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.