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 Design Business Cards in QuarkXPress
Versions 5, 6, 7
This tutorial will guide you through the process of designing business cards and postcards in QuarkXPress as well as providing press-ready templates to get you started quickly.
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Table of Contents 
 Step 1 - Download a template.
Step 2 - Turn on guidelines.
Step 3 - Verify CMYK color mode.
Step 4 - Create your designs.
Useful Tips - Save often and print your designs.
Step 5 - Check steps 2 and 3 one last time.
Step 6 - Save as .QXD.
Step 7 - Export to PDF
Step 8 - Place your order.
Step One
Download one of these pre-formatted templates and open it in QuarkXPress:
Right Click > Save Target As
2" x 3.5" Standard Business Card Template
3.5" x 2" Vertical Business Card Template
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Step Two
Verify that you have guides turned on. You should see lines around the outside of your template.
View > Show Guides
The outermost lines are called cut/trim lines. The cut lines show where your design will be cut away from the much larger sheet of paper it was printed on. This ensures color all the way to the very edge of your cards. This method is called full bleed.
Your background colors/design MUST extend past the cut lines!
The innermost lines are called the safety lines. Anything outside these lines run the risk of being cut off. Although the cutting machines are very accurate, staying inside of this area ensures that important text/graphics won't be chopped off. It also helps make your card more readable. Keep all your non-background text, logos, pictures, etc. inside of these lines.
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Step Three
Verify that your design is in CMYK color mode. This is very important as we will not be able to print your design if these settings are not correct.
Edit > Colors > New > Model: CMYK
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Step Four
Now you are ready to begin designing your business card. It's up to you to decide what you want the card to look like. Start experimenting and using the different tools to get the look you want. With nearly unlimited amounts of colors to choose from, anything is possible.
Remember to create separate files for each side of your business card if you wish to have information on the back.
If you place or insert photo files, make sure they are in CMYK mode.
Looking for something to give you that creative boost?
Have a look at these QuarkXpress resources sites for methods and design ideas:
Stock Photos:
Fonts:
Corporate Logos:
Example of a finished design:
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Useful Tips
Save Often! You never know when your computer may crash or lock up. While you are working on your file, save as a .QXD.
The Inkjet Test: Throughout the design process I suggest printing your creations on your inkjet printer directly from QuarkXpress. Use glossy photo paper if you have it. This will give you a good idea how your card will look as far as sizing goes. If your text looks small when printed on your inkjet, it will be too small when printed by our presses.
To run the inkjet test click File > Print. I suggest using the highest resolution print option (photographic quality) that is available on your printer. No adjustments to sizing or placement will be needed. The design should print on the paper at the actual size of 2.25 x 3.75" for standard cards, 4.25 x 3.75" for folded cards.
Remember the full bleed process will trim your cards down to normal size.
The inkjet test does 2 things:
- Lets you see the design on paper at actual size rather than the computer screen.
- Gets you really excited seeing the design looking so good on glossy paper!
The inkjet test is a better alternative to proofing your uploaded files online, something that we don't offer. My philosophy: You can see the design on your screen during the design phase, why would you need to see it on your screen again as a proof? What matters the most is what it looks like on paper.
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Step Five
Review Step 2 and Step 3 one more time. This will ensure that your design is 100% ready for press, and will help us process your order faster.
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Step Six
Once, your design is complete, save your file as .QXD one last time.
Saving your file will allow you to open and make changes to your design when you decide to reorder cards at a later date. Be sure to keep this file in a safe place on your computer.
File > Save As > Save as: QuarkXPress (*.qxd)
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Step Seven
After saving as a .QXD file, it's time to export your files as .PDF so you can send to us.
FILE > EXPORT > Layout as PDF.
A word about exporting PDFs from Quark: There are many reported problems with exporting PDFs from Quark. If you export, and find that your file does not look as expected, you can create a PDF from a Quark file by using the "Save as PDF" button on the Printer dialog. However, this creates a larger file size than Quark's native export PDF option.
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Step Eight
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