How much do business cards cost in the UK?
In the UK, 500 business cards cost about £10 to £35 from a budget online printer, £40 to £120 from a mid-market printer and £150 to £400 or more with premium finishes such as foil, spot UV or soft-touch lamination. Most small businesses pay £60 to £90 for 500 cards with design and print combined. A custom design adds £40 to £150 if you commission it separately (ours is £59 for both sides).
| Tier | Typical cost for 500 cards | What you get |
|---|---|---|
| Budget online print | £10 to £35 | The printer’s standard stock and finish, printed from a template or your own artwork |
| Mid-market UK printers | £40 to £120 | Design support, 350 to 400gsm card, double-sided, optional matt or gloss lamination |
| Premium finishes | £150 to £400+ | Soft-touch lamination, spot UV, foil, edge painting or letterpress |
Prices checked October 2026: instantprint lists 500 double-sided 450gsm silk cards at £28.60 and 1,000 at £43.20, excluding VAT; MOO’s Original cards start at £19.00 for 50 and its 600gsm Luxe cards at £32.00 for 50, including VAT. The tiers are typical UK ranges, not quotes.
Printing more than cards? See what flyer design costs in the UK before bundling the job.
The single biggest cost driver isn’t the print quality. It’s whether you commission a custom design or use a template. Design typically adds £40-£150 to the total; everything beyond that is print finishing.
The five real cost drivers
1. Card thickness (GSM)
Business cards in the UK are measured in grams per square metre. The thickness genuinely affects perceived quality on first contact:
- 300gsm: the bargain online standard. Fine for short-term use; bends easily.
- 350gsm, mid-market default. Most UK trade printers default to this for “premium” tier.
- 400gsm: the perceived-quality threshold. Holds its shape, feels weighty.
- 600gsm+, two cards laminated together. Used by lawyers, premium brands, agencies signalling positioning.
The cost step from 300gsm to 400gsm is typically 30-50% per card. From 400gsm to 600gsm doubles the price again.
2. Finish (matte, gloss, soft-touch, spot UV)
The finishing is where premium pricing kicks in:
- Matte lamination, adds £10-£25 per 500 cards. Looks refined, slightly grippy.
- Gloss lamination, adds £8-£20. Bright, photo-friendly, harder to write on.
- Soft-touch lamination, adds £25-£60. Suede-like texture; premium brands favour it.
- Spot UV (selective gloss on a matte card), adds £30-£80. Gives a tactile contrast.
- Foil stamping (gold, silver, copper, holographic), adds £40-£120 depending on coverage.
- Letterpress / debossing, adds £80-£200. Specialist printers only.
- Edge painting / edge gilding, adds £60-£150. Visible only on the card edge, a strong “high-end” signal.
For most UK SMBs, matte lamination + spot UV on the logo delivers 80% of the premium feel at 20% of the cost of foil + soft-touch.
3. Single vs double-sided printing
Single-sided is rarely the right choice in 2026. The cost difference is small (£5-£15 per 500 cards) and a blank back wastes a strong opportunity.
Use the back for:
- A QR code linking to your website or booking page (most converting use of the back)
- Three bullet-point services (helps memory after the conversation)
- A short tagline that reinforces positioning
- Social handles if relevant to the industry (less useful in B2B)
4. Quantity printed
Pricing curves favour larger runs, but most UK SMBs over-order. Real economics:
| Quantity | Typical cost (350gsm matte, double-sided) | Cost per card |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | £15-£25 | £0.15-£0.25 |
| 250 | £20-£40 | £0.08-£0.16 |
| 500 | £30-£60 | £0.06-£0.12 |
| 1,000 | £50-£90 | £0.05-£0.09 |
| 2,500 | £100-£160 | £0.04-£0.06 |
For most UK businesses, 250-500 cards is the right order. You’ll redesign within 18-24 months as positioning evolves, and ordering 2,500 means you’ll throw away £40-£70 of unused stock when you rebrand.
5. Design: DIY vs designer vs agency
The design cost is separate from the print cost and varies wildly:
- DIY (Canva, Adobe Express, MOO templates): £0 plus your time. Acceptable for first 3 months of trading.
- Freelance UK designer: £40-£150 per design. Custom layout, your assets.
- UK creative agency (Luxbranding tier): £59 at Luxbranding for a custom design including both sides. Includes print-ready artwork, every file format, and unlimited revisions.
- Branded card as part of an identity package, typically free if commissioned with logo + brand identity (most UK agencies bundle it).
Where UK SMBs typically over- and under-pay
The classic overspend
- Ordering 2,500 cards when 500 will last 18 months
- Paying for foil stamping on the back as well as the front (negligible additional impact)
- Choosing 600gsm card stock when 400gsm is indistinguishable in the hand
- Commissioning unique cards for every team member when a template with name field would do
The classic underspend
- 250gsm online templates that bend and look cheap after a week in a wallet
- Single-sided cards (free real estate wasted)
- DIY designs that misalign with the website / brand identity, signalling amateurism on first contact
- No QR code on the back (genuine conversion miss in 2026)
Our verdict on Vistaprint templates against professional design covers when a template is good enough.
Best UK business card printers in 2026
Reliable UK trade printers with consistent quality and reasonable turnaround:
- MOO (moo.com): strong app, excellent quality control. Premium pricing but consistent.
- instantprint (instantprint.co.uk), fast UK delivery, good mid-market value.
- Solopress (solopress.com): UK trade printer, used by agencies. Strong on bulk runs.
- Vistaprint (vistaprint.co.uk), cheapest mainstream option. Quality variable; check reviews per finish.
- TheCardZone (thecardzone.co.uk): specialist in premium finishes (foil, edge paint).
If you want premium specialty finishes (letterpress, edge gilding, custom die-cut shapes), look for boutique UK printers: B&B Press, Generation Press, Mama’s Sauce (US but ships UK), Park Lane Press.
Should small UK businesses still have business cards in 2026?
A reasonable question: every 18 months somebody declares business cards dead. Reality check on typical UK pricing:
- Yes for trades, hospitality, services where in-person meetings are part of the sales process. The conversion rate of “handed a card → checked website within 48 hours” is around 35-50% when the card is well-designed.
- Less essential for pure-online B2C (e-commerce, SaaS), but still useful for events, conferences and partner relationships.
- No replacement for digital cards yet: Apple Wallet and digital cards (HiHello, Linq) work for tech audiences. Outside London tech circles, they fail more often than they succeed because the recipient doesn’t have the corresponding app.
The honest position: business cards aren’t dying, they’re consolidating. The 1-3 you hand out per week to the right people are worth more than the 50 you wasted at a 2018 networking event.
If your printed cards came back a different shade, our guide to print colours that do not match the screen explains the CMYK fix.
What good UK business card design looks like (and what to ask for)
A well-designed card hits these tests:
- Recognisable as your brand at arm’s length: colour, logo, typography all consistent with the website and other touchpoints.
- Name + role + one contact method legible at a glance: phone or email, not all three plus social.
- A clear next action (QR code, “book at [URL]”, “call for free quote”) somewhere on the card.
- Print-ready file from the designer: CMYK, 3mm bleed, 0.25pt safe zone, fonts outlined. If the designer doesn’t supply this, you’ll pay the printer to fix it.
When commissioning, ask explicitly:
- “Will you supply a print-ready CMYK PDF with bleed and crop marks?”
- “Do I get the editable source file (AI / INDD / Figma)?”
- “Is the design for me, or can the printer use it for other clients too?” (Always insist on the former.)
Worked example: Luxbranding £59 business card package
To make the pricing concrete: at Luxbranding (luxbranding.co.uk), a custom UK business card design costs £59 and includes:
- Two-sided custom design built around your existing brand
- Unlimited revisions until you’re happy
- Print-ready PDF with bleed, crop marks, CMYK colour-managed
- Source file (Figma or Illustrator) so you can re-edit later
- Full copyright transfer in writing
- Suggestions on print finishes and quantity for your specific use case
Print is separate (we recommend ordering through Solopress or MOO depending on finish). This keeps the design cost down and lets you reprint without re-paying for the design.
A full bundle (logo + brand identity + business cards) starts at £299 if you’re commissioning from scratch.
Looking to commission UK business cards →
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Sources & Further Reading
- The Design Economy 2026, Design Council
- UK Business Statistics, Office for National Statistics
- Federation of Small Businesses, FSB
- Trade Marks, UK IPO, gov.uk
Related reading: ChatGPT vs a Copywriter UK: £20 a Month vs £400 a Day
Frequently asked questions
How much do business cards cost in the UK in 2026? +
Typical UK prices for 500 cards: £10 to £35 from a budget online printer, £40 to £120 from a mid-market printer and £150 to £400 or more with premium finishes. A custom design adds £40 to £150 if commissioned separately, and most UK small businesses spend £60 to £90 all in. For example, instantprint lists 500 double-sided 450gsm cards at £28.60 excluding VAT (checked October 2026).
Are premium finishes like foil or soft-touch worth the cost? +
Matte lamination + spot UV on the logo delivers ~80% of the premium feel at ~20% of the cost of foil or soft-touch. Foil and edge gilding are worth it when first impressions matter most: law, luxury, hospitality. For most trades and services, mid-market finishes are indistinguishable to the recipient.
How many business cards should I order? +
For most UK small businesses, 250 to 500 cards is the right run. You will redesign within 18 to 24 months as positioning evolves, and 2,500-card orders typically result in £40 to £70 of unused stock at rebrand.
Are business cards still useful in 2026? +
Yes for trades, hospitality and service businesses where in-person meetings are part of the sales process. The "handed card → checked website within 48 hours" conversion is 35 to 50% for well-designed cards. Less essential for pure online B2C, but still useful at events and partner meetings.
Should I put a QR code on the back? +
Almost always yes. The back of a single-sided card is wasted real estate. A QR code linking to your website, booking page or portfolio is the highest-converting use of that space.
