Every business card in the Business Cards & Print lane is named by its stock and its finish, like "14pt + Matte" or "18pt Matte / Silk lamination". Here is how to read those names.
Point size is thickness
"pt" here is thousandths of an inch, not type size. 14pt is 0.014 inch thick. Higher is stiffer and feels more substantial in the hand.
- 13pt: the lightest we carry, used for the uncoated and linen stocks. Flexible, easy to write on.
- 14pt: the everyday standard. Most coated finishes come on it.
- 16pt: noticeably stiffer; the step up when you want the card to feel premium without going heavy.
- 18pt: the thickest, used for the silk and matte laminated cards. Rigid, does not bend in a wallet.
Finishes
- AQ (aqueous coating): a thin clear water-based coat. Light sheen, protects the ink from fingerprints, still writable with a ballpoint. The safe default.
- UV (high gloss): a hard, mirror-gloss coat cured under ultraviolet light. Colors pop and photos look deep. Not writable, and it shows fingerprints. Pick it for image-heavy cards.
- Matte: a flat, non-reflective coat. Reads as understated and modern, hides fingerprints, easy on the eyes under bright light. Colors are slightly softer than UV.
- Silk / matte lamination: a laminate film rather than a coating, on 18pt. Smooth, soft to the touch, very durable, and the base for spot UV and foil accents. This is the "high quality" card people notice in the hand.
- Uncoated (enviro): no coating at all on a natural recycled-content stock. Warm, matte, fully writable. Ink sits a little softer.
- Linen: uncoated stock with a woven texture pressed in. Traditional, tactile, a professional-services favorite.
- Writable (C1S): coated on one side only, so the front is glossy and the back takes pen. For appointment cards, loyalty punches, anything filled in by hand.
Specialty cards in the same lane
Folded business cards give you four panels for a mini brochure. Die-cut cards are trimmed to a custom shape or with rounded corners. The greeting card and invitation groups add kraft, pearl and metallic foil stocks if you want the same look on a larger piece.
A quick way to choose
- Need to write on it: uncoated, linen, AQ or writable.
- Photo or bold color on the front: UV or silk.
- Want it to feel expensive: 16pt matte or 18pt silk.
- Handing out hundreds at an event: 14pt AQ.
Cards are 3.5 x 2 inches; build the file at 3.75 x 2.25 with the bleed and keep type 1/8 inch inside the trim. Two-sided cards take a two-page PDF. See the file checklist.
Ready to print? Browse the catalog, sign in for a live quote by size and quantity, and upload your file when you add the item to the cart. Not sure the file is right? The file check runs before checkout, and our designers can fix it or build it from your notes.