CR80 card size: the standard ID format
CR80 card size is the familiar format used for most employee, student, membership, and access IDs. It measures 85.60 × 53.98 mm, commonly given as 3.375 × 2.125 inches. This format is also known formally as ISO ID-1. If you need an everyday identification card that works with many standard holders and card printers, CR80 is a practical starting point.
Those dimensions describe the physical card, not the direction of its design. A horizontal employee ID and a vertical student ID can both be CR80. Turning the layout changes how the name, photo, and other information are arranged, but it does not change the card’s outside dimensions.
Keeping size and orientation separate makes planning easier. First, choose a physical format that suits your holder and equipment. Then decide whether a portrait or landscape design presents the information most clearly. This helps prevent a common mistake: choosing a holder based on how a badge looks rather than checking its actual measurements.
CR80 describes the card’s physical size. Portrait and landscape describe its layout. A card can use either orientation without becoming a different size.
ID card dimensions and common formats at a glance
Comparing ID card dimensions helps you see whether a format is meant for a familiar wallet-sized ID, a smaller insert, or a larger display badge. CR79, CR80, CR90, and CR100 are useful names to recognize, but the measurements matter when matching cards to accessories.
- CR79: approximately 83.9 × 52 mm. This slightly smaller format is often used as an adhesive-backed insert for a proximity or clamshell access card.
- CR80: 85.60 × 53.98 mm. This is the common choice for everyday employee, student, membership, and access IDs.
- CR90: approximately 92 × 60 mm. The larger surface can provide more room for names and identifying details at events or venues.
- CR100: approximately 98.5 × 67 mm. This offers a larger display area than CR80 or CR90 when a more prominent badge is useful.
These common CR formats should not be confused with the broader ISO format names. CR80 corresponds to ISO ID-1. ISO ID-2 and ID-3 identify larger document formats, while ISO ID-000 identifies a miniature-card format. They are not alternate names for CR90 or CR100. When a specification lists an unfamiliar format, check its dimensions rather than assuming it belongs to the same size family.
For a practical reference on CR formats, their uses, and checking printer support, see this source. A format’s name is a useful starting point, but your printer’s supported card sizes should guide the final choice.
How card size affects holder and printer compatibility
A badge needs to work as a complete setup: card, holder, printing equipment, and any reader used with it. Matching the exact format helps the card sit properly in its sleeve and move through supported equipment. A small difference in width or height can matter, even when two cards look nearly identical.
CR80 works with many standard wallets, card sleeves, readers, and ID-card printers. That broad compatibility is useful, but it is not a guarantee that every product labeled for an ID card will fit. Check the holder’s usable insert dimensions, not just its outside dimensions. For a vertical or horizontal holder, also confirm that the opening and attachment arrangement suit the way you plan to wear the card.
- Holder or sleeve: confirm the supported card width, height, and thickness.
- Printer: check that the exact card format and thickness are supported.
- Laminator: verify that the selected card format works with the equipment and intended setup.
- Reader: confirm both physical fit, where relevant, and support for the card’s access technology.
Non-CR80 formats may require equipment specifically designed to support them. Do not assume that a printer accepting CR80 can also print CR79, CR90, or CR100. Likewise, a sleeve that holds a standard ID may not accommodate a larger event card. Checking specifications before ordering keeps the format, accessories, and production process aligned.
When to choose CR79, CR90, or CR100
Choose CR79 when the application calls for a smaller adhesive-backed insert, particularly one intended for a proximity or clamshell card. In that setup, the printed insert and the underlying access card have different roles: the insert displays identification, while the access card provides the access function. Confirm that the insert’s dimensions match the intended card surface.
CR90 and CR100 are worth considering when the badge needs a larger display area. At an event or venue, extra room can help you make a person’s name and identifying details more prominent. The benefit comes from using that space well, rather than simply adding more information.
For example, an organizer choosing between badge sizes might prefer a larger format to give the attendee’s name more emphasis. An everyday employee ID may instead benefit from the familiar CR80 footprint. Neither choice is automatically better; the right format depends on how the identification will be displayed and carried.
Before selecting CR79, CR90, or CR100, confirm both printer support and holder fit. A useful display size still needs a compatible way to produce and wear it.
Card thickness, orientation, and print setup
Width and height are only part of the specification. A typical CR80 card is around 30 mil, or 0.76 mm, thick. Here, mil means one-thousandth of an inch, not a millimeter. Check thickness separately because the CR80 card size alone does not tell you whether a particular card will work with your printer, holder, or reader.
For a 300 dpi CR80 design, approximately 1012 × 638 pixels is a useful landscape working-canvas reference. For portrait artwork, reverse those dimensions to approximately 638 × 1012 pixels. The physical card remains the same size in either orientation.
Treat that pixel measurement as a starting reference, not a universal print template. Follow your printer’s guidance for bleed and safe margins. Bleed concerns artwork extending beyond the intended trim edge; safe margins keep important content away from the edge. Keep names, photos, and other essential details within the recommended safe area, and use the specified template when one is available.
Quick reference: choose the right badge sizes
The simplest way to compare badge sizes is to start with the job the card needs to do. Choose a familiar everyday format, a specific access-card insert, or a larger display area. Then check that the rest of the setup supports that choice.
- Choose CR80 for most everyday employee, student, membership, and access IDs: 85.60 × 53.98 mm.
- Choose CR79 for certain adhesive-backed proximity or clamshell card applications: about 83.9 × 52 mm.
- Consider CR90 for a larger event display: about 92 × 60 mm.
- Consider CR100 when more display space is useful: about 98.5 × 67 mm.
Before ordering, confirm the card’s width, height, and thickness against the holder and printer specifications. Then select portrait or landscape orientation and prepare the artwork using the printer’s template. This sequence turns ID card dimensions into a practical decision: a badge that fits its accessories, works with the intended equipment, and presents identification clearly.
