Our Design Guidelines

Design Guidelines

Designing your personalised metal business card is simple; follow the guidelines below to ensure your artwork engraves/etches cleanly, clearly, and beautifully.

1. Card Specifications

Card size: 86mm × 54mm.
Method: Precision laser engraving/etching.
Finish: Coloured anodised aluminium surface with engraving revealing silver aluminium base layer (Note: The silver anodised aluminium surface cards are laser etched to reveal a dark design).
Layout: Fully customised front, QR Code on the rear.
Safe area: Keep all text and important details at least 2mm away from the edges

2. What You Can Include

You can personalise your card with any or all of the following:

Name
Job title
Email address
Phone number
Website
Social Media Details
Logo / Image

We recommend you keep your wording concise; metal cards look best with clean, minimal layouts.

3. File Format Requirements

To help guarantee the best results, we have the following requirements:

Preferred file formats

Vector: AI, EPS, SVG, PDF.
High‑resolution raster: PNG (minimum 300 DPI with transparent background).

Fonts

Convert all text to outlines/curves.
Minimum font size: 5pt recommended for clarity.
Avoid ultra‑thin fonts (hairline strokes may not engrave/etch well).

Logos & Images

Provide vector artwork whenever possible.
Avoid low‑resolution images or screenshots.
Ensure lines are at least 0.3mm to engrave/etch cleanly.

4. Colour & Contrast

Since the card is engraved/etched, and not printed, the outcome is a single‑colour contrast engraved/etched into the surface.

Avoid gradients, shadows, or photographic images.
Pure black in your artwork = engraved/etched.
White/empty areas = not engraved/etched.
Keep designs bold and minimal for the strongest visual impact.

5. Layout Tips for Best Results

Use a simple, balanced layout; metal cards reward minimalism.
Align elements cleanly (left, right, centre) for a premium finish.
Ensure there’s enough spacing between text lines.
Avoid clutter: less is more on metal surfaces.

6. Personalisation Text Submission

If you’re not supplying artwork and want us to lay out your card, please provide all the information you want displayed, such as your logo, name, and phone number.

We require a website address link to generate a QR code for the rear of the card.

We’ll create a clean, modern layout using one of our templates.

7. Proofing

Before production begins, we’ll send you a digital proof for approval.

Please check the artwork approval very carefully, pay special attention to the:

✔ Spelling
✔ Contact Details
✔ Layout & Spacing
✔ Logo Clarity
✔ QR code link destination

Please note that once the artwork is approved, it cannot be changed.

8. Unsupported Elements

To ensure the best engraving/etching results, ensure that you do not supply:

Photographs
Gradients
Multi‑colour artwork
Extremely thin details
Low‑resolution images or scans
Artwork with soft edges

9. Need Help?

If you're unsure about your design or need assistance preparing artwork, contact us at info@solidcards.co.uk, and we will review your files or help clean and prepare your layout.