Recipe Card Maker

How to use the recipe card maker

1. Enter the recipe name and, if you like, who it is from, the prep and cook times and how many it serves.
2. Type the ingredients, one per line, and the directions, one step per line. Steps are numbered for you.
3. Add a short note if you want one, then choose 4 by 6 inch or 3 by 5 inch cards.
4. Set how many copies to put on the page: up to 2 of the 4 by 6 size or 3 of the 3 by 5 size.
5. Press Download PDF or Print at 100 percent, then cut along the dashed line and file the card.

Card sizes and layout

Recipe cards come in two standard sizes. A 4 by 6 inch card measures 432 by 288 points when laid on its side, and a 3 by 5 inch card measures 360 by 216 points. The cards are drawn in landscape, six or five inches wide, because that is how most recipe boxes hold them. On a US Letter page, two of the larger cards or three of the smaller ones fit one above the other, and the cards are centered across the page.

Each card has the recipe name in bold at the top, a line with the times and servings, and the source. Below a green rule, the ingredients run down the left side in a narrow column and the numbered directions fill the wider column on the right, with a faint divider between them. Notes go along the bottom. The border is dashed so you can cut along it.

Cards are sized to the standard dimensions, but this tool makes no claim to match any particular card stock or recipe box, so measure yours if it matters.

How the text is fitted

The tool starts with 10.5 point text and checks whether the ingredients, the directions and the notes all fit inside the card. If not, it tries a smaller size, in half point steps, down to 6.5 points. The largest size at which everything fits is used and shown under the preview. Long lines wrap with a hanging indent, so each ingredient and step stays easy to scan.

If a recipe still does not fit at 6.5 points, the tool says so instead of printing text that is too small to read. Shorten the wording, move detail into a note, or switch to the 4 by 6 card, which has about 60 percent more area than the 3 by 5. A recipe with long, wordy steps will print larger on a 4 by 6 card than a 3 by 5.

Privacy and tips

Your recipe is processed in your browser and is never uploaded. If you tick Remember, the recipe is kept in this browser only. For best results use heavy paper or card stock that your printer accepts, print one test page first, and use a paper trimmer for neat edges. If you are planning meals as well as cards, a meal planner and a grocery list work well alongside it.

Assumptions and limits

• Cards are 4 by 6 or 3 by 5 inches, laid in landscape, with two or three per US Letter page.
• The text size is chosen automatically between 10.5 and 6.5 points. A recipe that needs smaller text is refused with a message.
• Ingredients and directions are plain text, one item per line. Steps are numbered automatically, and characters the built-in print font cannot draw print as a question mark.
• Printed size is only exact at 100 percent, and no match with a particular brand of card stock is claimed.

Formulas reviewed October 10, 2026. See the calculation methodology for how SumPanda rounds, tests and sources its formulas.

Frequently asked questions