Most people order business cards by picking a design and accepting whatever stock is default. The stock is doing more work than the design in the first two seconds, because your card is felt before it is read.
What 'pt' actually means
Point, in this context, is thickness, not weight. One point is one thousandth of an inch. A 16pt card is 0.016 inches thick. This is different from the pound weight used for text papers, which is why comparing 100lb text to 16pt cover is comparing two different measurements.
14pt
The standard. Sturdy enough to feel professional, thin enough to be economical. If you hand out a lot of cards and cost per card matters, this is the sensible default.
16pt
Noticeably more substantial for a small increase in price. This is the most common upgrade and the one we recommend most often, because the perceived jump in quality is larger than the price difference.
18pt to 24pt
Firmly in premium territory. Will not bend in a wallet. Suits attorneys, real estate, finance and anyone whose card sits in a stack being compared to others.
32pt
Roughly double a standard card. This is the stock used for painted edges, because the edge is thick enough to carry a visible band of color. It makes a statement and it costs accordingly.
Finishes
- Matte: soft, non-reflective, easy to read, and you can write on it. The safe professional choice.
- Gloss: high shine that makes photography and saturated color pop. Hard to write on.
- Uncoated: raw paper feel, absorbs ink slightly, takes pen well. Natural and understated.
- Silk laminate: a thin film that feels velvety and makes the card water and tear resistant.
- Soft touch velvet: the suede-like finish people notice immediately. The single biggest tactile upgrade available.
If people write on the back of your card, such as an appointment time or a quote, do not order gloss. Ink beads and smears on a gloss coating. Choose matte or uncoated.
Upgrades worth the money
Spot UV
A high-gloss varnish applied only to selected areas over a matte card. Your logo catches the light while the rest stays flat. Raised spot UV adds physical dimension you can feel with a fingertip.
Foil stamping
Metallic foil pressed into the sheet under heat, in gold, silver, copper, rose gold or holographic. Nothing else reads as expensive quite as quickly.
Painted edges
A band of color painted along the edge of thick stock. Only viable on 32pt and works best when the edge color contrasts sharply with the face.
Embossing and letterpress
Embossing raises the surface, letterpress presses it in. Blind versions use no ink at all, so the effect is purely tactile. Both are quieter, more expensive and often more memorable than foil.
Setting up the file
Standard US size is 3.5 x 2 inches. Add 0.125 inches of bleed on all sides, keep critical text at least 0.125 inches inside the trim, supply artwork at 300 DPI in CMYK, and outline your fonts. If any of that is unfamiliar, read our guide to setting up print-ready files or just send what you have and we will check it free.
See all 26 options on our business cards page.
Need this printed? We are on Hillside Avenue in Jamaica, Queens.