Best Business Card Cutters for Small Businesses

If you are tired of paying big bucks to outsourced companies to print and cut your business cards for your small business, and waiting days to receive them, or having to meet high minimums, then consider buying your own business card cutter to make them on-demand. They are more affordable than you think! There are many business card slitters available on the market, and in this article I will outline my two top picks for small business use, and tell you why they are a great choice. With these affordable and simple card cutting machines you can make DIY business cards for your business without the high costs associated with outsourcing to your local print shop, and without the delay involved waiting for them to be printed and shipped. With these small business card cutters you can print and cut business cards on-demand, as-needed. No minimums, no waiting, no custom fees.

① Cardmate Manual Card Cutter

The first business card cutter that I suggest for individuals and companies with low-volume needs is called the Cardmate Business Card Cutter. It is a great little unit that takes up very little space, and will cut single sheets of business cards with 2 passes through the machine. Incredibly affordable with a list price under $100, this manual card slitter works by cranking a handle to pull the sheet through the blades. Just 1 use and it has paid for itself, which is why it is one of our best selling business card cutters, year after year.

The CardMate uses the most popular business card template/format, 10-up, which makes 10 cards per sheet, each measuring the standard 2" x 3 ½". Since it is manually operated with a handle, the speed at which you can cut cards will vary deepening on the operator, but we have seen most users getting about 60 cards per minute. Since there are 10 cards per sheet, this means you can run about 6 sheets per minute.

One thing to note is that the Cardmate is not a "full bleed" cutter, which means it is intended for card designs that do not have ink that bleeds to the edge of the card. Business card slitting machines that work for these designs will need to feature a "gutter cut" which creates a small strip of waste between each card to allow for the bleed without overlapping it onto the cards next to each other. The Cardmate is small, lightweight, and safe for all ages, so even your kids or students can get in on the fun. It features a 90 day manufacturer's warranty, and works great with paper up to about 110# card stock.

How to Make Business Cards with the Cardmate

① Print your custom business cards using the appropriate 10-Up Business Card Template for your operating system on your choice of cardstock. You can download the Microsoft Word template here.

② Insert your printed sheet (1 sheet at a time) into the feed tray on the back of the Cardmate. Move the margin adjustments until they are pressed against your sheet, centering it properly for the cut.

③ Turn the handle clockwise until the sheet passes through. This cuts your business cards into four strips. Dispose of the two outer scrap strips.

④ Now place one of your strips horizontally into the front opening, and press the margin aligners against the page.

⑤ Then crank the handle again to pull it through. Repeat this step for the 2nd strip. You are left with 10 perfectly cut business cards!

② CardMac Plus Electric Card Cutter

The second business card cutter that I recommend for small businesses is for those who may need to do a bit higher quantity, to the point where electric cutting would be helpful. This machine even works well for some medium sized businesses...basically anyone with weekly (or thereabouts) business card needs. It is called the Akiles CardMac Plus and is the most affordable electric business card slitter you will find on the market.

This tabletop machine is simple to use, and is an efficient way to cut business cards on-demand for your business. Place it near your printer so anyone on your team can use it and print their own cards as they need them. It works great with any card stock papers up to 120 # cover stock. It is compact, lightweight, and easy to use.

The CardMac Plus works with the same standard 10-up template, however unlike the Cardmate, it features a gutter cut, which allows for full-bleed business cards. This expands your design capabilities so you have no limitations to what kind of business card design you use. It makes it incredibly popular, and allows for a more premium finished look.

With a list price of just over $300, it offers a very high value with a lot of bang for your buck. It can make cards as quickly as about 30 per minute, depending on the operator, and takes 3 passes to finish your card. Always professional, and increcibly efficient, the CardMac Plus is a smart choice for small businesses who want to stop outsourcing.

How to Make Business Cards with the CardMac Plus

① Design your cards using the downloadable Cardmac template and print onto your choice of cardstock.

② Place your sheet into tray 1 and adjust the side margin knob to fit the paper width. Make sure the center part of your sheet lines up with the red arrow. If needed, adjust the first pass paper knob below the tray until centered.

③ Now feed the sheet through and discard the waste strips.

④ Now take 1 of the cut strips of cards and insert it into tray 2. The red arrow should line up between the 3rd and 4th cards. If needed, adjust the side margin guide until aligned.

⑤ Press she sheet flush against the two backstops, and aligned to the right stop. Now use both thumbs to push the tray into the machine, cutting your cards. Repeat step ④ and ⑤ for the 2nd strip of cards to have 10 perfectly finished business cards.

Both business card cutters will accept standard letter size sheets (8 ½" x 11") and turn them into beautiful business cards. Just print your cards using the particular business card template for your machine, and put the sheet through the business card slitter of your choice. The result: beautifully made business cards from the home or office. No more outsourcing, and paying expensive prices; business card cutters will pay for themselves after just a few uses!

About the Author • Hi! My name is Mallory Morsa, and I have been the product expert and content specialist at Binding101 since 2008 (I have practically grown up here!). Every day I push myself to learn new information, incorporating real-life experiences from myself and the entire team to create solutions to the most common problems in the industry, and then present those solutions in a way that is easy to understand for everyone, from novices to experts. I dive deep into products to figure out how they work from the core, and am always honest with my results, so that you know exactly what you will get, before you buy. Outside of work, I can be found snuggling my 3 furbabies, reading by the pool, or at my local animal shelter bottle feeding and volunteering for the kitten nursery.