“Luxury” business cards can mean a lot of things. To us it’s about how a card feels when someone picks it up and how it looks when the light catches it. There are three finishes that make most of the difference: foil, spot UV and soft touch. Here’s what each one actually is and when it’s worth paying a bit more.
Foil
Foil is a thin layer of real metallic finish pressed onto parts of your design, like your logo, your name or a border. The rest of the card is printed as normal, so the foiled parts shine and everything else stays clean and easy to read.
We do gold and silver foil. On our foil business cards it’s printed on 400gsm card with a soft touch finish on both sides, which is a really nice combination. You can choose standard 85 x 55mm, 90 x 55mm or square 55 x 55mm, with square or rounded corners.
Good for: jewellers, beauty brands, estate agents, wedding and events businesses, or anyone with a simple logo that would look great in gold.
Spot UV
Spot UV is a clear, glossy layer added to certain parts of the card. It’s raised, so you can feel it under your thumb as well as see it. On a matt or soft touch card it gives a lovely contrast, shiny logo, flat background.
You’ll find it as an option on our standard business cards, on one side or both.
Good for: brands that want something subtle. It catches the light without adding colour, so it suits darker designs really well.
Soft Touch
Soft touch is a lamination that gives the card a velvety, almost suede like feel. It’s the one people notice straight away, they’ll often rub the card between their fingers without thinking about it. It also makes colours look a bit richer and protects the card from scuffs.
Good for: pretty much anyone. If you only add one thing to your cards, this is the one we’d pick.
What About Glitter Cards?
We get asked this a fair bit. We don’t print glitter cards, mostly because glitter ends up everywhere, including in your customers’ wallets. If you’re after sparkle, foil gives you that shine in a much cleaner way.
Thickness Matters Too
A finish only goes so far on thin card. Our standard business cards come on 450gsm silk, and the foil cards are 400gsm with soft touch on both sides, so they both feel solid in the hand. If you want room for more information, folded business cards give you four sides instead of two.
Designing For Foil And Spot UV
- Keep the foiled or spot UV parts bold. Very thin lines and tiny text can fill in.
- Less is more. A foiled logo looks classy, a fully foiled card can look a bit much.
- You’ll need to show which parts are foil or spot UV in your artwork. If that sounds confusing, we can set it up for you.
Our artwork guidelines explain the basics, or use the Design Centre to put your card together online.
Is It Worth It?
If your business sells on quality, yes. A card is often the first thing someone holds from you, and a nice one gets kept. Every order is printed by trusted UK print partners and checked in house before it’s sent out, and you’ll see your price straight away on the product page as you choose your options.
