Common Card Sizes Explained: A Complete Beginner’s Guide for Cardmakers

Hello there and welcome back to the Beginners Blog Post Series. It’s Lisa Tilson here with you again, and today we are going to be talking about common card sizes. Those go-to sizes we all know and love, which feature heavily in our cardmaking projects. This subject was touched on briefly in the previous post covering how to make a handmade card, but what is important to think about is that the size of your card can really help to bring your design to life.

Why Does Size Matter?

There are many reasons why size can matter when sitting down to create your card. Here are a few things to consider:

• What size of card will best showcase your idea? Some designs look fantastic on an A2 card but don’t translate as well to other formats.
• What shape of card will work best? Will the design work better on a rectangle or a square or maybe an arch or circle?
• What do you feel confident making? This is particularly relevant when starting out on your cardmaking journey. For example, you may feel more confident working on a small panel, where you can focus on fine details and the scale feels less intimidating. Alternatively, you may feel happier using a larger panel, where you can express your ideas with greater freedom and movement.
• Do you need to mass-produce your design? Often relevant for Christmas/holiday cardmaking, and this can have an influence on what size of card you make.
• Do you have the right products for this card size, and will they look proportionate on the finished design?
• Do you have an envelope to fit, or can you make one?
• Is postage cost an issue? This will vary country by country, and in most cases, smaller is more cost-effective if you send out multiple cards.

So, let’s look at common card sizes in the USA first.

USA

A2 Cards

By far the most common size cardmakers use is the A2, top‑folding, vertical card design.

• This measures 4.25” x 5.5” (created with a panel of 4.25” x 11” cardstock, scored and folded at 5.5”).

The A2 top-folding horizontal card format is also popular.

• This also measures 4.25” x 5.5” (created with a panel of 8.5” x 5.5” cardstock, scored and folded at 4.25”).

Take a look at the two card examples above, which show how a design can work depending on the card’s orientation. This is often second nature when thinking about making your card. You are guided by what you are using on it – the size of the die or image and where your sentiment might best fit. If a top-folding horizontal or vertical card design is not your preferred option, then you can create A2 vertical and horizontal side-folding cards.

• For an A2 side-folding vertical card, you would need to cut a piece of cardstock to 8.5” x 5.5” and score/fold it at 4.25”.
• For an A2 side-folding horizontal card, you would need your cardstock to be 11” x 4.25” and scored/folded at 5.5”.

A7 Cards

The larger A7 format is often seen for invitations or cards created for extra special occasions.

• This type of card measures 5” x 7” (created with a panel of 7” x 10” cardstock, scored and folded at 5”).

In the example below, the size of the card was determined by the die set - particularly the cuckoo‑cottage pendulums, which were designed to swing back and forth. You could have used this set on an A2 card, but the pendulums would have needed to be shortened. And who doesn’t love a little bit of interaction and fun on a card! Some people prefer creating with A7 more than any other. The extra space allows for a larger design and gives those bigger stamped images, stencils, sentiments, and dies room to truly shine.

Slimline/Mini Slimline

There are some designs that look fabulous on a more elongated format. That can include Slimline cards and the more recently popular Mini Slimline cards. Mini Slimline and Slimline cards can be ideal if you want to repeat an image in different colours, or if you’re working with a particularly tall element - like a long-stemmed flower - that needs the extra height. These formats also work beautifully for scene building, especially when you want to include elements such as layered clouds, mountain ranges and elongated vistas.

• Slimline cards measure 3.5” x 8.5” (created with a panel of 8.5” x 7” cardstock, scored and folded at 3.5”).

The example below shows a slimline card that has been created with a slimline die and so the design fills the card panel perfectly from left to right and top to bottom.

• Mini Slimline cards measure 6.5” x 3.5” (created with a panel of 7” x 6.5” cardstock, scored and folded at 3.5”).

The two cards below both rely heavily on repetition across the card front.

Square

This could be anything from 3.5” x 3.5” up to 6” x 6” (usually in 0.5” increments) – but it can be whatever you want it to be. Square cards are popular across the globe! For context, the cards pictured below are sized:

• 4.25” x 4.25” (8.5” x 4.25” cardstock, scored and folded at 4.25”) and
• 4” x 4” (8” x 4” cardstock, scored and folded at 4”).

These sizes allow for a more compact design.

Shaped Cards

Let’s not forget the different shaped cards which can be so playful and really help to accentuate a certain aspect of the design! Nesting dies that are used on A2 rectangle cards are sized so that the largest die is no bigger than 4.25” x 5.5”. The same applies to other shaped nesting dies -  with the largest die being designed to fit on an A2 rectangle card base if you prefer not to create a shaped card. The cards below show how you can use both an arch and an oval to really focus in on a particular image. For the card on the left, the arch shape complements the curved tops of the tulips and daffodils. For the card on the right, the foiled and coloured image has been die cut so that the flowers almost fill the whole card front, with just a little bit of empty space either side.

Common Sized Cards - UK/Europe/International

Most European and International countries follow the IS0 216 International Paper Size Standard with by far the most common card size being A6.

• A6 cards measure 4.13” x 5.83” when scored and folded.

However, as in the USA, square cards are very popular too, ranging from 4” x 4” through to 6” x 6”. Spellbinders ColorWheel Cardstock is stocked in the Spellbinders UK shop, and it comes in an A4 format making it ideally suited for card creators across UK, Europe and International. Each sheet of A4 cardstock measures 8.27” x 11.69” and this allows for two A6 note cards/card bases or four A6 panels. For a comparison between American A2 and UK/European/International A6 cards see the two card examples above. These designs are both created on A6 sized cards – one with a horizontal design and the other with a vertical design. The elements on both cards have been taken from original US A2 sized cards and recreated on a European/UK/International A6 sized card. So, US manufactured dies can be used on many different sized cards and vice versa.

Matting and Layering on Different Card Sizes

Whatever size or shape of card you want to make, there are nesting/layering dies to help you step up your game. If you reside outside of the US, you will easily be able to find dies that work with a European/UK/International A6 format. If you can’t find dies, use your paper trimmer to cut the layers to size instead! Understanding how different card sizes and formats work - and how your supplies interact with them - can help guide your thinking process and influence the final look of your design. Each size or shape can offer its own benefits. In the end, the right size is what you feel happy with – the size that supports your ideas and helps fuel your creativity! Next up in the series is Die Cutting for Beginners, and we hope you’ll join us to learn more.