When choosing a business card holder, many people focus on the "number of cards it can hold." Especially for those whose profession requires frequent business card exchanges, "how many business cards it can hold" is likely an important factor in their choice.

However, as you use it daily, what you actually start to care about more than the number of cards it can hold is whether you can smoothly and easily take out a single business card.

Exchanging business cards is an action performed in front of others. If you try to frantically pull out a business card from an overstuffed card holder, you might struggle to retrieve it and become flustered.

At Munekawa's directly managed store in Daikokucho, Osaka, we have received numerous consultations regarding business card holder selection. Based on that experience, we would like to introduce the concept of "capacity" and "extra space" in business card holders.

Please use this as a guide for comfortable use, which you can't tell from the specifications alone.

Maximum capacity and "comfortably usable capacity" are not the same

Generally, the number written in the basic information of a business card holder, such as "holds X business cards," indicates the number of cards that can physically fit without strain.

However, that number is not necessarily the same as the number of cards that allow for comfortable business card exchanges.

To take out business cards one by one, you need space (extra room) for your fingers to grasp the card. If you fill it to the brim, the cards will fit, but there will be no room to insert your fingers.

While we refer to it as "extra space," there isn't a strict numerical standard. It means your fingertip can comfortably slide in over the stack of business cards, allowing you to lightly hold the stack and slide out a single card. If this motion can be done without any snagging, then there is enough extra space.

While it varies depending on the business card holder and the user, as a general guideline, keeping the capacity to about 70-80% of the maximum storage capacity tends to create more ease in taking cards in and out.

For example, if a business card holder can hold a maximum of 50 cards, it's best to keep around 30-40 cards in it normally.

Another disadvantage of overstuffing business cards

In the case of genuine leather business card holders, continuously stuffing them to their maximum capacity "just because they fit" can lead to another problem besides making them difficult to take cards in and out.

That is the leather stretching out.

Leather is a supple material that adapts to how it's used. If it remains expanded due to being overstuffed for a long time, the leather can stretch and become loose, or even cause the holder to lose its shape.

And once stretched, leather cannot return to its original state.

Overfilling affects not only usability and your demeanor when using it, but also the lifespan of the leather itself. Of course, this applies not only to business card holders but also to wallets, coin cases, and other leather goods.

To make your favorite leather products last longer, try to be mindful of not filling them to their absolute limit.

The feel of storage changes before and after the leather breaks in

Another thing to know is that even with the same business card holder, the ease of storage changes depending on the "condition of the leather."

New leather is still firm, and the pocket openings are tight. Therefore, when you first start using it, it may feel tighter than the indicated capacity. As you use it, the leather will conform to your hand and its contents, and the opening will soften, making it much easier to put in and take out the same number of cards.

I believe that by not overfilling it at first and gradually increasing the number of cards as the leather breaks in, you can avoid putting undue stress on the leather and keep it looking good.

Additionally, some business card holders feature a "gusset" design that expands three-dimensionally like a box to accommodate the storage volume. When there are fewer cards, the gusset folds in, reducing thickness, a structure that, along with the leather softening, adapts to daily fluctuations in card quantity.

If the number of business cards you carry fluctuates, pay attention to the construction of the gusset.

Choose a shape that facilitates business card exchange

Some business card holders are designed with "ease of taking out business cards" and "ease of exchanging business cards" in mind. If you are choosing a business card holder, it is recommended to pay attention to such designs.

Munekawa's business card holder "Through" employs the gusset structure mentioned earlier and is designed to allow smooth insertion and removal of up to 50 cards.

Its main feature is a pocket on the flap side that can hold 3-5 business cards. If you prepare the cards you will hand out in advance here, you can open the flap and immediately present a card without fumbling, no matter how many cards are in the main compartment.

The slim business card holder "Meet" is a slim design with a thickness of 1-1.5cm, yet it allows you to sort business cards with its four pockets.

With a total of four pockets, it has more than a typical business card holder, allowing you to store credit cards or commuter passes in addition to business cards, using it as a cashless wallet or pass case.

Similar to "Through," the flap side has a pocket for setting business cards for exchange. Additionally, the cutouts and curves at the opening allow for smooth insertion and removal.

While it offers versatile use, it is also a business card holder carefully designed for easy business card exchange.

No matter how carefully you manage the number of cards, if the structure makes them difficult to take out, your business card exchange etiquette will not be smooth. By choosing from both perspectives—the concept of extra space and the design that supports easy retrieval—your business card holder will become a comfortable long-term companion.

On days you carry many business cards, carrying them separately is also an option

Depending on your job, you might have days when you hand out dozens of business cards, or days when you suddenly need to exchange cards. In such cases, preparing business cards in a sub-card case in addition to your main business card holder is one option.

By leaving sufficient space in the main holder for easy business card exchange and carrying extra business cards separately, your main business card holder can always remain light and easy to access.

A card case like the IC card case "Tuck," which can hold about 10 business cards, is useful both as a spare holder and for organizing your everyday cards.

Summary

We tend to compare business card holders based on "how many cards they can hold." Of course, that's important, but what truly determines daily comfort is largely "how easy it is to take out a single card."

• As a guideline, keep the usual number of cards to about 70-80% of the maximum capacity.
• Start with fewer cards until the leather breaks in, then gradually increase the number.
• On days when you need many business cards, it's convenient to carry them separately in a sub-card case.

By keeping these three points in mind, I believe you can use your business card holder comfortably for a long time. Please give it a try!

At Munekawa's directly managed store in Daikokucho, Osaka, you can actually put your own business cards in to check the ease of removal and thickness. If you're looking for a new business card holder, feel free to drop by!