SPOT UV BUSINESS CARDS
Spot UV business cards with gloss against matt.
Flat Spot UV places selective clear gloss over a matt-laminated printed surface. Use it to reveal a pattern, wordmark or detail as the card moves through the light.
DUPLEX · APPROX. 700 GSM · MATT LAMINATION · SELECTIVE FLAT SPOT UV
SELECTIVE GLOSS
A clear varnish changes reflection over chosen parts of the printed artwork.
MATT BASE
Matt lamination supplies the contrast that makes the glossy mask visible.
SEPARATE MASK
The Spot UV areas must be supplied as registered solid vector artwork.
WHAT THE FINISH DOES
Spot UV changes sheen without adding another printed colour.
The card is printed in full colour, laminated with a matt surface and then given clear gloss only where the Spot UV mask specifies. The strongest effect comes from contrast: the selected area catches light while the surrounding face remains restrained.
Flat Spot UV has little physical height. It is different from raised 3D UV, which builds a tactile clear layer above the surface, and from embossing, which reshapes the paper through pressure. If height is central to the brief, compare the dedicated Raised 3D UV product.
Patterns, large letterforms and confident graphic shapes usually show the gloss contrast more clearly than isolated hairlines. The printed artwork and clear mask are checked together before production.
ONLINE PRODUCT ROUTES
Choose Spot UV alone or with a painted edge.
Both products use a substantial Duplex construction made from two printed 350 gsm sheets. The difference is the card profile: one keeps a natural unpainted edge, while the other adds a selected edge colour.
DUPLEX · APPROX. 700 GSM
Flat Spot UV with an unpainted edge
Full-colour print, matt lamination and selective clear gloss on a substantial bonded card.
DUPLEX · SPOT UV · PAINTED EDGE
Face gloss with a separate edge colour
The same printed, matt-laminated Duplex structure with selective gloss and a painted profile.
ARTWORK DECISIONS
Let the gloss reveal something deliberate.
Spot UV can repeat a printed wordmark, isolate part of an image or place a quiet pattern over a solid field. Its visibility changes with the viewing angle, so the effect should support the information hierarchy rather than carry essential information by itself.
The clear mask must register with the printed artwork and remain safely inside the trim. Fine lines, tight gaps and large coverage areas are reviewed before production.
CHECK BEFORE ORDERING
- Supply the Spot UV as a separate solid vector mask.
- Keep the mask registered to the printed artwork.
- Do not use gloss alone for essential small text.
- Keep fine details and the cut line safely separated.
REAL PRODUCTION
See Spot UV on finished cards.
FLAT SPOT UV · MATT LAMINATION
Gloss appears as the light crosses the card
The clear coating changes reflection over selected parts of the printed face without replacing the underlying colour.
SPOT UV · PAINTED EDGE
Face gloss and edge colour remain separate decisions
Selective gloss changes the face while the substantial Duplex profile carries a contrasting painted edge.
COMPARE THE EFFECTS
Choose gloss, height or pressure for a reason.
FLAT SPOT UV
Reflection with little height
Use selective gloss over a matt-laminated printed surface when changing sheen is the intended effect.
RAISED 3D UV
Clear gloss with tactile height
Choose the raised process when the transparent layer should be felt as well as seen.
BLIND IMPRESSION
Relief pressed into uncoated paper
Choose blind impression when relief should come from the sheet itself rather than a clear coating.
NOT SURE WHICH UV EFFECT FITS?
Send the artwork and the effect you want to achieve.
We will help distinguish flat Spot UV, raised 3D UV and another process before you choose the product.