Most business card decisions come down to two questions: how heavy the card is, and what is on the surface. Neither is complicated, but getting one wrong is the most common reason a card gets reprinted.
Weight
- 300gsm — noticeably light. Fine for large runs, exhibition handouts, and anywhere the card is disposable.
- 350gsm — the standard. This is what most people expect a business card to feel like, and it is the right default.
- 400gsm — substantially more solid. Worth the difference where the card is doing real work for you.
- 600gsm+ — achieved by bonding two sheets together, sometimes with a coloured layer visible at the edge. Expensive, and unmistakable.
The step from 300 to 350 is the one people notice most. Above 400, you are buying an impression rather than durability.
Finishes
Matt lamination. Flat, non-reflective, resists fingerprints, easy to read. The safe default and the right answer most of the time.
Gloss lamination. Makes photographs and saturated colours stronger. Shows every fingerprint, and essentially impossible to write on.
Soft-touch. Matt lamination with a velvety texture. You notice it the moment you pick it up, which is the point. Costs more, and scuffs slightly more easily than standard matt.
Spot UV. Gloss varnish applied to selected areas over a matt background — usually a logo. Effective when restrained. Applied across the whole card it just looks like gloss and costs more.
Foil. Metallic gold or silver pressed into the card. Suits solid, simple shapes. Fine detail and photographs do not foil well.
Uncoated. No lamination at all. Warmer to the touch, takes a pen perfectly, and marks more easily. A deliberate choice rather than a cheap one.
The mistakes that cause reprints
Type too small. Anything under about 7pt on a business card is a struggle for a reader in their fifties, which is a large share of the people you hand cards to.
No clear phone number. The card exists so someone can contact you. If the number is not the second thing you notice after the name, the layout is wrong.
Dark background plus a need to write. Very common: a striking dark card that nobody can annotate.
Wrong size. 90 × 50 mm in the UAE. Cards ordered at European dimensions do not fit local card holders.
No bleed in the artwork. If your design runs colour to the edge, the file needs 3mm of extra colour beyond the trim on every side. Without it you get thin white slivers along the edges after cutting.
If you do not have artwork
You do not need it. A card can be built from your logo, or from a photo of your existing card, or from nothing more than your details and what your company does.
Published 2 September 2026