Print Specialisms

Business Card Design

Design business cards that print sharp and cut clean

12 lessons4 modules9h 0m durationbeginner level

Instructor: StretchLearn Faculty

About this course

This hands-on course teaches the production craft of business card design, the gap between a nice layout on screen and a card a press can actually print and cut. You will set up correct trim sizes with 3mm bleed and a safe zone, build a clean grid and typographic hierarchy that survives at 85 by 55mm, mix CMYK colour and a proper rich black instead of a muddy four-colour grey, and design for premium finishes like spot UV, foil stamping, letterpress, and die-cut. You will leave able to export a print-ready PDF/X file and order a real card from MOO, Vistaprint, or a trade printer without a rejection.

Curriculum

Module 1: What a Business Card Actually Is3 lessons

Formats and Trim Sizes Around the WorldPreview45m
Card Stock, Weight, and Finish🔒45m
The Information a Card Must Carry🔒45m

Module 2: Setting Up a Press-Ready Document3 lessons

Bleed, Trim, and the Safe Zone🔒45m
Grids, Margins, and Alignment🔒45m
Typography at Card Size🔒45m

Module 3: Colour, Black, and Print Accuracy3 lessons

RGB, CMYK, and Spot Colour🔒45m
Rich Black and Ink Coverage🔒45m
Proofing and Colour Accuracy🔒45m

Module 4: Premium Finishes, Files, and Ordering3 lessons

Spot UV, Foil, Letterpress, and Embossing🔒45m
Die-Cut and Special Shapes🔒45m
Exporting and Ordering from Real Printers🔒45m