Cue cards, index cards and palm cards are all the same idea: a small card you hold or study from. The size you need depends on how much text goes on each card and whether you will hold it in one hand. If you print your own cards, it also depends on how many fit on a sheet of paper.
Standard cue card sizes
In the United States, ruled index cards are sold in three main sizes: 3 × 5 in, 4 × 6 in and 5 × 8 in. Elsewhere, cards are often cut from ISO paper sizes, so A6 and A7 are common. In the UK, record cards are usually sold as 6 × 4 in and 5 × 3 in, which are the same as the US 4 × 6 and 3 × 5 sizes.
| Size | Millimetres | Inches |
|---|---|---|
| 3 × 5 in | 76 × 127 mm | 3 × 5 in |
| 4 × 6 in | 102 × 152 mm | 4 × 6 in |
| 5 × 8 in | 127 × 203 mm | 5 × 8 in |
| A5 | 148 × 210 mm | 5.8 × 8.3 in |
| A6 | 105 × 148 mm | 4.1 × 5.8 in |
| A7 | 74 × 105 mm | 2.9 × 4.1 in |
Measurements are rounded to the nearest millimetre or tenth of an inch. A 3 × 5 in card is 76.2 × 127 mm exactly.
How many fit on A4 or Letter
The table shows the most cards of each size you can fit on one sheet, trying both orientations. The first number assumes you cut right to the edge of the paper. The second allows a 5 mm margin on every side, which is typical for home printers that cannot print to the edge.
| Size | A4 (210 × 297 mm) | US Letter (8.5 × 11 in) |
|---|---|---|
| 3 × 5 in | 4 / 4 | 4 / 4 |
| 4 × 6 in | 2 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| 5 × 8 in | 2 / 1 | 2 / 2 |
| A5 | 2 / 1 | 1 / 1 |
| A6 | 4 / 2 | 2 / 2 |
| A7 | 8 / 4 | 6 / 4 |
A6 and A7 divide A4 exactly: A6 is a quarter of the page and A7 an eighth. That is why 4 A6 or 8 A7 cards only fit when you cut edge to edge. Once the printer adds a margin, a full-size card no longer fits in the remaining space. Making the cards a few millimetres smaller fixes it.
Card sizes in EasyPalmCards
Rather than forcing a fixed paper size onto the sheet, EasyPalmCards sizes cards to fit the printable area. By default it leaves a 15 mm margin around an A4 page and a 2 mm gap between cards, then divides the rest. The Layout panel offers four presets:
| Preset | Cards per page | Card size on A4 |
|---|---|---|
| Palm cards | 8 | about 89 × 65 mm |
| Cue cards | 4 | about 89 × 133 mm |
| Large cue | 2 | about 180 × 133 mm |
| Small cards | 12 | about 59 × 65 mm |
If you need a specific size, such as 3 × 5 in to match a box of index cards, enter the exact card width and height in millimetres in the Layout panel and adjust the page margins. US Letter is also available as a paper size. Turn on cut lines to print a guide around each card.
To see how many cards and pages a speech will need at each preset, paste it into the palm card calculator.
Which size to choose
- A speech held in one hand: palm-sized cards, such as 3 × 5 in, A7 or the Palm cards preset. They are small enough to hold steadily and do not hide your hands.
- A presentation with detailed notes: 4 × 6 in, A6 or the Cue cards preset. The extra space suits slide cues, examples and quotes.
- Flash cards and revision: 3 × 5 in is the classic index card size, and the Palm cards preset gives a similar card with 8 per page. See printable flash cards for how to print and cut them.
- Reading at a lectern: the Large cue preset or 5 × 8 in, where you can set the card down and use bigger text.
Whatever size you pick, print one test page first and hold it at the distance you will use when speaking. If the text is hard to read, choose a bigger card or put less on each one. Our guide to writing cue cards covers how to cut each card down to key words.