Folded Business Cards

Fold Direction and Closed Size

Folded cards can open along the long edge, like a book, or along the short edge, like a tent. A top fold produces a landscape card that stands up on a counter when partly opened, which some salons use as a small table sign. A side fold gives a portrait card that opens like a greeting card and suits a list of services read from top to bottom.

The closed size is usually 85 x 55 mm, matching a standard UK business card, which means the flat sheet is 170 x 55 mm or 85 x 110 mm depending on the fold direction. Square folded cards are also possible and look distinctive, although they do not slide into every wallet. If your cards will be filed in a cardholder, stay with the standard closed size.

Keep text and important details at least 3 mm away from the fold and the trim edges, so nothing is lost when the card is cut and creased. Our guide to sizing printed items covers safe areas and trim allowances.

Picking Card Weight and Finish

A folded card needs to be thick enough to feel solid, yet it must also crease without cracking. We score every card before folding, which presses a neat channel into the board so the fold is straight and the print along it does not split. Heavy silk and uncoated boards both fold well after scoring.

If customers will write on the card, as with appointments and loyalty stamps, choose an uncoated or matt finish. Ballpoint pens and rubber stamps sit happily on uncoated card, while a gloss or laminated surface makes ink smear. For a card that only carries printed information, a matt laminate or soft-touch finish protects the colours and feels pleasant in the hand. The card weights and finishes explained guide helps when choosing between silk and uncoated.

Design Pointers for a Card That Folds

Treat the outside as a single cover. The front panel carries your logo and name, while the back panel, which people see when the card lies face down, is a good spot for contact details and a QR code. Running a background colour or pattern across the outside spread makes the card look more finished when it is open and flat.

On the inside, keep the layout airy. A loyalty grid needs boxes big enough for a stamp, roughly 10 to 12 mm square. Appointment lines need room for handwriting. If you are adding a price list, choose a type size of at least 7 pt so it is easy to read under shop lighting.

We send a free design proof showing every panel and the fold line, so you can check that nothing sits across the crease before we print. A raised logo on the front panel is covered on our embossed business cards page.

Folded Business Cards Compared With Flyers

It is worth asking whether a folded card is the right format before you order. If all you need is a name, a phone number and a web address, a flat business card is cheaper and does the job. If you need to explain a full menu or a long list of services, an A6 flyer or a small folded leaflet gives you far more room. The folded card sits neatly between the two.

Its strength is that people keep it. A loyalty card that lives in a purse comes out every visit, so your logo is seen again and again. An appointment card stuck on a fridge reminds the client of the date and also of your name. A flyer, by contrast, is usually read once.

Some businesses order both: a plain flat card for networking and a folded card for regular customers. If you do that, keep the colours and type identical so the two feel like a set, and use the extra panels on the folded card for the information that encourages a return visit. Flyers and leaflets for the longer message sit under marketing print for small businesses.

Give the Inside Panel One Job

The folded cards that get kept are the ones whose inside does a single thing: a loyalty grid, an appointment line, a short price list. So decide that job before the artwork, and then choose the fold to suit it: a top fold that stands on a counter for a salon, a side fold that reads top to bottom for a list of services. If anyone will write on the card, say so, and the inside stays uncoated.

Send a print-ready PDF of all four panels with 3 mm bleed, or just the logo and text for us to lay out, with the fold direction, card weight and quantity. A custom quote comes back by email within one working day, with cards from £0.25 and low minimums per job. The free proof shows every panel and the fold line. Printing, scoring and folding take 4–7 working days after approval and the boxed cards arrive by free tracked delivery to UK mainland addresses in 2–3 working days. Misprinted or damaged cards reported within 10 days are reprinted or refunded. Shops that post orders often pair the card with printed thank-you cards for parcels in the same colours.