ARTTECHES NEXUS • GRAPHIC DESIGNING MASTERY
- ARTTECHES NEXUS • GRAPHIC DESIGNING MASTERY
- DAY 21 • M07
- Business Cards
- Estimated time: 180 minutes
- Instructor: Ali Akbar Shah
ARTTECHES PRESENTATION WORKSPACE
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OBJECTIVES
- OBJECTIVES
- What You Will Learn
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OBJECTIVES
- OBJECTIVES
- By the end of this lesson you can
- Set up a print-correct business card document in CorelDRAW at 3.5 × 2 in
- Explain the difference between bleed, trim edge, and safe area, and place
- Build colors using CMYK values (not RGB) and choose correct black (rich
- Design a two-sided card with clear front/back hierarchy — identity on the
- Apply print typography rules: minimum text sizes, alignment, contrast, and
- Export a print-ready PDF (PDF/X preset with bleed) that a print shop can
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LESSON
- LESSON
- Key Concepts
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LESSON
- LESSON
- Overview
- ▸ Day: Day-21
- ▸ Module: M07 — Print Design
- ▸ Duration: 180 minutes (3 hours)
- ▸ Level: Intermediate
- ▸ Instructor: Ali Akbar Shah
- ▸ Primary tool: CorelDRAW (free alternative: Inkscape — notes where relevant)
- ARTTECHES Nexus • Graphic Designing Mastery • Ali Akbar Shah
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LESSON
- LESSON
- 1. Introduction — Why Business Cards Still Matter
- ▸ A business card is small — 3.5 × 2 inches — but it works hard.
- ▸ It is often the first printed piece a new client touches from a brand.
- ▸ A good card feels solid, reads in two seconds, and makes the business look trustworthy.
- ▸ A bad card — tiny text, blurry logo, white edges after cutting — makes even a good business look careless.
- ▸ As a designer, business cards are also one of the most common paid jobs you will get: every shop, clinic, freelancer, and startup needs...
- ▸ Today you learn the full professional process: correct size, bleed, safe margins, front and back hierarchy, CMYK color, and a print-ready...
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LESSON
- LESSON
- 2.1 Standard size: 3.5 × 2 inches (89 × 51 mm)
- ▸ The world standard for business cards is 3.5 × 2 in, which is
- ▸ Design at real size. Do not design big and "shrink it later" — text sizes and
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LESSON
- LESSON
- 2.2 Bleed — 3 mm extra on every side
- ▸ Paper cutting is not perfect. The cutter can shift by 1–2 mm.
- ▸ Bleed = extra background (3 mm on each side) that gets cut away. Any
- ▸ Card with bleed = 95 × 57 mm (89 + 6 by 51 + 6).
- ▸ Rule of thumb: *background goes to bleed, text stays in safe area.
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LESSON
- LESSON
- 2.3 Safe area — keep text 5 mm from the trim edge
- ▸ The trim edge is where the cutter will cut. The safe area is an
- ▸ All text, logos, and important details stay inside the safe area.
- ▸ Why: if the cut shifts slightly, your text is still safe. Nothing important
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PRACTICE
- PRACTICE
- Hands-On Practice
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PRACTICE
- PRACTICE
- Step-by-Step Tutorial
- 1
- Go to File > New (Ctrl+N).
- Create a blank document.
- 2
- Expected:* an empty page on screen.
- 3
- With nothing selected, use the unit dropdown on the property bar and choose
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PRACTICE
- PRACTICE
- Step-by-Step Tutorial (cont.)
- 4
- Expected:* all size fields now read in millimeters.
- 5
- Go to Layout > Page Size and set a custom page: Width 95 mm,
- 6
- Expected:* the page is now 95 × 57 mm
- the full bleed area.
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PRACTICE
- PRACTICE
- Step-by-Step Tutorial (cont.)
- 7
- Select the Rectangle tool (F6).
- Draw a rectangle anywhere, then type
- 8
- Select it with the Pick tool, press P (center to page). Give it **no
- 9
- Expected:* a red 89 × 51 mm rectangle centered on the page = your trim edge.
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PRACTICE
- PRACTICE
- Practical Exercise — Do This Now
- Setup (5 min): New document, mm units, page 95 × 57 mm
- Front (12 min): Full-bleed navy rectangle (F11 → CMYK C:90 M:70 Y:30
- Back (12 min): Insert page 2 (Layout > Insert Page). White background to
- Ahmed Khan — 11 pt bold
- Master Tailor — 8 pt
- +92 321 7654321 / hello@stitchline.com / Shop 4, Main Bazaar, Lahore — 8 pt
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ASSIGNMENT
- ASSIGNMENT
- Your Assignment
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ASSIGNMENT
- ASSIGNMENT
- Objective
- ▸ Produce a complete, print-ready two-sided business card from a written brief — the same workflow a paying client expects.
- ARTTECHES Nexus • Graphic Designing Mastery • Ali Akbar Shah
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ARTTECHES PRESENTATION WORKSPACE
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ASSIGNMENT
- ASSIGNMENT
- The brief (fictional client)
- ▸ "GlowCare Salon" — a women's beauty salon.
- ▸ Owner: Sana Malik (fictional), Founder & Stylist.
- ▸ Brand feel: soft, elegant, modern.
- ▸ Suggested palette: blush pink, charcoal, gold (choose your own CMYK values).
- ▸ Tagline: "Where beauty meets care."
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ASSIGNMENT
- ASSIGNMENT
- Specifications
- Size: 3.5 × 2 in (89 × 51 mm), 3 mm bleed → working page 95 × 57 mm
- Safe area: all important content 5 mm inside the trim edge
- Color mode: CMYK only; minimum text size 7 pt
- Front: logo mark + salon name + tagline (identity side)
- Back: owner name, title, phone, email, address (information side)
- Images (if any): 300 dpi at print size, or vector only
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ASSIGNMENT
- ASSIGNMENT
- Deliverables
- GDM-D21-Assignment.cdr — CorelDRAW source file (2 pages)
- GDM-D21-Assignment.pdf — print-ready PDF, PDF/X preset, 2 pages, bleed
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QUIZ
- QUIZ
- Quick Quiz
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QUIZ • 1 OF 4
- QUIZ • 1 OF 4
- Question 1
- What is the standard business card size, and what page size should you set in CorelDRAW when using 3 mm bleed?
- A
- 3.5 × 2 in → set page to 89 × 51 mm
- B
- 3.5 × 2 in → set page to 95 × 57 mm
- C
- 4 × 2.5 in → set page to 102 × 64 mm
- D
- 3.5 × 2 in → set page to 85 × 55 mm
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ARTTECHES PRESENTATION WORKSPACE
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QUIZ • 2 OF 4
- QUIZ • 2 OF 4
- Question 2
- Where must text and logos be placed relative to the trim edge?
- A
- They can touch the trim edge if the font is bold
- B
- At least 5 mm inside the trim edge (safe area)
- C
- In the bleed area so they print bigger
- D
- Anywhere — the printer fixes it automatically
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QUIZ • 3 OF 4
- QUIZ • 3 OF 4
- Question 3
- Why should a business card be designed in CMYK instead of RGB?
- A
- CMYK files are smaller
- B
- RGB cannot be exported to PDF
- C
- Printers use CMYK ink, so CMYK values predict the printed result
- D
- CMYK is required by law for business cards
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QUIZ • 4 OF 4
- QUIZ • 4 OF 4
- Question 4
- A client sends their logo as a 72 dpi JPG and wants it 40 mm wide on the card. What is the correct response?
- A
- Place it as-is; 72 dpi is fine for small logos
- B
- Stretch it to 40 mm and hope it looks sharp
- C
- Ask for a vector version or a 300 dpi image at print size
- D
- Convert it to RGB to improve quality
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ARTTECHES PRESENTATION WORKSPACE
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NEXT
- NEXT
- Day Complete — Well Done
- ✓ You finished: Business Cards
- ✓ All files for this day are in your Day-21 folder.
- ✓ Tomorrow: next lesson — keep the streak going.
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