Business cards — meishi (名刺) — are taken seriously in Japan. Exchanging them is a ritual: offered with both hands, received with both hands, studied carefully before being placed respectfully on the table. Getting the format right matters.
Why Standard Western Cards Do Not Always Work
Most Western business cards are 3.5 × 2 inches (89 × 51 mm). Japanese standard meishi are slightly different: 91 × 55 mm. It is a small difference, but it matters because Japanese card holders and wallets are designed for the Japanese format. If your card is too small, it gets lost. Too large, it does not fit.
Print Japan prints to the Japanese standard — 91 × 55 mm — by default, with Western sizing available on request.
Single-Sided vs. Bilingual
If you are only meeting international colleagues, a clean English-only single-sided card works fine. But if you are networking with Japanese clients, a bilingual card — English on the front, Japanese on the back — signals respect and professionalism. We offer a translation and layout service for this.
Paper Stock: What Actually Impresses
In Japan, the thickness and feel of a card matters almost as much as the design. Thin, flimsy cards make a poor impression. We recommend our 400gsm Silk with soft-touch lamination as a standard — it has a luxurious feel and still accepts ink cleanly.
For more premium presentations, consider:
- Spot UV: raises certain design elements with a glossy coating
- Foil stamping: gold or silver metallic accents on logos or text
- Embossing: creates a raised effect for names or logos
How to Prepare Your File
Our preferred file format is a print-ready PDF with 3mm bleed on all sides, CMYK colour mode, and fonts embedded or outlined. If you have a design file in Illustrator, InDesign, or Photoshop, we can accept those too. If you need help designing, our Premium Design Service creates a complete layout from scratch.
How to Order
1. Visit our business cards product page and choose your finish and quantity
2. Send us your artwork (or brief us to design from scratch)
3. We send you a digital proof within one business day
4. Approve and we print — delivered in 2–3 business days
You can order entirely in English via WhatsApp or our quote form. No Japanese required.
Rush Orders
Need cards for tomorrow? We offer same-day proofing and 24-hour print on business cards for urgent situations — contact us on WhatsApp for availability.
Need to print in Japan?
Get an instant quote or message us on WhatsApp. Everything handled in English.