ID cards are essential tools for any organization. They allow quick identification to beef up security while acting as a miniature advertisement for your brand. It’s crucial to get every detail correct, including the orientation of your card.

Choosing between vertical vs horizontal ID cards will significantly affect the aesthetics and function of your badges. 

We’ll compare the two styles across several factors to help you decide, including your intended usage, brand style, information requirements, and security needs. You’ll learn it all in this guide.

With our help, you’ll know exactly how to print an ID card that works wonders for your company. Our team at CustomLanyard.net is the world’s #1 provider of custom ID cards, working with renowned corporations like Nike, Microsoft, and Meta. Our easy customization tools and friendly staff will make the process simple and effective.

Why Are Some IDs Vertical and Some Horizontal?

There's much to consider when planning a new set of ID card designs. While many businesses focus solely on the design or dimensions of an ID card, we recommend starting with the card’s orientation.

The vertical vs horizontal ID card decision sets the tone for the card’s overall design and features. Both orientations have their use cases, so let’s break down each to help you discern the differences.

The Case For Horizontal ID Cards

Horizontal ID cards are the more common of the two possible orientations. The landscape format is comfortable and familiar to anyone reading, allowing for quick and easy identification.

The broad information fields on horizontal cards provide extra space for logos and readable text. You can often fit entire paragraphs' worth of information on a landscape-format card if needed.

This is why many countries, including much of the Western world, primarily use horizontal designs for their ID cards.

Because horizontal designs are more common, they are compatible with existing equipment, like card printers, badge holders, and scanners. Vertical layouts may require purchasing additional tools, though not always.

Overall, their prevalence in official settings provides psychological comfort–people feel that horizontal cards are “official” and professional.

The Case For Vertical ID Cards

The other half of the vertical vs horizontal ID card debate has its own benefits.

While landscape formats used to dominate the day, that has changed in the last decade. The rise of smartphones has made most people comfortable consuming information in a portrait format instead.

The vertical layout lets you place information in order of importance with a natural flow. The eyes start scanning, usually beginning with photos and names, creating near-instant verification of someone’s identification.

Because vertical ID cards are slightly less common, they have a striking aesthetic appeal. They are likelier to stand out as unique among a sea of horizontal cards. And because portrait formats are more commonplace, they create an air of forward-thinking design for your organization.

As a bonus, vertical ID cards tend to be harder to counterfeit–they require different equipment to create compared to horizontal cards. The photo-to-text ratio is more difficult to spoof, which helps ensure no one incorrectly accesses your facilities.

Vertical ID cards also tend to pair well with lanyards, as they are less likely to get twisted around while attached to a badge hook.

Vertical vs Horizontal ID Card: Which Style is Right for Your Organization?

Horizontal ID cards are the timeless classic, with a traditional aesthetic that’s easily readable. On the flip side, vertical cards are a modern design that can give your brand a unique appearance while being trickier to counterfeit.

But the truth is that both sides of the vertical vs horizontal ID card debate can be quite effective for your organization. Choosing a side requires digging deeper into your intended use cases and design preferences.

Consider How the ID Will Be Displayed

Firstly, you’ll want a clear picture of how your employees, visitors, and vendors intend to use the ID cards.

Are they keeping them in their wallets and only presenting them at the front door? Or do they always need their identification visible while on the property?

If the card is primarily used at checkpoints and can otherwise be stowed away, either orientation works wonderfully. There’s a small edge to horizontal designs; you can place more information on the ID.

However, if the card needs to be displayed constantly, it comes down to how it is worn. Vertical cards have a clear advantage if the card is attached to a lanyard. It won’t flip or twist, allowing everyone to verify the card quickly.

If the card is held on a retractable badge reel, either orientation can work–you just need to make sure you’re using a compatible reel for the ID’s layout.

Think About What Information Must Be Shown

Let’s look at the basics. How do ID cards work? Simply put, they contain vital information and allow a person’s identity to be verified in seconds.

The question for your organization is: what information do you require to make that verification happen? Names and photographs are usually used, though some access cards forgo them.

Beyond that, there are several other fields you may wish to include: an employee’s job title, phone number, email address, office address, or identifying information like eye color.

The more information you need on your ID card, the better a horizontal card is compared to a vertical one. Landscape allows longer lines of text and is more readable for Western audiences.

Including company logos or other design elements also looks more professional in a landscape format.

However, vertical cards can still encompass all the information needed–you just need to be more intentional when displaying everything. Plus, with a vertical card, you can place the most important data–the names and/or photos–front and center, ensuring those elements are verified quickly.

Factor in Security and Scanning Needs

ID cards play a pivotal role in your security setup. Bar codes, QR codes, and magnetic stripes can be placed successfully on either vertical or horizontal cards.

Most scan devices work better with horizontal formats. They often don’t need to be rotated while being presented, offering extra convenience for the user. Plus, most readers are usually equipped to handle a left-to-right motion, so horizontal cards lower the amount of scanning errors.

On the other hand, the commonality of horizontal ID cards can also be a vulnerability. They are easier to spoof, and their card scanners are simpler to bypass. Vertical cards are visually distinct, making it easier for your staff to spot fakes.

Review Your Brand and Aesthetic Preferences

Both horizontal and vertical ID cards have worked wonders for top brands worldwide. Often, the choice isn’t one of utility or benefits–it’s simply up to your organization’s brand identity.

For example, horizontal layouts are better suited for wide logos, as they won’t appear squished by the vertical format. On the other hand, vertical cards help with square logos, as they can be placed on the top of the card for immediate brand recognition.

Even small details like font style or size are affected by the format of your ID cards. Horizontal IDs can fit larger text sizes and more words per line. Vertical cards work better with strategic font styles for a more distinctive feel due to the vertical stacking of text.

Evaluate Your Existing Infrastructure

Perhaps the simplest way to choose vertical vs horizontal ID cards is to look at your existing setup. Are you currently using horizontal cards, scanners, and printers? Switching to vertical cards could require purchasing new equipment.

On the other hand, do you have a fresh order of lanyards and badge holders that are better suited for vertical IDs? In that case, you’d be best to stick with a vertical design rather than redoing your entire setup.

Ordering new ID cards is also the perfect time to update your systems. If your organization currently uses horizontal ID scanners, but you want to beef up security, a switch to vertical devices (and subsequently, compatible ID cards) could work wonders.

CustomLanyard.net Can Help You Create Vertical or Horizontal ID Cards in Just a Few Clicks!

ID cards provide immense branding potential and help your organization beef up security.

You don’t want to leave the design of your cards to chance, or settle for less than the best. After all, each ID card helps to put your brand’s best face forward.

That’s why we recommend joining over 1 million customers in ordering custom PVC cards from our team here at CustomLanyard.net!

Our PVC cards feature quality materials, expert craftsmanship, and durable builds that last for years. The best part is that designing your cards can be done right from the comfort of your office.

Thanks to our online tool, you can choose every aspect of your card’s design, including the orientation, size, thickness, finish, and hole style. You can then upload images and information on the very same page.

We’ll then create a mockup design for you to review before you pay, ensuring everything looks exactly how you dreamt it up.

Alternatively, you can talk to our team at any point in the process for help, and we’ll give our best recommendations for eye-catching designs that we’ve seen work for massive corporations like Google, Yelp, and Netflix.

You can also find additional accessories to ensure your new ID cards are implemented correctly, including custom badge holders and lanyards. 

These products make the switch convenient for your staff–they can always display their ID card without fuss.

Bringing Our Vertical vs Horizontal ID Card Comparison to a Close

Every little inch of your organization’s ID cards can make a world of difference. Often, your design's success (or failure) boils down to the orientation of the card itself.

Both sides of the vertical vs horizontal ID card debate have their virtues, and you can’t go wrong with either option. We prefer horizontal cards for a traditional feel where extra text is required, and vertical cards for a unique, eye-catching, and hard-to-dupe design.

Regardless of your choice, you’ll find all the PVC cards you need here at CustomLanyard.net. Our online design tool is intuitive, and we provide top-class customer service and speedy shipping to ensure your order goes smoothly.

You’ll even get access to competitive, bulk-pricing for your orders, helping you shop confidently.

Don’t hesitate to contact us or visit our blog for more information to aid your new ID card investment. We’ll answer questions like what are ID cards made of or how to make badge holders. We also provide opinions on whether vertical or horizontal cards will work better for your circumstances.

Visit our online design tool today to experiment with designs for your organization’s next ID cards!