Friday, November 6, 2009

Spot UV Business Cards

There are many reasons for adding a coating over a printed piece. One reason is for protection. A UV coating is commonly used to avoid scuffing the ink which is important especially when you have areas of heavy ink coverage. Another reason could be for aesthetic reasons. A Spot UV coating is a competitively priced finishing option that can add a touchable and eye-catching special effect to business cards, postcards or other marketing card products. Spot UV draws the reader's eye to particular items. It can add depth and interest to a printed piece. When considering what coating to use for your job, you need to decide what you want from your marketing piece.

Whether it is a business card, postcard or some other promotion piece, your printed piece is a marketing tool, plain and simple. If your card looks like it was printed off a dot-matrix printer, you will be perceived in a similarly non-flattering way. But if your card is visually impressive, you will gain instant credibility and an immediate positive impression. One of the most cost-effective ways to boost your business is using a “wow factor” when you create your artwork, then find a printer that offers spot UV service. Spot UV business cards are typically offered by printing companies specializing in premium business cards. But luckily, this product is not cost-prohibitive like other “high-end” products such as metal business cards or plastic business cards.

Creating a piece with Spot UV can enhance your marketing pieces immensely. When applied to full-color logos, Spot UV printing creates a glossy, textured effect with a striking contrast on one or both sides of a matte/dullfinished piece. The highly reflective shiny UV and the light-absorbing matte paper create a remarkable impression of depth and maximum contrast, giving life to your print piece.

Most logos are designed to be eye-catching, so embellishing them with spot UV is a natural fit. You could also apply spot UV to the company or contact details, which produces a pseudo raised-letter effect and is extremely cool looking. You can also be creative – for example, applying spot UV to background areas to show a slogan, or doing a “reverse spot UV” technique where the background is glossed but the logo is not.

Setting up your files for Spot UV is simple. Most printers require an extra file to serve as a spot UV template, often called a “mask file.” An additional file for every spot UV side is required. These files are black and white files with black areas showing the parts to be glossed. The area to be UVed is a SOLID black 100% (no gradients) and the rest which will not have UV must be white. The grey scale mask file is sent with your CYMK file to your printer.


Spot UV serves to create a distinction between printed materials and conveys a quality that sets businesses and individuals apart from others. Spot UV adds a lot of interest, and can identify the printing as a premium piece of sales and marketing literature in the perception of the reader. It is used to enhance the printed poduct with a high gloss effect - highlighting logos, pictures, text or just to create a subtle effect on a solid area of print. Most commonly it is used on Brochures, Annual Reports, Leaflets, and Business Cards. With creativity, its uses can be limitless and its value immeasureable.

Using Business Cards for Sales and Marketing

One of the most effective means of bringing your products and services to market is your business cards. Business cards are the most effective marketing tool because they can to be carried anywhere you go. As a simple material used for campaign and advertising the business cards carries a powerful marketing feature that persuades and keeps your clients in tact. They are used to impart important information to customers and are a very inexpensive way to promote a sales campaign. In today’s market, business card printing can be printed in cheaper rates and discounted prices. By using a state of the art printing service full color business cards are discounted and have never been cheaper. Your business cards can be simple yet impressive depending on the print quality, the card stock and finish chosen for advertising your business products and services.

Even though they are just a small piece of paper a 2” x 3.5” size business card has the power to gain the attention of those receiving them. At the end of a presentation, business cards are the last material you give your clients or potential customers. By using a state of the art printing service full color business cards are discounted and have never be cheaper. Therefore you have to make them attractive and appealing enough for your customers to keep. There are several factors you need to consider in order to achieve this goal. The first is design. You need to have an eye catching good graphic design or artwork. Colors are important as you want to increase your chances of getting the attention of the beholder. And then, there is the important element which is the content. Your content should reflect what important information you want the reader to remember. Whether it is the vital information about your company, such as name, address, and contact information or a sales message, you need to project to your customers that you stand out from your competition.

You seperate your company from others by impressing them with your design as well as the quality of your card. Be sure to chose a sturdy durable and long lasting card stock such as 14 point or the extra heavy 16 point. You want a card stock that will endure wear and tear. Many printers offer these stocks at no additional cost. Next, be sure to chose a finish that will produce a stunning and brilliant card such as a glossy UV coating or a “Wow Factor” effect such as a spot UV or use metallic colors. Chose a online printing company that will give you different options of paper, fininish and Wow Factor printing effects so that your choices are widened. Using spot UV coating and metallic colored ink effects on your business cards can create inexpensive yet impressive print attention getter for advertising your businesses, products and services.

With the many printing services offered online you can significantly search the web and look for online printers offering cheap business card printing. However in choosing for your printer see to it that although cheap printing of business cards is offered, the quality of the card stock has the best weight and feel. Whether you pick a glossy UV coating or a Wow Factor special effect to add to your card, you must keep in mind that your card represents you and your company or service. To be sure, the impression you send is expressed in the quality of your business card.

There is no doubt that business cards are one of the most effective means of bringing your products and services to the market. They are among the simplest marketing tools amd yet have “more bang for your buck” than any other adverising, sales or marketing literature to keep you in contact with your customers. Business cards are the cheapest marketing tool that can easily reach a targeted audience, be carried and given out at trade shows, networking and meetings. They can easily be kept by your customers for future reference and use. Using a business card that stands out from the crowd can help your business to get more and faster response from the receiver.

In order to meet the goals you have for a successful business card that can be used as a sales and marketing tool, you should look for an online commercial printer that provides business card printing service that offers choices. In choosing the right company for your printing projects, you have to be observant enough to choose good quality, service, and product as well as a cheap price.