There was a time when business cards were simple, and variations were minimal; however, that isn’t the case anymore. Nowadays, thanks to technological progress and industrial printing techniques, many printing companies have tons of business card options for their customers.
Having so many options is terrific, but it also makes choosing your ideal business card a little harder. But don’t worry! Here are seven astonishing business card finishes you can use for inspiration for your next business card!
Letterpress Business Cards
First, we want to show you one of the most luxurious, high-class business cards you can find in the market nowadays. Letterpress business cards made their first appearance in the 15th century, and the printing technology used to print them hasn’t changed much over time. To print letterpress business cards, you will need custom-made metallic plates that will press the business card with the information you want into the paper.
Tip:
If you’re planning to print letterpress business cards, make sure you use a paper that is thick enough so that the information that’s pressed on one side isn’t visible on the other side.
Letterpress business cards were popular back then, but other printing methods such as digital and offset printing have eclipsed their popularity due to their low operating costs and efficiency. Since not many printing companies can produce letterpress business cards, they are now a rare sight to behold. Besides, their limited supply has contributed to their appeal, primarily because of their exclusivity.
Fun fact: There’s a scene in American Psycho where Patrick Bateman (Christian Bale) receives a letterpress business card. He spends quite some time appreciating it because of its premium quality. Letterpress business cards are considered among the most exclusive business cards in wealthy industries and high-ranked positions.
Let’s see the next one.
Raised Ink Business Cards
Raised ink, also known as Thermography, is a very popular effect in printing that adds an extra level of dimension to business cards. Like letterpress business cards, this is also an old printing technique, but it is a bit more popular than letterpress business cards.
Tip:
If you’re planning to print raised ink business cards, note that these business cards can’t include too many colors. Adding more than three colors can be very expensive because they need to be manually made. If you want to add unlimited colors, we recommend digital printing.
Since raised ink business cards don’t use modern printing technology, not many printing companies can produce them, making them exclusive. Nowadays, you can find raised ink business cards in many industries, but in our experience, law firms and financial institutions are the industries that use them the most.
If you need to print Raised Ink or Letterpress business cards in NYC, we can help you at Japan Printing. However, if you aren’t in NY, don’t worry; we ship internationally. Email us at info@japanprint.com or call us at 212-406-2905 for more information.
Let’s see the next business card finish.
Raised Spot UV Business Cards
Unlike the last two business cards, raised spot UV cards are much more modern. These premium business cards are growing in popularity due to their appeal and look. In addition, these business cards use digital printing, which means you have almost unlimited possibilities for the colors you can have on your design.
As you can see in the picture above, the spot UV application creates a 3D, glossy texture that enhances specific areas of a business card. In our 40 years of experience printing business cards, we have seen these business cards in every industry, but it is especially popular among creative sectors.
Tip:
If you’re planning to print raised spot UV business cards for your business, note that you shouldn’t add spot UV to more than 30% of the total area of the business card, as this could cause printing mistakes.
You can also order raised spot UV business cards with us! Let’s see the next finish.
Spot UV Business Cards
Just as there are raised spot UV business cards, others offer the same option without the raised finish. The same rules apply in terms of what you can print here: you can print endless color combinations because they are digitally printed. The only thing you need to keep in mind with these business cards is that they can only be printed on coated papers.
Tip:
If you want to print flat spot UV business cards, we recommend that you add the finish to areas that are at least as thick as a letter. If you add little dots or tiny areas, the effect might not be as visible as it could.
Let’s see the next finish.
Foil Business Cards
Foil business cards are the best choice if you’re looking for a more shiny, metallic effect. Foil stamping is a printing technique that uses a custom-made metallic plate to press hot ink into the card. So apart from creating a luxury metallic effect, it also adds texture to the card. You can print these business cards on coated or uncoated paper.
Tip:
If you want to print foil business cards, note that you cannot add multiple foil colors but only one. There are plenty of foil colors to choose from, so you will probably like many.
Let’s see the next business card.
Raised Foil Business Cards
You can also print foil business cards in a raised format, just as with spot UV business cards. Although the effect isn’t as metallic as its flat version, it still looks mesmerizing. One thing to keep in mind is that you can only print raised foil on coated papers.
Tip:
Raised or thick business cards look amazing and are more memorable due to how different they look and feel when you hand them, but one thing that’s important to consider is that they use much more space than a regular business card. For you, it would mean that you can carry fewer business cards with you; and for your clients, they would take more space in their wallets.
Painted Edges Business Cards
Painted edges business cards are a fantastic way to add a subtle color touch to your business cards. A great thing about this business card finish is that you can combine it with many different finishes. For example, you could print letterpress business cards with painted edges.
Tip:
If you want to print painted edges business cards, we recommend that you use a paper that is a little thicker than the average one. Although you will be able to see the finish on any paper thickness, it will look better a thicker paper.
Let’s see the next business card.
Embossed Business Cards
Embossed business cards are among the impressive and elegant business cards we can produce. They are characterized by a pattern that is pressed into the paper. This pattern is 3-dimensional and may or may not have any ink on it. Other effects offer a dimension that you can feel, but none of them achieve that in the absence of ink.
Tip:
If you’re planning to print embossed business cards, you must know that everything embossed on one side will be debossed on the other. Many people print single-sided business cards and ask the printer to print two separate business cards and glue them to each other. This is a process we can do, and the results are fantastic.
That would be all for this blog. And we hope you find the ideal business card for your company!
If you still have other questions related to this, you can continue reading our blogs or contact us via email at info@japanprint.com or call us at 212-406-2905! Our NYC business card experts will be glad to assist you in getting your business card order ready.
