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. See details

Browse our templates

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 623 customers

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Business card

Apr 15, 2026 | Julia H.

Hello, I recently received my order of 250 business cards, but they all arrived with a matte finish. I had intended to order them with a glossy finish, so this was not what I expected. I was wondering if it would be possible to return or exchange these cards, or if there is another solution available. Could you please let me know how this process would work and what steps I should take? I can provide photos or any additional details if needed. Thank you in advance for your help, and I look forward to your response. Best regards, Julia

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

We are sorry to hear that the finish of your business cards did not match your expectations. To proceed, we have reached out to you via email to offer a satisfactory resolution as a one-time courtesy gesture, and we are here to ensure this matter is fully addressed for you. Kindly note that there is no need to return the cards received, as we do not operate a return policy for printed products. To help avoid similar situations in the future, we strongly recommend carefully reviewing the product details, including coating options (such as matte or glossy) and paper stock, prior to placing an order. This helps set clear expectations for the final outcome. We appreciate your understanding and the opportunity to make this right. Should you have any questions or need further assistance, please don't hesitate to call us at 833-996-2067.

Overall quality is good, but cutting was inconsistent

Apr 14, 2026 | Yusra N. |

Verified Buyer

Overall, I liked the embossing that was done and it lined perfectly with the imagery as requested. I also liked the quality of the paper and print job - the colours in the design are maintained really well. However, on my order of 100 cards more than 3/4 of the box had the border cut off on one side of my business cards causing the design to look uneven. I must say the ones where the business cards were evenly cut do look as I imagined them and also reflect the preview image that was provided during the design process by vistaprint. Delivery was also excellent with the cards arriving two days earlier than expected; however, I wouldn't have minded the extra wait if the cards had been cut more consistently, especially considering how many had the left side border cut off - it is making me question whether I will order from here again or try another business. I have attached a photo of some of the business cards with some of the left border cut off and one of the few that came out evenly cut.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

We're pleased to hear that you're happy with the quality of the cards ordered and are sorry there was an issue with how they were cut. In reviewing your account, we're seeing that you were able to get the matter resolved when our customer care team was contacted.

Amazing quality

Apr 13, 2026 | Toronto P. |

Verified Buyer

Great service, quality and customer service, much appreciated and recommended!

Waaaaay better than I expected!

Apr 10, 2026 | Bob S. |

Verified Buyer

Using a creator to design my cards was worth it. Everything arrived and this will help me get things rolling! Clean, crisp and professional!

Pretty but with errors

Apr 7, 2026 | April L. |

Verified Buyer

Love the finish of the embossed business cards, but there is consistent issue with size of trim and border. Some look correct but more of them have issues with some small trim on one side or edge. I am disappointed to have this result. Otherwise they are aesthetically pleasing.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

Thank you for your feedback, and we’re sorry to hear about the inconsistency with the trim and borders on your embossed business cards. While we’re glad you liked the overall finish, we understand how disappointing it is when the final result isn’t consistent across all items. If you could share some images of the cards you received, we would be happy to review them and look into this further to find a suitable solution. We appreciate your understanding and are committed to resolving this for you. If your request is urgent, and you need immediate assistance, please don’t hesitate to contact our Customer Support team directly at: https://www.vistaprint.ca/customer-care/help-center/. We're here to help.

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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.