Business cards can be given a glossy appearance using a technique called offset UV printing. This produces an ultraviolet glossy coat on the card, which makes it shine when held before direct light. An additional unit on the sheetfed press is used to apply the glossy coating. This makes the whole face of your card look glossy. However, it is also possible to apply a glossy texture to parts of the card using a technique known as spot coating. This gives you greater control over the design of the card, since parts of it can be left uncoated and matte.
UV coating makes business cards more durable. It makes the thin paper of stocked cards considerably thicker, and the paper is able to withstand greater amounts of damage. UV coating also makes manufacturing business cards faster. Glossy UV coated cards take less time to dry, which means ink from one card will not get onto the next one. So, this speeds up the process of printing cards.
The problem with UV coating, however, is that because it is glossy, it is more likely to retain fingerprints than matte cards. This may not be a problem once it is manufactured; you can simply wipe off the fingerprints. However, if mishandled during the manufacturing process, glossy business cards may noticeably retain fingerprints. So, make sure that your glossy business cards are devoid of unwanted fingerprints.
Rightly designed and printed, a glossy business card looks very professional. Many large companies prefer glossy cards because of their shiny texture. Glossy cards are also, generally, easier to clean than matte cards, and are relatively more impervious to dust and liquids.
Nowadays, it is possible to print cards like this using some office copiers. While outdated copiers may find it hard to print using thick card stock, modern copiers are equipped with trays that can easily handle thick paper.
