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 6101 customers

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Exceptional Quality and Precision

May 23, 2026 | EMB S. |

Verified Buyer

As a professional contractor, attention to detail is everything for my business. The embossed gloss finish on these business cards is sharp and precise, and the material quality is excellent. The entire ordering and shipping process was flawless. They convey exactly the level of professionalism and trust I want to project. Highly recommended.

I Recommend !

May 23, 2026 | HUDSON T. |

Verified Buyer

exactly like I wanted!

Good quality, not the exact color

May 23, 2026 | Sarah h. |

Verified Buyer

The fonts in the preview are lighter than what it turned out ( I wanted the lighter fonts). Right now it’s darker and not as easily readable. I have a black background with bright yellow fonts. I also wanted it to be gold embrossed and they coupndt do it for some reason.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

We understand your concern regarding the color and font appearance. It’s important that your design prints as intended, especially when readability and contrast (such as bright yellow text on a black background) are key to the overall look. Print variations can sometimes result in darker or lighter outputs compared to on-screen previews, but we appreciate that in this case it affected the clarity of your design. We also note your request regarding gold embossing. We’re sorry for any confusion or limitation you experienced during the ordering process, and we understand how important that finish was for your design vision. To better assist you and review this further, could you please share a photo of the received product showing the issue? This will help us assess the print outcome more accurately and recommend the best resolution.

Not worth it!

May 22, 2026 | Stuart M. |

Verified Buyer

The only reason I gave one star was there was no option to give zero. So poorly executed that I threw them away. I would never buy anything from this company again.

Response from Vistaprint Customer Care Team:

We’re very sorry to hear that your Embossed Gloss Business Cards did not meet your expectations and that you were disappointed with the final result. This is certainly not the experience we want for our customers, and we understand how frustrating it must have been to feel the product was unusable. To help us investigate this further, could you please provide a photo of the received product and share a bit more detail about the issue you experienced (e.g., print quality, embossing effect, color accuracy, or finish)? This will allow us to properly assess what went wrong and ensure the concern is addressed correctly. Once we receive these details, we’ll be happy to review your case and offer an appropriate resolution.

Great cards!

May 22, 2026 | Nathan G. |

Verified Buyer

Consistency in business is wonderful. Much appreciated!

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.