You can make vintage library catalog cards for free with Card Catalog Generator, right in your browser. There is no separate "vintage template" to pick. Instead you build the look from a few settings: the Vintage Typewriter font, the Aged Paper or Textured Aged Paper background, a classic 5x3 in size and, if you like, the Show Hole Punch option. Then you download the card as a PNG or PDF.
Which settings give the most old-fashioned look?
A few combinations cover most vintage styles:
- Hand-typed small-town card: Vintage Typewriter on Textured Aged Paper. The monospaced type and worn texture look like a card typed at a branch library desk decades ago.
- Printed card from a big library: Modern Serif on Aged Paper. Large libraries once bought typeset printed cards, so a clean serif on cream paper feels right for that era.
- Your own paper does the aging: pick Transparent and print onto cream card stock, tea-stained paper or genuinely old index cards.
Add Show Hole Punch for the round hole at the bottom center. Real catalog cards had one so a rod could hold them in the drawer, and it is often the detail that makes people say "that looks like the real thing".
What did a real vintage catalog card include?
A classic author card followed a set order, and the generator's fields follow it too. The call number sat in the top left corner. Next came the author, surname first, then the title. Below that were the imprint (place and year of publication) and the physical description, usually the page count and height in centimeters. Notes or a short summary filled the space at the bottom.
The sample card on the generator shows the pattern: call number 823.7 A93p, author "Austen, Jane", title Pride and Prejudice. The "823.7" is the Dewey class and "A93p" is a short author and title code. If you select Dewey Decimal or Library of Congress and use "Look up book details", the generator suggests a rough starting call number from the book's category plus the first three letters of the author's surname, such as "813 AUS". You can edit it into a more traditional form if you want.
How do you print a vintage card so it looks right?
Download the PDF and print at actual size, or 100% scale, so the card keeps its true dimensions. Run a test on plain paper first and hold it against a real index card to check. Cream or ivory card stock warms up even the Clean White background, and an Aged Paper background on cream stock gives a deeper, older tone. If you want the card for a junk journal or scrapbook page, a PNG works well in most editing apps.
For a fuller look at period styling, our post on custom Victorian-style library cards covers ornate touches you can add by hand.
Frequently asked questions
Is there a vintage template I can select?
No. The vintage look comes from combining settings: the Vintage Typewriter font, an Aged Paper or Textured Aged Paper background, and optionally the hole punch. It takes a few clicks.
Can I add a due date grid or check-out lines?
No. The generator makes catalog cards, the kind filed in a drawer to describe a book. It does not make the check-out cards that sat in a book pocket.
Do I need an account or pay anything?
No. The generator is free, needs no sign-up and runs in your browser. You can download each card as a PNG or PDF.
Create a catalog card
Use the free generator to design a printable library catalog card for your next book, classroom project, or home library.
Open the generator