There are two kinds of business card finish and the difference matters more than the names. A coating is sprayed on the press and costs very little. A lamination is a plastic film bonded to the card and costs roughly three times as much. Matte, gloss and soft touch all exist in one camp or the other.
Get that distinction straight and the whole finish decision becomes simple. Most finish guides skip it entirely, which is why people end up confused about why two "matte" cards can differ by a factor of three in price.
Coatings and laminations, side by side
| Coating | Lamination | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A liquid applied on press and cured | A plastic film heat bonded to each face |
| Adds thickness | Negligible | Yes, measurably |
| Durability | Light scuff protection | Tear resistant, water resistant, survives a wallet |
| Feel | The stock, slightly sealed | Distinctly different surface |
| Turnaround | 2 to 3 business days | 4 to 5 business days |
| Cost | Low | About 3x the coated price |
| Examples here | Matte Finish, Gloss AQ, UV | Matte, Gloss and Soft Touch Lamination |
What each finish actually costs
These four are at an identical specification: 25 cards, 3.5 x 2 inches, full colour front, no round corners. That makes them directly comparable, which is unusual for a print price list.
| Finish | Stock | Price (25) | Per card | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| UV coating | 14PT | $17.80 | $0.71 | 2 to 3 days |
| Matte lamination | 16PT | $58.88 | $2.36 | 4 to 5 days |
| Gloss lamination | 16PT | $58.88 | $2.36 | 4 to 5 days |
| Soft touch lamination | 16PT | $73.60 | $2.94 | 4 to 5 days |
And the on-press coatings at their own standard quantities:
| Finish | Stock | Quantity | Price |
|---|---|---|---|
| Matte Finish | 14PT | 100 | $23.42 |
| Gloss AQ | 14PT | 250 | $24.50 |
Prices as of September 2026. Check the product page for current pricing and volume rates.
Three things in those numbers are worth saying out loud.
Matte and gloss lamination cost exactly the same. $58.88 either way. Same film, same process, different surface. So choose on how the card should look, never on price.
Soft touch carries a real premium. $73.60 against $58.88 is 25 percent more, about $14.72 on 25 cards. It is the only finish here that costs more than its siblings, and it is worth knowing that before you fall in love with it.
Lamination is roughly 3.3x a coating. That is the single biggest cost decision in the whole finish question, and it is much larger than the gap between any two finishes within a camp.
Glossy: colour at full volume
A gloss coating keeps ink sitting on the surface, so colours stay saturated and photographs stay sharp. Under light it shines.
Glossy cards suit brands built on colour and imagery: food, events, retail. The trade-offs are real though. Gloss shows fingerprints, and you cannot write on it with a ballpoint.
There are two tiers of shine. Gloss AQ is an aqueous coating, water based and moderate. UV is cured under ultraviolet light and is much glossier and harder. If you want the wet-look finish, UV is the one you mean.
Matte: quiet confidence
A matte finish scatters light instead of reflecting it. Text stays readable at every angle, the surface feels smooth rather than slick, and the card reads as understated.
Matte cards are the default for law, finance, architecture and anyone whose brand voice is calm. Step up to silk matte lamination on 16PT and the same restraint arrives on a card that survives months in a wallet without softening at the corners.
A point of confusion worth naming: a matte coating and a matte lamination look similar in a photograph and feel completely different in the hand. The laminated one is the one people notice.
Soft touch: the finish people comment on
Soft touch lamination feels like velvet, or the skin of a peach. It photographs like a deep matte, but the photograph is not the point. The moment of handing it over is the point, and people notice it out loud in a way they do not with any other finish.
It pairs beautifully with dark, saturated colours. Two honest caveats. It costs 25 percent more than the other laminations, and like all deep matte surfaces it shows finger oils on large solid dark areas. Design with some texture or lighter passages in the dark regions and the problem largely goes away.
The specialty tier
When the finish itself should carry the brand:
- Spot UV puts raised gloss shapes on a matte laminated card, so your logo catches light while the background stays flat. It is the most dramatic effect available in print and it photographs badly, which is rather the point.
- Metallic foil stamps real metal into the card. Not printed gold, actual foil.
- Pearl stock shimmers from inside the paper itself rather than from a coating on top.
If you need to write on the card
This rules out most of the above, and it matters more often than people expect. Appointment cards, referral cards, anything where you jot a name or a date.
Avoid UV entirely. Avoid any lamination. What works is uncoated stock, a C1S stock such as our 18PT premium writable, or a PG 1 Only coating, which coats the front and leaves the back bare specifically so it can take ink.
Quick chooser
- Colour-heavy design, photographs: Gloss AQ, or UV for maximum shine.
- Text-heavy, professional services: Matte Finish, or matte lamination if budget allows.
- Want a physical reaction: Soft touch, spot UV or foil.
- Card lives in a wallet for months: Any lamination. The film is what survives.
- Need to write on it: Uncoated, C1S or PG 1 Only.
- On a tight budget: A coating, not a lamination. The gap is 3.3x.
Common questions
What is the difference between matte and soft touch?
Matte describes how a surface reflects light. Soft touch describes how it feels. A soft touch laminate is matte in appearance but has a velvety texture that a matte coating does not. Soft touch also costs about 25 percent more than matte lamination.
Is soft touch worth the extra cost?
If the card is handed over in person as part of a pitch, often yes, because it is the one finish people remark on. If cards are left in a bowl or posted out, the tactile advantage is wasted and matte lamination gives you the same look for 25 percent less.
Why is one matte card three times the price of another?
Because one is a matte coating sprayed on press and the other is a matte film laminated to the card. Same word, different process. The laminated card is thicker, far more durable and takes a couple of days longer to produce.
Can you write on a matte business card?
Not reliably. A matte coating still seals the surface, and a matte lamination definitely does. For a writable card use uncoated stock, a C1S stock, or a PG 1 Only coating.
What is the difference between AQ and UV coating?
AQ is an aqueous, water based coating with a moderate sheen and light scuff protection. UV is cured under ultraviolet light, is much glossier and considerably harder. UV is what people mean by a high gloss, wet-look card.
Which finish shows fingerprints most?
High gloss UV on dark colours is the worst, then soft touch on large solid dark areas. Matte coatings and lighter designs show the least. It is a function of the design as much as the finish.
Does lamination make a card thicker?
Yes. The film is bonded to both faces, so a 16PT laminated card measures more than 0.016 inches overall and feels stiffer than the bare stock would.
Which finish is best for a spot UV logo?
Matte lamination. The contrast between the flat matte field and the raised gloss shape is what makes the effect work. Spot UV on an already glossy card is close to invisible.
Still torn?
Order the two finalists in small quantities and let your customers decide. With quantities starting at 25, testing costs less than guessing, and a finish is one of the few print decisions where holding both in your hands settles it in about two seconds.
Every file gets a free artwork check either way. If you are going for spot UV or foil we will also confirm the mask file is set up correctly before it goes to press, which is the most common thing that goes wrong on specialty finishes.
Not sure about thickness either? See our guide to 14PT, 16PT and 18PT card stocks.