What size is a MOO business card file?

For a standard US card: bleed area 3.66 × 2.16 in, trim 3.5 × 2 in, safe area 3.34 × 1.84 in. For a MOO-size card: bleed 3.46 × 2.32 in, trim 3.3 × 2.16 in, safe area 3.15 × 2 in. Sizes differ by country and product, so check the template.

Should I add crop marks?

No. MOO says there’s no need, because it adds them itself in the right place. Export the PDF without crop marks or other printer’s marks.

Why does my card have a white edge in MOO’s preview?

The background doesn’t reach the edge of the bleed area. That happens when the file was made at the trim size, or for another printer’s bleed. Extend the background to MOO’s bleed size.

Can I upload a JPEG to MOO?

MOO recommends a vector PDF for designs with text or graphics, and notes that text saved as a JPEG can have fuzzy edges. Photos should be 300 dpi or higher.

How much does it cost to set my card up for MOO?

Refitting a finished card design to MOO’s template is a $10 fix per file, usually the same day. A new card design is quoted in the chat first.

What happened

“My design doesn’t fit MOO’s template”: How to set up a business card file for MOO

Short answer

MOO checks an uploaded design against three sizes: the bleed area the background must fill, the trim where the card is cut, and the safe area that text and logos must stay inside. For a standard US business card those are 3.66 × 2.16 in, 3.5 × 2 in and 3.34 × 1.84 in. A file made at exactly 3.5 × 2 in has no bleed, so the background stops short and can leave a white edge. Rebuild it at the bleed size, with nothing important outside the safe area.

Updated November 11, 2026 · by Azaan Ali, print designer

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Why printers ask for this

MOO’s sizes are its own. Its standard US card has a bleed area of 3.66 × 2.16 in, a trim of 3.5 × 2 in and a safe area of 3.34 × 1.84 in. Its MOO-size card is a different shape: bleed 3.46 × 2.32 in, trim 3.3 × 2.16 in, safe area 3.15 × 2 in. A file with the more common 0.125 in bleed (3.75 × 2.25 in) matches neither, so it has to be refitted.

MOO adds the crop marks itself and asks you to leave them off. A PDF exported with crop marks is a bigger page than the template, so it no longer lines up with MOO’s bleed, trim and safe areas. It’s a usual reason a design that was right for another printer looks wrong in MOO’s preview.

MOO’s other rules are about how the card prints. It asks for a vector PDF saved as PDF/X-1a:2001, in CMYK with no spot colors, with photos at 300 dpi or higher and a file no bigger than 50 MB. Text should be 8 pt or larger and 100% black, not a rich black, lines 0.5 pt or thicker, transparency flattened and overprint turned off.

How to set up a card file that fits MOO’s template

Download MOO’s template for your exact product and card size from its design guidelines page. Standard and MOO-size cards are different shapes.
Set your document to the bleed area for that card: 3.66 × 2.16 in for a standard US card. In Illustrator or InDesign you can instead set the trim size, 3.5 × 2 in, with 0.08 in (2 mm) of bleed.
Stretch the background color or photo to fill the whole bleed area. Don’t scale the whole design up to fit, or the text moves toward the edge.
Keep every word, logo and QR code inside the safe area: 3.34 × 1.84 in on a standard card.
Set text to 8 pt or larger in 100% black (K only), and lines to 0.5 pt or thicker. Convert spot colors to CMYK.
Flatten transparency, turn off overprint, and hide or delete the template’s guide layer.
Export each side as its own single-page PDF with the PDF/X-1a:2001 preset and crop marks turned off, then check the preview after you upload.

Do it free in your browserMake a print template with bleed, free The size to set up with bleed, and a guide with trim, safe area and folds. PDF, or PNG for Canva.Add bleed to a PDF, free Printer says there’s no bleed? Get the PDF back with bleed on every side, the trim set and crop marks.

Or send it to us

Rebuild the card on MOO’s template for your product, with the background filling the bleed
Move text and logos inside the safe area without changing the design
Convert colors to CMYK, set black text to 100% K and thicken lines that are too fine
Export a single-page PDF/X-1a:2001 for each side, with no crop marks, ready to upload

Fix my file · $10 Same day, fixed price, one round of changes included. Or ask a designer first.

A real job like this

Cards & stationeryKOMYO business cardFile setup through to the printed card in handSee the case study

Questions

What size is a MOO business card file?: For a standard US card: bleed area 3.66 × 2.16 in, trim 3.5 × 2 in, safe area 3.34 × 1.84 in. For a MOO-size card: bleed 3.46 × 2.32 in, trim 3.3 × 2.16 in, safe area 3.15 × 2 in. Sizes differ by country and product, so check the template.
Should I add crop marks?: No. MOO says there’s no need, because it adds them itself in the right place. Export the PDF without crop marks or other printer’s marks.
Why does my card have a white edge in MOO’s preview?: The background doesn’t reach the edge of the bleed area. That happens when the file was made at the trim size, or for another printer’s bleed. Extend the background to MOO’s bleed size.
Can I upload a JPEG to MOO?: MOO recommends a vector PDF for designs with text or graphics, and notes that text saved as a JPEG can have fuzzy edges. Photos should be 300 dpi or higher.
How much does it cost to set my card up for MOO?: Refitting a finished card design to MOO’s template is a $10 fix per file, usually the same day. A new card design is quoted in the chat first.

Terms on this page: Bleed, Trim size, Safe area (safe zone), PDF/X, Rich black, Crop marks.

Sources: MOO: business card design guidelines, MOO: how to use downloadable sizing templates.

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