Business Cards in Phuket: A Practical Guide to Sizes, Paper and Finishes

A business card is still the fastest way to hand someone your name, number and LINE ID, and in Phuket it does a lot of work: at the reception desk, in the villa welcome pack, on the counter next to the till, and in every networking event where phones are busy. This guide walks through every choice you make when you print one, so you can order once and get it right.

Sizes and shapes

The standard size in Thailand is 9 × 5.5 cm. It fits Thai wallets and card holders, so it is the safe choice for most businesses. If you want something that stands out on a desk or in a stack, there are a few alternatives:

• Square (5.5 × 5.5 cm): modern and compact, good for creative studios, cafés and personal brands.
• Circle, oval and leaf: die-cut shapes that are memorable for spas, florists, bakeries and wellness brands. They need a little more care with layout, because text close to a curved edge feels cramped.

A useful test: if your card is going into a wallet or a card holder at a hotel desk, choose the standard size. If it is going into a gift bag, a shopping bag or a parcel, a shape can earn you a second look.

Paper: what gsm actually means

Paper weight is shown in gsm (grams per square metre). A higher number means a heavier, stiffer card that feels more substantial in the hand. Our Standard Business Cards are printed on a solid 350 gsm card, in matte, glossy or uncoated. If you want a card that feels different in the hand, choose a premium paper:

Option	Paper	Good for
Standard	350 gsm matte, glossy or uncoated	Everyday cards, staff cards, large quantities
Natural textured	Premium textured paper	Client-facing roles where the card should feel crafted
Kraft	Natural brown kraft	Cafés, organic products and craft brands

Matte, glossy or uncoated?

This is the choice people ask us about most. In short:

• Matte has a smooth surface with no shine. Text is easy to read under any light, and it looks calm and professional. It suits most businesses.
• Glossy makes colours and photos look richer, but reflects light, so small text can be harder to read at some angles. Good for photo-led designs: real estate, tours, food.
• Uncoated has a natural paper feel and is the easiest to write on with a pen. Choose it if you write appointment times or notes on your cards, or if you plan to use them as stamp cards.

We go deeper in Matte vs Glossy Printing: Which Finish Should You Choose?

One side or two?

Printing on both sides costs a little more and is usually worth it. A second side gives you room without crowding the front. A few layouts that work well for businesses here:

• English on the front, Thai on the back. Many of your customers, suppliers and officials will appreciate it.
• Logo on one side, details on the other. Clean, confident and easy to read.
• Details on the front, a QR code on the back for your LINE OA, WhatsApp, menu, booking page or Google reviews.

Front-only cards make sense for name cards for temporary staff, events or when you need the lowest cost per card.

Specialty finishes: when they are worth it

A special finish is how a card gets noticed after it has been handed over. Each option has a different job:

• Foil adds a metallic gold or silver accent that catches the light. It suits hotels, jewellers, luxury villas and beauty brands.
• Premium papers: natural textured or kraft. Kraft has an earthy, natural look that works well for cafés, organic products and craft brands.
• Shaped cards: circle, oval and leaf shapes, die-cut so the card itself becomes part of your brand.
• Rounded corners are a small detail that makes a card feel softer and more finished, and they are available on many of our cards.

Design tips that make a card work

• One job per card. Name, role, business, one phone number, one chat channel, email and website. Leave out anything nobody will use.
• Make the text big enough. As a rule of thumb, keep contact details at around 7 pt or larger, and test-print your design at actual size on an office printer before you order.
• Use contrast. Light grey text on white, or thin text on a busy photo, is hard to read in a hurry.
• Size QR codes properly. Make them big enough to scan easily, and test the code with two different phones before ordering.
• Keep the front calm. White space looks confident. Your logo and name should be the first thing people see.

Getting your artwork ready

For a standard 9 × 5.5 cm card, make your file 9.6 × 6.1 cm. That is the finished size plus 3 mm of bleed on every side. Keep text and logos well inside the edge, because cutting can shift very slightly.

The best files are PDF or AI, with fonts embedded or converted to outlines. High-resolution PNG and JPG files, PSD files and Canva links are also accepted; photos should be 300 dpi at the printed size. For the full checklist, read How to Prepare Print-Ready Artwork.

Please note that files are printed exactly as uploaded. If you'd like to see your card before it goes to print, add Proof before printing on the product page and approve the proof first.

How many cards should you order?

Our standard cards come in packs from 100 to 5,000. The price per card usually drops as the quantity goes up, so it is tempting to order a lot. Before you do, ask yourself:

• Will any details change soon? A new phone number, a new title or a move to a new address makes the rest of a box useless.
• How many do you actually hand out? For an individual, 100–250 cards often last a long time. Front-desk cards at a hotel or a spa go much faster.
• Is it one design or several? Each person or each design is a separate item in your order.

For a business with several staff members, ordering everyone's cards on the same paper and finish at the same time keeps the set consistent.

How to choose a printer for your cards

Whoever you order from, these questions help you avoid surprises:

1. Is the production time clear before you pay, and when does it start counting: at payment or at proof approval?
2. Can you see a proof before printing? And is it optional or included?
3. Is the paper described properly, with weight and finish, rather than just "premium"?
4. Can they fix or design your artwork if your file isn't ready?
5. Can you collect, or is delivery included?
6. What happens if something goes wrong? A clear reprint policy is a good sign.

Our own answers are all in the Help Center: production times, proofs, delivery and our Refund & Reprint Policy.

Ordering, step by step

1. Choose your card: Standard, or one of the premium cards.
2. Select the size, paper, corners, sides and quantity.
3. Choose the turnaround. Standard production is 72 hours. Express (24 h) is available on standard cards if you order and pay by 14:00 (Bangkok time). Sundays are not counted.
4. Upload your file, paste a Canva link, or choose a design option.
5. Check out, then collect from our shop or have the cards delivered.

Ordering cards for a whole team, or for a hotel or agency? Business & Wholesale explains trade quotes and tax invoices.