- 500 business cards run about $17.45 base, both sides, only $5.29 more than the $12.16 price for 100.
- 1,000 cards cost about $33.02 base while 2,500 cards run $54.42, so the per-card cost keeps falling as the count grows.
- Rounded corners and slim shapes sit in their own pricing tier, separate from the standard rectangle used for the $12.16 to $54.42 numbers above.
This guide walks through quantity, sides, and stock choices for business cards on 55printing.com so you order the right count the first time. Prices below are base print figures for standard 2″ x 3.5″ cards on default 14 pt. Gloss, checked July 2026. Shipping is a separate line at checkout.
Order for the next quarter, not for forever
Order 500 business cards, not 100, unless a title is about to change again soon. On the July 2026 table, 500 both-sides runs about $17.45 base against $12.16 for 100, a gap of just $5.29 for five times the cards. Reprint once real edits are needed.
Titles, phone numbers, and QR destinations change more often than people plan for. On the July 2026 table, 500 both-sides runs about $17.45 base and 1,000 runs about $33.02. That is cheap insurance if the design is stable. Jumping straight to a much larger count only pays off once the first batch has survived real use with no edits needed.
Quantity table to check your own quote
| Quantity | Both sides, base price | Approx. per card |
|---|---|---|
| 100 | $12.16 | $0.12 |
| 500 | $17.45 | $0.03 |
| 1,000 | $33.02 | $0.03 |
| 2,500 | $54.42 | $0.02 |
The jump from 100 to 500 barely moves the price, which is why almost nobody should order exactly 100 unless a name is about to change again soon. The jump from 1,000 to 2,500 is where real savings per card start to show up.
Both sides or a blank back
A blank back saves a small amount over both-sides pricing on this stock, and that gap rarely justifies wasting the space. Put a service list, a booking QR code, or a small map on the back instead. Keep the front sparse: name, one role line, one phone number, one link.
Stock upgrades worth the extra cost
14 pt gloss is the default workhorse for most orders. 16 pt premium stocks cost a bit more at the same quantity and feel noticeably stiffer in hand. Specialty boards and pearl finishes cost the most and mainly buy texture, not durability. Save those upgrades for a sales role that hands cards to clients face to face every week, not for temporary event staff badges.
Rounded corners and slim card shapes sit in their own pricing tier on the form, separate from the standard rectangle. They read as a small design choice but they change the SKU, so a quote built around a standard rectangle price will not match once you switch the trim shape mid-order.
Approximate cost per card at the 1,000-count tier, both sides, base price before shipping.
Scenario: a new hire onboarding kit
An HR manager at a growing company needs cards ready for six new hires starting the same Monday. Ordering 100 both-sides per person at $12.16 each covers the first quarter cheaply, and the onboarding coordinator reorders individually once titles are confirmed after a 90-day review. A startup handling its first wave of new hires runs the same math but orders 500 for its two most public-facing roles, since those cards will actually leave the building at trade events. Nobody in either plan pays for 2,500 cards on a title that might still shift.
The onboarding kit itself usually bundles the card with a badge, a welcome letter, and login instructions. Building the card order as its own line item, separate from the rest of the kit, makes it far easier to reprint just the card later without reordering the whole packet for one small title change.
Code hotprintsusa-10-off-for-copies is scoped to eligible color copies products on 55printing.com and does not apply to business cards. Do not expect a discount line on a card order just because the code worked on a copy run before. Watch the deals hub for any card-specific code we verify later.
Proof habits that prevent a reprint
- Spell-check every phone number and email character by character
- Test the QR code on a real phone before you approve the file
- Confirm the trim shape; standard rectangle, rounded, and slim corners are different products
- Export logos as vector art or a high-resolution PNG, never a low-res web logo
Put a QR code on the back that points to a landing page instead of a static phone number. If a role or extension changes, update the page, not the card, and the stack you already printed stays useful.
Turnaround planning
Standard turnaround is the budget path for most onboarding schedules. Rush pricing exists on the form for a trade show or a launch date already booked. Build shipping days into the plan for your city so cards land before the start date, not on it.
A common mistake is placing the card order the same week a new hire starts, then paying for rush to fix a self-inflicted deadline. Add card orders to the same checklist as badge access and equipment setup so the print job goes in with two weeks of lead time instead of two days.
Lock in your quantity and stock, then get a live total with shipping included before you check out.
FAQ
Can three new hires share one order with different names?
Only if the form supports a multi-name workflow or you plan separate line items. A single PDF with three different names on it will not split itself into three jobs.
Do coupons for color copies apply to business cards?
No. The code is scoped to color copies products only. Check the printing coupons page for any card-eligible code before checkout.
Matte or gloss for a new employee’s first cards?
Gloss makes photos and logos pop. Matte and uncoated stocks are easier to write a quick note on. Price both on the live form since several 14 pt options track close on common quantities.
How fast can a small onboarding order ship?
Standard turnaround is the cheapest path and usually fits a normal two-week onboarding window. Rush exists for a start date that got moved up with little notice.
Should a startup order a bigger batch to save money long term?
Only for roles that are genuinely stable, like a founder or an office manager. Sales and support titles turn over faster, so smaller reorders usually beat one large batch that goes stale.
What file format prints the sharpest logo?
Vector formats like PDF or EPS print cleanest at any size. A logo pulled from a website is usually too low-resolution and will look soft on the printed card.
