × 7 cm formats, are compared in our print sizes guide. For layout ideas, read How to design a business card people actually keep; if your logo is ready but the layout is not, our design service takes care of it from CHF 29.

Orders of CHF 100 or more are delivered free anywhere in Switzerland; below that, shipping costs CHF 7.00. Swiss VAT at 8.1% is included in every price.