Same Day Business Cards London
020 3375 6674 info@silverimagelondon.com Open 24 hours, 7 days a week — call or email and we will tell you what is possible today.
Premium business cards and loyalty cards on 350gsm and 400gsm stock, printed digitally at our 24/7 London facility. Unlaminated 350gsm cards can be produced same-day, subject to capacity confirmed at quotation; 400gsm timing is confirmed at quotation, and lamination adds two days. Same-day and overnight courier delivery is available across London, with frequent deliveries to the City, West End, Canary Wharf and Central London.
Every job is quoted on its specification. Send us yours and we will come back with a firm figure.
| Specification | Detail |
|---|---|
| Stock | 350 gsm uncoated high-white as standard; 400 gsm is also printed digitally |
| Lamination | Optional; adds two days. The laminate is confirmed at quotation |
| Sides | Single or double sided |
| Also covers | Loyalty cards, membership cards and vouchers |
| Turnaround | Unlaminated 350 gsm cards same day in London, subject to capacity confirmed at quotation; 400 gsm and laminated cards timed at quotation; next-day courier delivery elsewhere in the UK once the cards are ready |
What size is a business card, and where does the text sit?
Which business card template do I need?
One template per size at 1:1 in millimetres, with the bleed, the cut line and the safe zone marked; the double-sided template has a second page for the back. Build the artwork over the whole sheet and send the PDF.
85 × 55 mm · single-sidedPDF, 91 × 61 mm with bleed · the standard card
85 × 55 mm · double-sidedPDF, 2 pages (front, back) · 91 × 61 mm with bleed
US Standard · 89 × 51 mmPDF, 95 × 57 mm with bleed · on request
Crop marks offset by 3 mm. Backgrounds run past the trim; names and logos stay 5 mm inside it, because trimming moves by a fraction of a millimetre across a run and type on the trim line looks uneven.
Measured on the printed card, not in the file. A logo exported at screen size stays low resolution however small the card; send the vector logo instead.
Page 1 is the front, page 2 the back. The double-sided template carries both pages; keep the same bleed and safe margin on each.
A QR code needs clear space around it and enough contrast against its background, or a phone will not read it. Keep it inside the safe margin, dark on light, and test it on a phone before you send the file.
Anything cut or foiled needs its own path, not a drawn outline on the artwork layer: supply the shape as a separate spot layer. We round corners on a die-cutter at a 6 mm radius. Foil and spot UV take 3–5 days, so for a same-day urgent order we recommend digital print with matt lamination. CMYK, PDF/X-4 with fonts outlined; delete the template guide shapes before export.
Artwork specifications
Bleed, safe margins, colour, resolution, file format
Logos exported at screen size are the classic card pitfall — verify your file’s resolution in seconds.
| Requirement | What we need | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Bleed | 3 mm on every edge | With crop marks offset by 3 mm. Anything running off the page has to extend past the trim, or a white hairline appears along the cut edge. |
| Safe margin | Text 5 mm clear of the trim | Trimming moves by a fraction of a millimetre across a run. Type sitting on the trim line will look uneven from copy to copy. |
| Colour mode | CMYK, not RGB | Bright RGB blues and greens sit outside the CMYK gamut and print duller than they look on screen. Send Pantone references for brand colours. |
| Resolution at final size | 300 dpi at the finished size | Measured on the printed piece, not in the file. A 72 dpi web image scaled up stays 72 dpi. |
| File format | PDF preferred — but send what you have | We accept virtually any artwork format and check every file in-house before production. If anything needs adjusting we will tell you immediately, before we print. |
| Fonts | Outlined, or fully embedded | Outlined is safer on urgent work: there is no substitution risk at 3am when nobody is at a desk to answer. |
| Images | Embedded in the PDF | PDF/X-4 embeds everything by default. Linked images that did not travel with the file are a common cause of a job stalling. |
| Transparency | Supported — no need to flatten | PDF/X-4 carries live transparency. Flattening by hand often causes the white boxes and colour shifts it was meant to avoid. |
| Rounded corners or foil | Supply the shape as a separate spot layer | Anything cut or foiled needs its own path, not a drawn outline on the artwork layer. |
Before you upload
- Export as PDF/X-4
- Convert fonts to outlines
- Extend backgrounds into the bleed
- Keep important content inside the safe margin
- Supply images at 300 dpi at the finished size
- Check the page size matches the finished trim size
Send the file even where there is doubt about it. We check bleed, resolution, embedded fonts and page size before anything goes on press, and where a fix is small it is usually just done. A two-minute reply at 9pm is faster than a re-export at 7am.
What turns a same-day job into a next-day one is almost never the printing. It is a question that has to go back to you and sit unanswered — artwork built at the wrong finished size, a logo supplied at screen resolution, or type running off the trim with no bleed behind it. Getting the six points above right removes nearly every one of those.
Card weight and finish decide how the card feels
Never miss a networking opportunity. Silver Image offers Urgent Business Card printing for professionals in The City and West End. We print on thick 350gsm or 400gsm artboard, far superior to the thin cards offered by budget online printers.
Lamination is available as an extra finishing step and adds two days; the laminate is confirmed at quotation. We can also round the corners for a modern look. Specialist finishes like Spot UV take longer.
Can business cards be printed the same day in London?
Yes, in most cases. Silver Image London prints 85 × 55 mm business cards on 350 gsm stock in-house in London, normally the same day, subject to capacity confirmed at quotation. Cards are also printed digitally on 400 gsm, priced and timed at quotation. Simple unlaminated cards can be done through our “Wait and Print” service, lamination adds two days, and foil and spot UV take 3–5 days, so they are not same-day.
| Option | Stock and finish | Quantities and prices | Timing |
|---|---|---|---|
| Same-day cards, single-sided | 85 × 55 mm on 350 gsm | 100 for £55, 200 for £65, 500 for £90, 1,000 for £115 + VAT | Same day, printed in-house, subject to capacity confirmed at quotation |
| Same-day cards, double-sided | 85 × 55 mm on 350 gsm | 100 for £60, 200 for £70, 500 for £110, 1,000 for £145 + VAT | Same day, printed in-house, subject to capacity confirmed at quotation |
| 400 gsm cards | 85 × 55 mm on 400 gsm, printed digitally | Quoted on the job; the prices above are for 350 gsm | Confirmed at quotation |
| 350 gsm Conqueror | 350 gsm Conqueror | From £85 + VAT per 100 single-sided; £95 + VAT double-sided | Confirmed at quotation |
| 450 gsm laminated litho cards | 450 gsm; gloss or silk laminate, square corners | From £64 + VAT per 100 single-sided | 3 working days from approved artwork and payment; not a same-day product |
| Lamination | Optional; the laminate is confirmed at quotation | Quoted on the job | Adds two days; unlaminated cards through our “Wait and Print” service |
| Foil and spot UV | Specialist finishes | Quoted on the job | 3–5 days; not part of a same-day run |
Q&A
Can I get business cards in 1 hour?
Yes. We offer a "Wait and Print" digital service for simple unlaminated cards. Lamination adds two days.
What is the standard size?
UK Standard is 85mm x 55mm. We can also print US Standard (89mm x 51mm) or square cards upon request.
Do you do Spot UV or Foil?
Yes, but these premium finishes take 3-5 days. For same-day urgent orders we recommend unlaminated digital print, because lamination adds two days.
Can you round the corners?
Yes. We have die-cutting machines to round the corners (6mm radius) for a stylish, modern finish.
How much do same-day business cards cost?
For 85 × 55 mm cards on 350 gsm, single-sided, plus VAT: 100 for £55, 200 for £65, 500 for £90 and 1,000 for £115. Double-sided, plus VAT: 100 for £60, 200 for £70, 500 for £110 and 1,000 for £145. They are printed in-house the same day, subject to capacity confirmed at quotation.
Are 450 gsm business cards a same-day product?
No. 450 gsm laminated litho cards, in gloss or silk laminate with square corners, take 3 working days from approved artwork and payment. For a same-day order we print 350 gsm cards in-house.
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Key facts: ordering tonight
- Open 24 hours, 7 days a week, including Saturdays, Sundays and bank holidays.
- Print production runs 24/7; the walk-in counter serves the day and evening, and the status bar at the top of the page shows live whether it is open right now.
- Files and payment received by 21:00 → overnight production for delivery before 9am the next morning, subject to that night’s capacity; we confirm at quotation whether the run fits.
- No fixed overnight cap: tell us the quantity and we say at quotation whether it can be done in time.
- Overnight jobs are normally couriered to arrive before your office opens; collection is arranged around your arrival time — call before you set off after 8pm so the job is bagged and waiting at the counter.
- No minimum for walk-in jobs during the day — one copy is a normal job. Out-of-hours collection or delivery carries a £95 minimum plus courier if required.
- Same-day and overnight courier delivery across London, most often EC1–EC4, W1, WC1–WC2, E14 and SW1.
- Exhibition delivery to ExCeL, Olympia, the Business Design Centre and other venues: send us the hall, your stand number, the named person on the stand and their mobile, and the build-day or opening time you need it by; delivery goes directly to the stand where venue access and rules allow, otherwise to the loading bay, a nearby hotel or an agreed collection point.
- Send what you have: we check the artwork before anything goes on press and tell you what to fix; a print-ready PDF (CMYK, 3 mm bleed) is the fastest route.
- Quotes come with a secure payment link — Visa, Mastercard, Amex, Apple Pay, Google Pay, PayPal and Klarna; production starts once payment is in.
- Courier delivery within London is usually in the region of £35–45, depending on the postcode and which courier is free; the exact figure is on your quote and is added to the job price.
- A proof is available on request; when we design the artwork you always get a final proof to approve. Print-ready files are printed on site and our operator checks the run against a printed proof sample before it leaves.
- Before we accept an urgent job we look at what could go wrong with the file, the stock and the finishing, and plan so that a reprint would still fit inside your deadline.
- Every order has a dedicated member of staff and an agreed completion deadline; we do not run an e-commerce queue, so the time we give you is for your job.
- Bank transfer is accepted alongside the payment link: tell us when you have sent it — the job goes to production once accounts confirm it has arrived.
- Outside London and towards the M25 courier costs more: we check with the couriers and confirm the price with you before booking.
- 85 × 55 mm cards on 350 gsm, printed in-house the same day subject to capacity (confirmed at quotation): 100 for £55, 200 for £65, 500 for £90, 1,000 for £115 + VAT single-sided; double-sided 100 for £60, 200 for £70, 500 for £110, 1,000 for £145 + VAT.
- 350 gsm Conqueror: from £85 + VAT per 100 single-sided (£95 double-sided).
- Business cards are printed digitally on 350 gsm and 400 gsm; lamination adds two days.
- 450 gsm laminated litho cards (gloss or silk laminate, square corners): from £64 + VAT per 100 single-sided; 3 working days from approved artwork and payment — not a same-day product.
Send us the job
Tell us the size, the quantity and when you need it. We come back with a firm price, and we check the artwork before anything goes on press.
Open 24 hours, 7 days a week. Same-day and overnight delivery across London.
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