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 631 customers

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Very good

Apr 23, 2026 | Fariba A. |

Verified Buyer

Very good

Exceeded expectations

Apr 20, 2026 | Janet P. |

Verified Buyer

Choose to use the design option to help revamp my business cards and give them a fresh new look. The designer was very knowledgeable , patient and great communication skills. He took my vision and created something that fits my brand perfectly. I’ll use this service and this designer in the future.

Super fast

Apr 20, 2026 | Katerina S. |

Verified Buyer

My order was processed super fast. I love the business cards. Very good quality. I paid extra for thicker paper and it was really worth it. Makes big difference.

Fantastic

Apr 20, 2026 | John A. |

Verified Buyer

Great quality business cards and a reasonable price.

Disappointed with the Quality

Apr 20, 2026 | Karen M. |

Verified Buyer

The cards are small and I was very disappointed with the quality overall. I even upgraded to premium and thicker paper but it was not the same as my last order. The quality has gone down. Not sure if I will continue to order from Vista Print for our business cards.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

We’re very sorry to hear that you’re disappointed with the recent order and that the quality did not meet your expectations. We understand how important consistency is, especially for your business cards. To clarify, your previous order was printed on our Ultra Thick card stock, while this recent order was produced on our Premium stock. The difference in materials can result in a noticeable variation in thickness and overall feel, which may explain the change you experienced. We appreciate you bringing this to our attention and are truly sorry for any frustration this has caused. Thank you for your feedback, and we value the opportunity to continue supporting your business needs.

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.