What Are Spot UV Business Cards?
have truly come into fashion during the past few years, acquiring dramatic popularity during that time.
The concept is pretty clever and creates boundless possibilities – all of which are attention grabbing and unique.
What is Spot UV?
You have unquestionably heard of matte business cards.
You have unquestionably heard of glossy business cards.
Simply stated, spot UV cards are a combination of both.
Instead of affixing a gloss (AKA UV) coating to the complete card, it is is applied only in certain places, as set by the designer.
Often, you’ll see it applied to the company name, logo, or other important graphical element. Other times you’ll see it applied in an original pattern (such as fleur de lis, lines, diagonal stripes, plaid, in circles, in a spiral, etc.).
The options are unbounded.
It can be added to both the front and rear of your card. It can often be applied to various card stocks including standard matte, , and more.
Benefits of Spot UV
Spot uv is impossible to ignore. It delivers both a visible and textural experience different from other card types. Its closest comparison would probably be foil stamped cards, in which foil is applied to set elements in the card for visual and textural emphasis.
UV is a prime choice for graphic designers because of its eye-grabbing appearance and invitation for creativity.
Anyone who receives it is likely to be wowed also, providing for a lasting impression.
How Do You Create a Spot UV Business Card?
Setting up a spot gloss card is pretty straightforward. In fact, the process is just like other card designs – but with 1 extra step.
Here’s how: a regular business card requires the purchaser to present just one design file (for each side of the card). This file displays the design that will be applied to the card.
For spot UV, this very same file is used. But in addition, you need to use a mask file. A mask file is simply another file indicating where the spot UV should be added.
The mask file is black and white. That’s always the case. For a full color card as well. Wherever there is black, gloss will be applied. Wherever there is white, no UV is applied.
To look at it another way, everything in the original file that that is to remain matte is removed from the mask file. So, if you’re applying gloss to your logo, but not your contact details, the mask file should contain just your logo in all black.
