What a J-card is

A J-card is the printed insert that slides into a cassette case. It gets its
name from its shape: seen edge-on after folding, the wrap flap and spine form
a letter J. The front panel carries the cover art, the spine shows the title
on the shelf, and the inside carries the tracklist.

Cassette J-card dimensions

A standard J-card for a Norelco case measures 103.19 × 101.6 mm
(4.0625 × 4 in) unfolded, divided into three panels across its width:

• Wrap flap (tucks inside): 1 inch (25.4 mm)
• Spine: 0.5 inch (12.7 mm)
• Front cover flap: 2.565 inches (65.09 mm)
  

Every panel is 101.6 mm (4 in) tall, matching the width of the cassette case.
The designer above is built to these measurements exactly, so you never have
to scale or trim.

How to print it

1. Download the PDF. You get two pages: page one is the outside, page two is the inside.
2. Print the alignment test first. There is a button for it in the designer. It prints two pages with a black square in one corner. After a correct duplex flip, the squares sit back to back. If they land diagonally opposite, switch the duplex setting from long edge to short edge and try again.
3. Print both pages double-sided at 100% scale. Do not use "fit to page" — it will shrink the card and the panels will no longer line up with the case.
4. Cut on the crop marks and fold on the fold marks.
5. Slide it into the case, wrap flap first.

Card stock between 160 and 220 gsm folds crisply and still fits the case.
Ordinary printer paper works but goes limp at the folds.

What you can change

• Cover art — inset like the classic template, full bleed across the top, or filling the whole front panel with the title over it. Crop, letterbox or stretch to fit.
• Every text field — album title, artist, spine, catalogue number, credits, and a free additional-text block of up to four lines.
• Fonts, sizes and colours per field — ten open-licensed families, set individually on each piece of text rather than all at once.
• Elements on or off — the divider rule, the spine end bars, the A and B badges, the side bars, the rule between sides.

Blank lines or typed tracklists

Each side gets twelve write-on columns, and each side is set independently.
Leave side B blank to fill in by hand and type side A, or type both, or leave
both blank for a classic write-on insert. Track one always sits next to the
A or B badge and numbering runs outward from there.

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Frequently asked questions

Is it free?

Yes. No account, no watermark, no export limit, no paid tier.

Do my images get uploaded anywhere?

No. The whole designer runs in your browser. Your artwork is read directly
from your computer and never sent to a server — ours or anyone else's.

What size is a cassette J-card?

103.19 × 101.6 mm, or 4.0625 × 4 inches, unfolded. It splits into a 25.4 mm
wrap flap, a 12.7 mm spine and a 65.09 mm front cover.

Why does the second page look back to front?

That is deliberate. The panel order is reversed on the inside so that after
the sheet flips in a duplex printer, each inside panel lands behind its
matching outside panel. Printed as-is, it comes out correct.

Can I save a design and come back to it?

Use the "Copy shareable link" button. The link carries your whole layout -
text, fonts, colours, settings. Cover art is not included, because an image
will not fit in a URL, so you re-attach it when you reopen the link.

Will the fonts print correctly?

Yes. Text is converted to outlines in the exported PDF, so it prints exactly
as you see it regardless of which fonts the printing computer has installed.
The trade-off is that text in the PDF is not selectable or searchable.

Does it work for other cassette cases?

It is built for the standard Norelco case, which covers the overwhelming
majority of audio cassettes. Slim cases and double-width cases are not
supported.

Which tape should the J-card go on?

The label is the last step. What it goes on matters more. Type I ferric is the everyday choice and what most decks are calibrated for. Type II high bias gives you cleaner highs and more headroom, which is what you want for a mix that will be played to death. Type IV metal is the top of the range and worth the care of a hand-made insert.

If you would rather browse by maker, shop by brand covers Maxell, TDK, Denon, BASF, Fuji and the rest.

About Ultra Ferric

We sell new old stock blank media to people who care what they record on: cassette tapes, MiniDiscs and DAT, all from the era, all backed by a real guarantee. This designer is free to use whether or not you buy anything. If you have a question about tape stock or formulations, our FAQ covers most of it.