Guide · artwork & materials
Matt or gloss laminate for business cards?
Matt for almost everything. Gloss if photographs are doing the work. Soft-touch when you want the card remembered, and spot UV when you want one element to catch the light.
What a laminate actually is
A thin plastic film heat-bonded to the printed sheet. It is not a varnish or a coating sprayed on — it is a separate layer, which is why it adds noticeable thickness and stiffness as well as changing the surface. A 350gsm card with soft-touch laminate feels closer to a 400gsm card.
It also protects. A laminated card survives a wallet; an unlaminated one softens at the corners. That is why our standard business cards come matt laminated on both sides as standard, at $89 for 250 delivered — gloss is the same price.
What we print for this
Proofed before they run
The four you will actually choose between
| Finish | Feel | Best for | Watch out |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matt | Smooth, no sheen | The safe default. Type-led designs, anything read closely | Slightly mutes photographs |
| Gloss | Reflective, slick | Photography, food, saturated colour | Fingerprints, and glare under lights |
| Soft-touch | Velvety, suede-like | Cards meant to feel expensive | Scuffs show on very dark solids |
| Spot UV | Raised gloss on matt | One element — a logo, a pattern | Needs a separate mask file |
Soft-touch is the one people comment on. If the card's job is to be remembered after a conversation, it does more work than any design decision on the front of it — and on 500 cards the step up is from $119 for a standard matt-laminated 350gsm card to $236.50 for the premium one, which has velvet soft-touch lamination on 450gsm uncoated as standard. Premium business cards are also the ones that take gold or silver foil and spot UV.
Spot UV needs a second file
Spot UV applies gloss varnish to selected areas only, so it needs a mask: a separate layer, in 100% black, showing where the varnish goes. White means no varnish, black means varnish.
It works best over matt laminate, where the contrast between dull and shiny is obvious. Over gloss it is nearly invisible. Keep the shapes reasonably bold — very fine detail and small text do not register.
The practical constraints
- You cannot write on gloss or soft-touch. Ballpoint slides off. If anyone needs to write an appointment on the back, use uncoated stock with no laminate at all.
- Laminate seals the edges shut. On heavy stock the white core shows at the trim — usually fine, but striking on a dark design. Ask about edge painting if that matters.
- Dark solids show handling. A full-bleed black card in any finish will show fingerprints and scuffs. Matt hides it best.
- Rounded corners are a separate operation to laminating, and they read as deliberate rather than accidental. Around $16.50 on 500.
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