How to Design a Business Card Using Word

September 4, 2012 9:29 am Published by Leave your thoughts

Business Card Template Tutorial

Whether you are just starting a new business or have been in business for a while, you will need to have business cards printed. Sure there are various websites out there that offer hundreds of business card templates for you to choose from, but you may not have the time to sift through them all. You need something simple and custom, a business card with your most important information and possibly your company’s logo. To save time and money, you should have them printed through a professional printer, but you want to stay in control of the final design. This tutorial is the solution to your business card woes. Most businesses have access to Microsoft’s Office Suite which includes Microsoft Word. You do not need an expensive graphics program to design your own business card. Just follow this step-by-step tutorial and you will have a complete business card design in no time.

Step 1: Open Up Microsoft Word

You can start Microsoft Word by double-clicking on a shortcut that you have on your desktop. If you don’t find a shortcut there, you will definitely be able to find a shortcut in All Programs after you have clicked on the Windows icon in the lower left hand corner.

Step 2: Adjust Size of Document

After Microsoft Word has booted up, you will probably see a blank document. Unfortunately, the default document is the incorrect size. You will need to adjust the size of the current document.

Click on the Page Layout tab at the top of your screen.
Click on the Size drop-down menu.
Select More Paper Sizes.

Change Size of Word Document

In the Page Setup dialog box, make sure the Paper tab is selected.
Enter 3.5 inches as your width and 2 inches as your height.

Entering in Dimensions for Business Card

Select the Margins tab which should be left of the Paper tab.
Enter .25″ for all margins: Top, Bottom, Left and Right.
Click OK.

Setting Up Margins for Business Card

Your document should now look like the image below.

Blank Business Card Document

Step 3: Add a Text Box to Enter in Your Text

Click on the Insert tab.
Click on the Text Box drop-down button.

Inserting Text Box

Select Draw Text Box at the bottom of the drop-down menu.

Select "Draw Text Box"

Draw a text box any where on your blank business card. This allows to place your text anywhere on the page, just try to keep it within the margins.

Draw Text Box Within Your Document

Type in your desired text. It can be as much or as little as you like. You can use several text boxes if you need to have text in different locations.
In the first text box, you can type in your company’s name, your name and title.

Entering Text in Your First Text Box

Notice the formatting of the text. There is a lot of space between the two lines. That can be easily changed.

Make sure that the Home tab is selected.
Place your cursor at the beginning of your text.
Single-click and hold down your left mouse button right over the blinking cursor.
Drag your mouse to the end of your text, to highlight all of the text.

Highlighting Text in a Text Box

Select “No Spacing” as your Style. You should notice that the spacing in between the two lines has tightened up.

Selecting a Different Style for Your Text

Let’s give your company’s name a little more character.

While still in the Home tab, highlight just your company’s name.
Increase the size of this text, by selecting a larger number from the drop-down menu in the “Font” section.

Change the Font Size of Your Company's Name

To make the same text look heavier, select the Bold button.

Bold Your Text

Re-size your text box by single-clicking on the lower right corner while holding down your mouse button.
Drag your mouse up and to the left until it is slightly bigger than your text.

Re-size Your Text Box

If you were to click your mouse button into the gray area surrounding your business card, you will notice a black outline around your text. This will actually print and may be undesirable for the design you had in mind. The outline can be easily removed if you wish to do so.

Click on the Format tab.
Click on the outline surrounding your text box. Little circles will show up in the corners indicating that this text box has been selected.
Click on Shape Outline > No Outline.

Remove Outline From Text Box

Continue to add additional text boxes until you have all of the information that you want on your business card. Feel free to change your fonts, sizes and color. As you can see in the image below, we have all of the text that we need.

All Text Has Been Entered

Step 4: Insert Your Logo

If you do not want to add any images or a logo to your card, then you may be done with your design. If you do have a company logo, it is very important that you include it into your business card design. A logo is part of your brand identity, it may be one of the most memorable elements that is a part of your business card.

– Click on the Insert tab.
– Click on the Picture button.

Inserting Your Logo

– Within the Insert Picture dialog box, find the location of your logo or other imagery. In this case, the logo that we are going to insert is on the Desktop.
– Click on the image that you are going to insert.
– Click the Insert button.

Selecting Logo - Image to Insert

Microsoft Word has inserted your logo into your document. It is possible that the location that the program has inserted your logo may not be ideal for you. Microsoft Word is slightly limited to where you can move your logo / image, but you do have options.

– With your logo selected, make sure that you are currently viewing the Format tab.
– Click on the Position button.
– Select one of the buttons from that drop-down menu. This gives you nine different locations to place your logo. For this tutorial, we are going to select the Middle Left Position.

Select Desired Position for Logo

Microsoft Word has moved the logo from the top left corner to the middle left side of the business card; see the image below. After you are pleased with the position of the logo, you can re-size it to make it bigger or smaller. Make sure that the size of the logo is not too big to where there is no breathing room; but in the same turn, you want to make sure that it is not so small that someone can’t see it properly once it has been printed. You can always do a test print on regular copy paper before you print your business cards on heavy stock paper or before you send it to a printing company.

Logo Has Been Relocated

Continue to make any adjustment to the design until you are completely satisfied. Since the logo that was inserted is rather long, it is too close to the text box at the top right. We are going to move the top right text box.

– Click on the desired text box to select it.
– Click on the border surrounding the text box, you should see a cursor that looks like a cross.
– Drag the text box to a position that may be more suitable.

Top Text Box in Final Position

The top right text box has been moved a little to the right. It would have been nice to move it over enough so that it was in line with the bottom text box. Unfortunately the text would have been outside the margin line. If you are having your business cards printed by a printing company they may trim your cards out of a large sheet of paper resulting with the chance that your text will get cut off. The “Margin Line” that you see in the image above was added for demonstration purposes.

– To see the margin line within Microsoft Word, click on the little triangle shape fixed on the ruler. Try not to move it while you keep your mouse button clicked. If you do accidentally move it, just click your Undo button or press Ctrl+Z on your keyboard.

Viewing the Margin Line in Word

After moving the bottom text box to the left so that it lines up with the left side of the top text box, the business card would look like the image below. We are now ready to save the design.

Finished Business Card

Step 5: Saving Your Business Card

– Click on File > Save As.

Saving Your File

– In the Save As dialog box, select the location where you want to save your new business card. Typical places to save your files may be the Desktop or Documents folder.
– In the File name: field, type in the name of your new business card.
– Select “Word Document” as the File type.
– Click Save.

Select Location and Enter Name for Business Card

The file that you have just saved is editable. If you decide to change something in the future, you can do so without having to redesign the entire card. If you are planning on having your business cards printed by a printing company, they may request a PDF file and not a Word Document. The main reason for this is that you may use a font in your design that the printing company may not have. If this happens, the printing company may have to substitute the font that you used with a different font.

– Click on File > Save As.
– Select your location and file name. Since the Word Document and PDF file types use different extensions, you can choose to save the PDF with the same name in the same location.
– Click on the drop-down arrow for Save as type: and select PDF.

Saving Your Business Card as a PDF

– Make sure that the selected button for Optimize for: is “Standard (publish online and printing)”.
– Click Save.

Optimize PDF for Printing and Save File

You have now completed designing and saving a business card. All you would have to do is upload your file for printing so that we can print it out and trim the business cards for you. Get adventurous and really try out different fonts, work with different colors and different compositions. You can certainly design a business card that you can be proud of.

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This post was written by Progressive Printing Team

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