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 color will match the original color of your design as closely as possible, so we typically recommend bright colors 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 5787 customers

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Business Cards

Apr 14, 2026 | robert d. |

Verified Buyer

I love the new cards love how the print stands out on front and back is done just how I wanted it to look did a great job i will be ordering more cards

Thanks for making my dreams come true!

Apr 14, 2026 | Victoria B. |

Verified Buyer

I genuinely don’t even know where I’d be without VistaPrint. From day one of starting my business, they’ve been there turning my ideas into something real — something I could actually hold in my hands. Seeing my brand printed professionally for the first time didn’t just feel like a small step… it felt like everything finally becoming real. Every detail, every order, every piece they’ve produced for me has helped build the foundation of something I’ve dreamed about for years. They didn’t just print materials — they gave me confidence. They made me feel legitimate. They helped me show up like a real business owner before I even fully felt like one. There’s something powerful about seeing your vision come to life physically, and VistaPrint made that happen for me over and over again. The quality, the ease, the reliability — it all allowed me to focus on growing instead of stressing. This might sound dramatic, but it’s the truth: VistaPrint has been a part of me turning my dreams into reality. And for that, I’m beyond grateful. 🤍

Loved the cards

Apr 14, 2026 | Emilio P. |

Verified Buyer

just perfect thank you

Terrific product

Apr 13, 2026 | Tyler R. |

Verified Buyer

Excellent results. Came out exactly as I had intended. Printing very closely matches the onscreen image. Great job!

Came out too dark

Apr 13, 2026 | Taylor K. |

Verified Buyer

I’m usually very happy with Vistaprint and as much as I understand blue is a difficult color to get right in print, it came out so dark and off of what was expected this time. I don’t know if it was a CMYK issue or something, but the colors are way off this time. The gloss emboss worked great, and the rest of the quality is fine as well.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

Thank you for your continued support and for taking the time to share your feedback with us. We’re sorry to hear that the color of your embossed gloss business cards came out darker than expected. We understand how important color accuracy is—especially with shades like blue, which can sometimes appear differently in print due to variations in CMYK conversion and material finishes. That said, we’re glad to hear that you were satisfied with the gloss emboss effect and the overall print quality. Your feedback is truly valuable, and we’ll make sure it’s shared with our production team for review. To better assist you and review what happened, could you please send us a photo of the received cards? This will help us assess the color outcome more accurately and look into the best possible resolution for you. We appreciate your feedback, and we’re here to help make this right. If your request is urgent and you need an immediate solution, please reach out to our Customer Support team via https://www.vistaprint.com/customer-care/help-center/

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. With our embossed business cards, you can decide which design elements you want to pop out.

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 color will match the original color of your design as closely as possible, so we typically recommend bright colors 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.