The Business Card Buyer's Guide: Stocks, Finishes & What They Cost You
300gsm or 600gsm? Matte or spot UV? A plain-language tour of every business card option we print, and when each one is worth the money.
A business card costs a few rupees and does a job no ad budget can: it’s your brand, physically in someone’s hand. Here’s how to spend those rupees well.
Paper weight: the handshake factor
Card stock is measured in gsm (grams per square meter). The higher the number, the stiffer and more substantial the card feels.
- 300gsm — the professional baseline. Crisp, doesn’t flop, prints beautifully.
- 350–400gsm — noticeably premium. Survives wallets and pockets with dignity.
- 600gsm+ (duplex) — two sheets bonded together, often with a colored core. This is the card people comment on.
If you hand out cards daily by the hundred, 300gsm is smart economics. If a single meeting can be worth six figures, the 600gsm card has already paid for itself.
Finishes, from quiet to loud
Matte lamination. Soft, glare-free, modern. Text stays readable in any light. Our default recommendation.
Gloss lamination. Punchy colors, shiny surface. Great for photo-heavy cards; shows fingerprints on dark designs.
Soft-touch (velvet) lamination. Feels like suede. People stroke the card involuntarily. Pairs perfectly with minimal designs.
Spot UV. A glossy varnish applied only to chosen areas — a logo, a pattern — over matte lamination. Catches light as the card tilts. The contrast between matte and gloss is the whole trick.
Foil stamping. Metallic gold, silver, copper or holographic foil pressed into the card. Unmatched for luxury positioning.
Embossing / debossing. Raises or recesses the design physically. Quietly expensive-feeling, best on thick uncoated stocks.
Die-cut shapes & rounded corners. Break the rectangle. Rounded corners also resist dog-earing.
Painted edges. On thick duplex cards, the exposed edge is painted a color — often the brand’s accent. Details like this get remembered.
Our honest pairing advice
| Your situation | Our pick |
|---|---|
| Everyday networking, high volume | 300gsm + matte lamination |
| Consultant / studio / agency | 350gsm + soft-touch + spot UV logo |
| Luxury brand, low volume | 600gsm duplex + foil + painted edges |
| Café, salon, retail counter | 300gsm gloss + rounded corners |
Every order at Graphics Hub includes a free digital proof, and we’ll happily print a small sample batch before a big run. Message us on WhatsApp with your logo and we’ll mock up two or three options.