Business card finishes: lamination, foil, spot UV and card types

Business card finishes change how a card looks, feels and behaves in someone’s pocket, and they fall into four groups: lamination (matt, gloss or soft touch), special effects (foil and spot UV), card type (silk, uncoated, textured, recycled, creative papers, triplex or plastic), and shape (square cards and rounded corners). A 350gsm silk card with matt lamination is the safe all-rounder; the rest are there when you want the card to say something more.

Below is every card in our business cards range with the real options and from-prices, and which trades each one suits.

Our business card range at a glance #

Card	Stock	Finish options	From	Standard days
Business cards	350gsm or 450gsm silk	None, matt, gloss or soft touch lamination (both sides)	£20.00	3
Square (55 × 55 mm)	350gsm silk or 350gsm recycled uncoated	None, matt, gloss or soft touch	£19.64	6
Uncoated	300gsm kraft, textured, smooth white or natural; 350gsm recycled	Square or rounded corners	£19.42	4
Textured	300gsm textured uncoated or 250gsm textured card	Unlaminated	£29.16	5
Recycled	Recycled card	Unlaminated	£18.86	5
Creative paper	Bamboo, hemp, linen, pearl, cotton, kraft, textured	Square or rounded corners	£15.10	6
Spot UV	350gsm silk, matt laminated	Spot UV on one side or both	£35.12	4
Metallic foil	350gsm uncoated, 350gsm recycled silk or 400gsm silk	Gold, silver, copper or red foil; soft touch lamination; square or rounded corners	£45.85	7
Triplex	810gsm, white or kraft outer layers	Coloured core; matt, gloss or soft touch	£40.65	6
Plastic (86 × 54 mm)	570 or 760 micron white PVC	Gold or silver foil on the front	£81.32	8

“Standard days” is working days to dispatch on the Standard option. Express and Saver are shown on each product page. Standard cards are 85 × 55 mm unless noted.

Laminated business card finishes: matt, gloss or soft touch #

Lamination is a thin film bonded to both sides of the card. It stiffens the card, protects the print from scuffs and stops the edges going furry in a wallet. The three business card finishes in film each give a different result:

• Matt gives a calm, flat look with no glare. It suits most trades and reads well under shop and office lighting.
• Gloss makes colours and photos look brighter and deeper, at the cost of some reflection under lights.
• Soft touch has a velvety feel in the hand. It is the finish people tend to notice first when they pick a card up.

One practical point: laminated cards do not take a ballpoint well. If you write appointment times, quote references or a mobile number on the back, choose an uncoated card instead.

Uncoated, textured and recycled cards #

Uncoated card has no sheen and no film, so it feels like paper and takes pen and pencil. Brown kraft gives a natural, workshop feel that suits joiners, landscapers, bakers and makers. Smooth white is the cleanest option for writing on. Textured stocks add a felt-like surface you can feel with your thumb. Recycled cards suit businesses that want their stationery to match an environmental message, and the square version comes in 350gsm recycled uncoated too.

Creative paper cards take this further with woven bamboo (375gsm), hemp blend (325gsm), textured linen (350gsm), pearl, cotton and kraft. At £15.10 they are also our lowest from-price.

Foil and spot UV: effects that catch the light #

These are the two business card finishes that add something beyond ink. Spot UV is a clear, raised gloss coating printed only on chosen areas, such as a logo or a name, over a matt laminated card. The contrast between matt and shine is subtle in a photo and obvious in the hand. You supply a separate layer showing where the spot UV goes.

Metallic foil cards carry gold, silver, copper or red foil on the front, on a choice of three stocks, with soft touch lamination on the front or both sides and a choice of square or rounded corners. They come in 85 × 55 mm or 55 × 55 mm. Foil suits a short name or logo mark rather than small text. Allow longer: foil cards are 7 working days to dispatch on Standard.

Thick and unusual cards: triplex and plastic #

Triplex cards are 810gsm: two outer sheets bonded to a coloured core that shows as a stripe along every edge. Core colours are white, black, red, orange, yellow, green, pastel green, turquoise, blue, purple and pink, so you can match the edge to your brand colour. Plastic cards are white PVC at 570 micron or 760 micron (the thickness of a bank card), and suit membership cards, gyms and anything that needs to survive water.

Card weight and shape #

For standard cards, 350gsm silk is a good everyday weight and 450gsm silk is noticeably thicker and stiffer. Square cards at 55 × 55 mm stand out in a pile but will not fit every card holder. Rounded corners are available on uncoated, creative paper and metallic foil cards; they soften the look and stop corners dog-earing in a wallet. The paper weight guide explains gsm in more depth.

Which business card finishes suit which trade #

Trade or use	Suggested card
Plumbers, electricians, gas engineers (card left with customers, often in vans)	450gsm silk with matt lamination: stiff and hard wearing
Salons, clinics, tutors (appointment cards)	Uncoated smooth white, so you can write the next date on the back
Makers, cafes, garden businesses	Brown kraft or a creative paper
Consultants, estate agents, professional services	Soft touch, spot UV or foil
Designers and creative studios	Triplex with a coloured core
Gyms, clubs, membership schemes	Plastic cards

Artwork and ordering #

Set up a standard card at 91 × 61 mm, which is 85 × 55 mm plus 3 mm bleed on every edge, and keep text at least 3 mm inside the trim. Standard business cards can be designed in our online designer, where you approve exactly what you see. For every card and all business card finishes, uploaded files get a free file check by a person. If you would rather we set it up, typesetting is £15 and design from a brief is £35; typesetting includes 1 proof and 2 rounds of changes, and design from a brief includes 1 design and 2 rounds of changes.

When a card reaches the end of its life, uncoated and recycled cards without film are the easiest to put in paper recycling; Recycle Now explains what your local council accepts. Want help choosing? Contact us or call 0161 315 1151.