Create business cards: Overview of costs & tips

Creating Business Cards: Costs & Tips at a Glance

You need business cards, but you don't want overpriced printers, flimsy paper, or cards that look like a crumpled receipt after two days? Understandable. Especially when placing your first order, questions immediately arise: How many cards do I actually need? What's a realistic cost for all of this? And does anyone even use business cards anymore?

In this guide, you'll find transparent price overviews, realistic cost frameworks, and practical tips to avoid misorders when printing your business cards.

Table of Contents:

What do good business cards really cost – and what should you look out for?
Are business cards still relevant?
Which business cards look high-quality — without being unnecessarily expensive?
How many business cards should you even order?
Common business card mistakes
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What Do Good Business Cards Really Cost – And What Should You Look For?

The price of business cards depends more on the material than on the sheer quantity. Many people first think: "1000 cards must be incredibly expensive." In reality, it is often the finishing that costs money – not the quantity.

A few things particularly influence the price:

Paper thickness
Matte or glossy
Rounded corners
Soft-touch finish
Gold or silver foil
Express printing
Design costs
Whether you print online or locally

The classic example: Someone orders 100 cards on thick premium paper and pays almost as much as someone else for 1000 standard cards. Sounds unfair, but it's normal.

The Price Trap of Cheap Offers

Online, you constantly find "500 business cards for €9.99". Sounds great at first - until the cards arrive.

Typical problems:

Paper thinner than a cereal box
Colors look washed out
Fonts are blurry
Print bleeds through to the back
Cards instantly bend in your pocket

If you want to be taken seriously, you shouldn't cut corners. A poor business card makes the same impression as a crooked company sticker on a car: somehow improvised.

Are Business Cards Still Relevant?

Yes. Surprisingly, even more than many people think.

Precisely because almost everything is digital today, a good business card often leaves a more lasting impression. Anyone can type in a WhatsApp number. But handing someone something physical feels more personal.

Business cards are particularly useful for:

Freelancers
Tradespeople
Hairdressers & Beauty sector
Photographers
Real estate agents
Coaches
Local service providers
Trade fair visits
Spontaneous contacts

And honestly: No one is going to scan your LinkedIn QR code in the middle of a parking lot. A card is often simply faster.

What really works well today

Modern business cards are much more minimalist than in the past.

Less:

Clip art
Five different fonts
Glossy rainbow effects
Overloaded information

Clear typography
Plenty of white space
Good paper
Clean colors
QR code to a website or Instagram page

Small tip: If your card looks like a mini-flyer from 2008, it usually ends up in the trash faster than you'd like.

Which business cards look high-quality — without being unnecessarily expensive?

This is often where "professional" separates from "homemade."

Paper Thickness: The Underestimated Factor

If you only want to make one thing high-quality, make it the paper.

Recommendation:

at least 300 gsm
better: 350–400 gsm

The difference immediately feels more premium. People notice things like this surprisingly quickly through touch.

Matte or glossy?

Surface

Effect

Matte
Glossy
Soft-touch

modern, quiet, high-quality
striking, bold colors
extremely elegant, velvety surface

Matte currently wins most often, especially with minimalist designs.

QR Code: Yes or no?

Yes — if used thoughtfully.

Good:

direct link to website
appointment booking
Instagram profile
digital contact details

Not good:

QR code without added value
printed too small
three different codes on one card

How many business cards should you order?

That depends on how often you actually distribute contacts.

A rough guide:

Usage

Meaningful quantity

Part-time
Local service provider
Trade show/Event
Large company

100–250
500
1000+
2000+

Many deliberately start with 100 or 250 pieces to test the design in everyday use. A clever move, by the way. Because often, only after a few weeks, you realize:

Phone number misplaced
Font too small
QR code is annoying
Colors look different than expected

Common Business Card Mistakes

They happen all the time—even with companies that otherwise appear professional.

Too much information

If the card includes:

Phone number
Mobile number
Fax
Email
Website
Instagram
Facebook
TikTok
LinkedIn
Address
Opening hours

…then nobody will know what's important in the end.

Poor Legibility

Light grey text on a white background might look "minimalist." But it's not practical.

People often read business cards:

outdoors
in the car
at trade shows
under poor lighting

Contrast almost always wins.

Cheap images or logos

Blurry logos immediately ruin the overall impression. Especially in print, poor quality files are brutally obvious.

Rule of thumb:

Logos as vector files
Images at least 300 dpi

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

How much do 100 business cards cost?

100 business cards usually cost between 10 and 40 euros. Standard printing on normal paper tends to be at the lower end of this range. High-quality materials, finishing options, or design services significantly increase the price.

How much do 1000 business cards cost?

1000 business cards often cost between 40 and 120 Euros. The price per piece drops sharply for larger quantities. Particularly affordable online print shops sometimes offer standard versions even cheaper.

How much do 2000 business cards cost?

2000 business cards often cost between 70 and 180 euros—depending on the paper, print quality, and extras such as soft-touch or foil embossing.

Are business cards still relevant?

Yes. Especially in personal contact, business cards still work very well. They are fast, direct, and often remembered longer than purely digital contact details.

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