What size is a rack card?
A standard rack card is 4 × 9 inches (about 102 × 229 mm), printed on both sides on heavy card. Outside North America, DL (99 × 210 mm) is the closest common size and fits most DL leaflet racks. Add 1/8 inch (3 mm) of bleed on every side and keep text 1/8 inch inside the trim.
Rack card size at a glance
| Measurement | Inches | Millimetres | Pixels at 300 DPI |
|---|---|---|---|
| Trim size | 4 × 9 in | 102 × 229 mm | 1200 × 2700 px |
| With 1/8 in bleed | 4.25 × 9.25 in | 108 × 235 mm | 1275 × 2775 px |
| Safe area (1/8 in inside trim) | 3.75 × 8.75 in | 95 × 222 mm | 1125 × 2625 px |
| DL leaflet (nearest metric size) | 3.9 × 8.3 in | 99 × 210 mm | 1169 × 2480 px |
Rack cards are tall and narrow because they stand in display racks at hotel lobbies, visitor centres, clinics, salons and car dealerships. Only the top third or so shows above the pocket of most racks, so that's where your name and headline go.
What to put on the front
- Top third: your business name or logo and a headline that says what you offer (“Sunset kayak tours”, “Same-day dental cleanings”). This is the part people see in the rack.
- Middle: one strong photo, plus three or four short points: services, opening hours, prices or what makes you different.
- Bottom: a clear call to action such as “Book online”, “Call to reserve” or “Scan for the menu”.
What to put on the back
- Address, phone, website and opening hours.
- A small map or directions if visitors need to find you.
- A QR code to your booking page, menu or catalog (about 0.8 in or 2 cm across at least, so phones can scan it).
- An offer with a code or an expiry date, so you can tell which cards bring people in.
Paper and finish
Print shops usually offer rack cards on 14 pt or 16 pt card (roughly 300–350 gsm). Gloss makes photos bright; matte or uncoated is easier to write on and reads well under strong lobby lighting. Order a small run first and check how the card looks in the actual rack before printing thousands.
Making one in CatalogProFlow
- Open a rack card template; it's already 4 × 9 in with bleed and a safe area, front and back.
- Change the words, colours and photos. If you've saved your logo and colours to your brand kit, they can be applied to the template.
- Add a QR code from the editor's brand panel (with a free account) pointing to your website or booking page.
- Download a print-ready PDF for any printer, order prints where our print partners offer rack cards, or download a PNG for a quick proof.
Need the same design in another size, such as a flyer or a social post? Use Resize to make a copy in the new size, then tidy the layout.
Questions
- What is the standard rack card size?
- 4 × 9 inches (about 102 × 229 mm), with 1/8 inch of bleed on each side for printing (4.25 × 9.25 in overall).
- Is a rack card the same as a DL flyer?
- They're close but not the same. DL is 99 × 210 mm (about 3.9 × 8.3 in), slightly smaller than a 4 × 9 in rack card. Both fit most leaflet racks; check the rack's pocket size if you're unsure.
- What's the difference between a rack card and a flyer?
- A rack card is narrow, two-sided and printed on heavy card so it stands up in a display rack. A flyer is usually letter or A4 size on thinner paper and is handed out or pinned up.
- What resolution should a rack card be?
- About 300 pixels per inch at the printed size: 1200 × 2700 pixels for the trim size, or 1275 × 2775 with bleed.