What are some design tips for creating embossed business cards?

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re creating an embossed, 3D business card: - The gloss is shiny and reflective, so to help with readability, make sure that any glossy text is 10pt or larger. - Choose what design elements (text, logos, patterns) to apply gloss to carefully – by limiting how much gloss you use, you can really make certain things stand out. - The gloss colour will match the original color of your design as closely as possible, so we typically recommend bright colours and high-contrast designs for the most impact.

Embossed Gloss Business Cards

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Want the front of your card to jump out at people? Add raised, 3D shine to your text, design – or even both.
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Turn raised printing into raised interest with embossed business cards.

2 paper thicknesses: standard (14pt) & premium (16pt)
Rounded corners available
Spots of raised, glossy printing on a matte front
Easy-to-write-on matte on the back
Great for highlighting logos, names & more

A cut above

With our embossed business cards (also known as 3D business cards or spot UV business cards), you can add layers of thick, raised gloss to specific parts of your design. The special finish gives text and visuals a can’t-miss shine and 3D texture that stands out against the smooth, matte background. It’s a great option for almost any design, since you can use embossed gloss on up to 75% of the front of your card.

Stylish & smart

Embossed business cards give you a creative, professional look, and point customers towards the most important information and images. You choose where to use the special finish. For the best look – and to avoid any peeling – avoid placing embossed gloss right along the edges. Give your company name and contact info a little extra oomph. Emphasize your logo and branding. Or make sure a special offer gets extra attention.

Fast, easy design

You can upload your own design or browse a variety of templates created specifically for embossed cards. Then, you decide where to add the raised, glossy printing. You can go with our default suggestions, but you’ll typically be able to choose almost any piece of your design. You’ll always see a chat option if you need a hand.

Better by Design

This item is part of our Better by Design collection, which connects you to responsibly sourced products. Learn more.

What Makes it Better

Responsibly Sourced Materials: Products made from responsibly sourced materials are designed to help reduce environmental impact. They're selected not only for the materials themselves, but also with consideration for the workers who farm and manufacture them, indigenous communities affected by production and the biodiversity in and around production areas.

VistaPrint offers Embossed Gloss Business Cards design templates in assorted styles.

FAQs

Reviewed by 592 customers

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Business cards were blurry

Mar 9, 2026 | Alycia V. |

Verified Buyer

I was disappointed to see that the 1000 business cards that I recently ordered had blurry writing. When I reviewed the photo before ordering the letters looked clean and crisp but came out looking pixelated

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

We are sorry to hear that the business cards did not meet your expectations. Upon checking, we noted that the submitted artwork was very blurry and pixelated, which impacted the final print quality. For the best results, we recommend using high-resolution files with a minimum of 300 dpi and carefully reviewing your design in preview mode and PDF proof before placing an order. This helps ensure clarity and accuracy in the printed product. If you’d like assistance improving your artwork, we also offer a professional design service. Our graphic design team can enhance your file and prepare it for printing. You can submit your request here: https://www.vistaprint.ca/design and a revised version will be shared with you via email within 24–48 hours. You’ll have the opportunity to request any adjustments before approving the final design, giving you confidence when placing your new order. We hope this helps and look forward to assisting you further. Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to call us at 833-996-2067.

Great Price and Product!!!

Mar 9, 2026 | George P. |

Verified Buyer

Our business Cards we ordered look great and have that confident feeling to give to customers knowing that we have a strong professional look with these cards!!!

Embossed gloss business cards

Mar 8, 2026 | Sarina R. |

Verified Buyer

I love them! They came out so well I love how the embossed heart came out!!!

Avoid embossed Gloss

Mar 8, 2026 | Sergio O. |

Verified Buyer

There is no embossed Gloss skip it. It’s the same if you ordered with out it. Save the extra charge and skip it. No difference seen on the cards.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

Thank you for sharing your feedback about the Embossed Gloss Business Cards. We’re sorry to hear that the finish did not meet your expectations, and we appreciate you taking the time to let us know. To help us better understand and resolve this, we kindly ask that you share clear photos of the cards and the embossing, so our team can review the issue and work with you on the best possible resolution. Your comments will also be forwarded to our product team to support improvements in quality and consistency. If you have any further questions or need assistance, please reply to this review response or reach out to our Customer Support team at 833‑996‑2067. You can also visit our Help Center for real‑time support: https://www.vistaprint.ca/customer-care/help-center/ We truly value your input and look forward to assisting you further.

Not bad for a trial run

Mar 7, 2026 | Shoot P. |

Verified Buyer

It was difficult to tell how the colours would print out. The text ended up being much darker than I anticipated, so you can only read it in bright light. I anticipated they might not turn out exactly how I wanted, so I only got $100. I will order more and make sure the text colour is much lighter than intended. Shipping was super fast and the embossed logo on the front looks great.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

We are glad to hear that you were pleased with the fast shipping and that the embossed logo on your Embossed Gloss Business Cards turned out great. Yet, we understand your concern regarding the text appearing darker than anticipated and how that can affect readability. For future orders, we recommend carefully reviewing your design using Preview Mode and downloading the PDF proof prior to placing the order. These tools allow you to see a clearer representation of how your layout, colors, and text elements will appear in print, helping you make any adjustments needed and ensuring expectations are set before production. We appreciate your thoughtful feedback and, It’s great to hear you’re planning to refine the design for your next order, and we look forward to supporting you with it. Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to call us at 833-996-2067.

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No more guesswork. We take care of the entire design process, from brainstorming ideas to delivering the files to your account.

Frequently asked questions

Embossed printing is a process that puts raised lettering and images on paper to create an eye-catching, three-dimensional effect. We use a raised, clear polymer coat to highlight certain parts of your design and make them pop out. As you design your card, you will get the chance to choose the parts of your card you’d like to be embossed – whether it’s text, design or both.

Here are a few things to keep in mind when you’re creating an embossed, 3D business card:

The gloss is shiny and reflective, so to help with readability, make sure that any glossy text is 10pt or larger.
Choose what design elements (text, logos, patterns) to apply gloss to carefully – by limiting how much gloss you use, you can really make certain things stand out.
The gloss colour will match the original color of your design as closely as possible, so we typically recommend bright colours and high-contrast designs for the most impact.

You can apply embossed gloss to up to 75% of the front of your card, though you should avoid adding the special finish to the edges as doing so can cause it to peel. With that in mind, we highly recommend keeping your design within the printing safety margin (shown as a dotted line in our design studio).

Yes, the type of printing we use is also known as spot UV. This process actually has a lot of names, so you might see this type of product listed elsewhere as spot UV business cards, 3D business cards, spot gloss business cards or raised print business cards.

Our embossed business cards are made using either a 14pt standard or 16pt premium. Each point (pt) is equal to .001 of an inch, to give you a frame of reference. All of the options have a smooth, matte finish.

For complete information about card dimensions, check out our business card size guide.

For now, you can only have embossed gloss on the front of your 3D printed card. But we are working towards offering that option at some point in the future. In the meantime, you can get customized printing on the back of your card for an additional fee.

You can order our spot UV business cards with rounded corners, but not in a square shape.

On our templates, the embossed areas can’t be changed. However, if you upload your own design, you have more freedom to decide which parts are raised. You can do this through our design studio, or you can leave specific directions for our team.