Let's start with the basic and most common finishes. There's UV Both Sides, which is a high gloss coating that is applied to the paper stock after it's been printed. For example, if you had 14pt UV Coated business cards, then the finish of the business card would be glossy.
Now that we've got UV Gloss down, let's move on to Silk Lamination Both Sides. Silk Lamination is a thin polypropylene laminate that is applied to the paper stock after it's been printed. Unlike a UV coating, silk lamination is not a water-based liquid. Silk lamination is applied throughout the whole print piece. For example, if you had a Silk Laminated business card, then the entire surface area of the silk business card would be covered in the lamination. There is no such thing as spot silk lamination. The silk satin finish is looks like a matte coating, but feels super smooth and pleasant to the touch.
OK, so we covered UV Coatings and Silk Lamination, now what do you think Spot UV is? Well, if UV Coatings are glossy coatings that run throughout the surface of the card, and silk lamination is a premium dull matte-like finish that runs throughout the card, then Spot UV must be...? It's exactly how it sounds - Spot UV printing only applies the UV Glossy Coating to a selected spot on a printed piece. Often times spot uv is applied on top of a matte coating or a silk lamination finish. Silk + Spot UV business cards really make an impression because you have a contrast in appearance and in texture. You get the smoothness of the silk lamination, along with the glossy feel of the UV coating. Silk + Spot Varnish business cards are a great way to stand out in your industry. There are affordable Silk + Spot UV business cards available from online printing companies.
