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 619 customers

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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.

Very disappointed by what we

Apr 7, 2026 | Julie H.

Very disappointed by what we received. The cards were not the quality we expected and the embossing what on the wrong side. We can’t use these cards.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

We’re truly sorry to hear that the cards did not meet your expectations, especially with the embossing being on the wrong side. We understand how disappointing this must be and that the cards are unusable. We understand that you have already been in contact with our Customer Care team, and we trust that the appropriate support has been provided. At this time, no further action is required from our end, but please know that we remain available should you need any additional assistance.

Cards looked good on the front… only…

Apr 7, 2026 | Aaron Y. |

Verified Buyer

They were off center, despite me checking with the final print screen. Here I am advertising precision, and I’m having our weeds that aren’t Centered? Not cool. No way I’d have spent money of these. I’d have fixed it if it had showed this error. You don’t see an error? Nope, neither did I, yet the card was off center where the logo says… “Precision In Every Stroke”… yup. . that’s embarrassing. 500 wasted cards.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

Thank you for sharing your feedback with us. We understand how frustrating it is to receive cards that do not reflect the precision your brand stands for, especially when your logo highlights that very quality. Upon looking closely at the design submitted for your order, we have found that the original layout was already off-center and the borders were already uneven within the file itself. This alignment discrepancy is actually visible on the preview images you shared alongside this review. Please be advised that we generally do not recommend adding borders to most of our print materials. Because there is always a slight margin of movement during the mechanical cutting process, any design that is not perfectly centered to begin with—or includes thin borders—can result in a final print that looks noticeably uneven. To help us fully investigate the extent of the issue, could you please respond to this email and share images of the actual cards you received? Once we can review the physical product, we will be able to determine the best next steps to assist you.

AMAZING!!!!

Apr 6, 2026 | Clayton F. |

Verified Buyer

Will Definatley order again!!!!!

Excellent

Apr 4, 2026 | Becky B. |

Verified Buyer

Business cards were perfect and the vehicle magnets are excellent.

Displaying Reviews 1-5

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.