4" x 9" Spot UV Coated Postcards

As the name suggests, a Spot UV coating or "varnish" is applied to chosen spots (areas), of a printed piece. This has the affect of highlighting and drawing attention to that part of the design, but it also provides the additional visual stimulus of having varied textures on a single printed surface. This adds a lot of interest, and can identify the printing as a premium piece in the perception of the reader.

We apply a Spot UV gloss varnish on top of matte finish printing. This achieves maximum contrast between the highly reflective shiny UV coating and the light-absorbing matt laminate, and can, for instance, create a striking first impression on business cards, postcards and club flyers.

For the best results, we recommend PDFs but we can accept JPEG, EPS, AI, PSD or TIFF files as well.

Please create all files with a 1/16" bleed (0.0625" on all sides) As an example, a 3.5" x 2" business card file should be submitted at 3.625" x 2.125".

Please keep all safe text at least 1/8" from the trim line.

Files must be CMYK, not RGB.

PDFs, EPS and AI files:  Please convert all fonts and text to outlines and flatten all transparencies. 

JPEG, PSD, TIFF: Please flatten all files. You may save your files at 400 DPI (300 DPI is the minimum).

Due to the complexity of the various products available at UV Cards it is necessary to upload your files AFTER you complete your order.  Simply add the items that you wish to order to your cart, complete the checkout process at which time you will be directed to an upload page. 

If we request that you upload revised files, please log in to your account and view your order in the order history.  You will be given the ability to upload revised files for your order.

What is Spot UV?

As the name suggests, a Spot UV coating or "varnish" is applied to chosen spots (areas), of a printed piece. This has the affect of highlighting and drawing attention to that part of the design, but it also provides the additional visual stimulus of having varied textures on a single printed surface. This adds a lot of interest, and can identify the printing as a premium piece in the perception of the reader.

We apply a Spot UV gloss varnish on top of matt laminated printing. This achieves maximum contrast between the highly reflective shiny UV coating and the light-absorbing matt laminate, and can, for instance, create a striking first impression on business cards, postcards and club flyers.

How do I set up my file?

When creating a Spot UV job, You must include a Spot UV template file along with the regular full color file. The Spot UV template file is used to show where the UV will be placed. Use only black (set us as C=0, M=0, Y=0, K=100) to indicate where you would like to have the UV. White will indicate NO UV.

So for each file that contains your artwork, you would create a corresponding file that contains ONLY black and white to display where you want the spot UV coating to be.

Remember, "If it's white, you can write"

Cracking of the edges of a business card occurs sometimes when the card contains high values of ink, as in dark colors.  This usually happens on a small amount of cards in the run. To prevent this, use lighter colors or if you must use dark colors, use as little ink as possible.