The classic standard, paper & cardstock.
The business card that started it all. 14pt matte through 32pt triple-layer, soft-touch to foil-stamped — the stocks a hundred years of print built around, in every weight and finish your print team pins to the wall.
What paper business cards actually cost.
Three popular tiers cover most orders. The full six-tier ladder is below. The more you order, the dramatically cheaper each card gets.
- 14pt matte uncoated stock
- 3-day production
- ~3 months supply for 30 cards/mo
- 16pt soft-touch laminate
- 3-day production · rush available
- ~17 months supply for 30 cards/mo
- 38% cheaper per card vs the 100 tier
- Best for events and franchise rollouts
- 32pt triple-layer upgrade available
- 59% cheaper per card vs the 100 tier
The stock most business cards are made from, weighted to feel like one.
Paper sold by thickness, finished by coating. Two choices — weight and surface — decide how the card feels in a hand.
Paper & cardstock is uncoated or coated paper sold by thickness — points, where 14pt is a solid handout card and 32pt is a triple-layer card you can feel the fibre in. 14pt matte reads "everyday". 16pt gloss has snap. 32pt triple-layer with a coloured core is the one people slide across the table and keep. Below that scale is flyer paper; above it is folding chipboard.
How a paper card is actually made
Press-ready file
You upload a PDF or build inside the studio; prepress checks bleed, resolution, and spot colour.
Offset or digital
Short runs print digital; 500+ runs go offset for perfect gradients and crisper type under 6pt.
Finish pass
Matte, gloss, soft-touch, spot UV, foil, deboss — the finish lands after the ink dries, before the cut.
Cut and sorted
Guillotine cuts to size, square or rounded-corner die, hand-counted into bands of 50 ready to ship.
Paper & Cardstock design templates.
Our most popular paper & cardstock business card designs — pre-built for this stock. Pick one, drop your details, send to print.
Four stocks, one for every job.
Weight sets the feel, coating sets the colour. These four cover nearly every order we print.
Matte uncoated
The everyday standard. A slight fibre texture, soft colour, and a surface you can write on with any pen.
- 300 gsm
- Pen and pencil friendly
- Best for: handouts, appointment cards, trades
Gloss coated
A polymer coating keeps ink sharp and colours saturated. Photos and bright brand colours pop.
- 350 gsm
- Vivid, high-contrast colour
- Best for: photographers, restaurants, retail
Soft-touch laminate
A thin matte film gives the card a velvet skin. Dark designs stay dark and fingerprints don't show.
- 350 gsm + laminate
- Fingerprint-resistant
- Best for: agencies, consultants, creators
Triple-layer
Three sheets laminated together with a coloured core you can see at the edge. The card people keep.
- 600 gsm
- Coloured core in 57 colours
- Best for: founders, premium brands, events
Paper vs the other card materials.
Paper is the default for a reason — but here's how it stacks up when you're weighing a specialty material.
| Material | Feel | Durability | Writable | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Paper & cardstock
This page |
Familiar, 14-32pt | 6 months to 3+ years | Yes (uncoated) | $ |
| Kraft / recycled | Earthy, visible fibre | 1-2 years | Yes | $ |
| Cotton | Soft, thick, luxe | 3+ years | Yes | $$ |
| Plastic / PVC | Rigid, waterproof | 5+ years | No | $$ |
| Metal | Heavy, cold, etched | Decades | No | $$$$ |
Need waterproof or ultra-durable? Plastic and metal cards live under the other Business Cards materials. For almost everyone else, a good paper stock does the job at a fraction of the cost.
Pick the right paper.
A three-question quiz, then the rules and file specs our prepress team checks every order against.
Which paper should I pick?
Three yes/no questions. We'll tell you the stock and finish that lands.
01 Rules of thumb.
Three choices decide whether a paper card reads crisp or tired.
02 Artwork requirements.
Send files like this and your proof comes back clean the first time.
03 Common mistakes we catch.
Our prepress team flags these before production. Knowing them up front saves a proof round.
Why we still hand-count every band of 50.
Paper cards look simple, which is exactly why small mistakes show. A cut that drifts half a millimetre, a stack that warps in a humid week, a gloss coat that scuffs in the box — on a 14pt card, the customer notices all of it.
So every paper run gets the same checks: a prepress review of the file, a press sheet pulled and compared against the proof, cut tolerance measured on the first and last stack, and the cards counted into bands of 50 by hand before they're boxed.
If a card arrives off-spec, we reprint it free. That promise only works because the checks happen before the box is sealed.
From upload to your doorstep.
Five real steps. Standard production is three business days after you approve your proof.
Upload or design
Send a print-ready PDF or build your card in the studio from a template.
Prepress + proof
Human eyes on every file. We flag bleed, resolution and colour issues and send a digital proof.
Digital for short runs, offset for 500+. Press sheet checked against your approved proof.
Finish + cut
Coating or laminate, then guillotine cut, corner-rounded if ordered, counted into bands of 50.
Ship to you
Standard ground shipping with tracking emailed at handoff. Faster options at checkout.
Industries that order paper cards most.
Pick your field to see paper card templates designed for it.
How long do paper cards last?
It depends on the weight and the finish — here's what to expect in a wallet.
14pt matte: 6-12 months
A solid everyday card. Corners soften after half a year of wallet life, which is about how long a box of 100 lasts anyway.
16pt soft-touch: 1-2 years
The laminate protects the print from scuffs and moisture and stops the corners curling. Fingerprints wipe off.
32pt triple-layer: 3+ years
Thick enough to stay flat and square. Store any paper card flat, in its box, away from heat and direct sun.
Sizes and weights, to scale.
Useful before you commit. Every size and paper weight we print, side by side.
Regional card sizes
Shown at the same scale. Most clients pick US / Canada unless they're shipping to a specific region.
Paper weight comparison
Points measure thickness: 1pt = 1/1000 inch.
Paper card glossary
The vocabulary that comes up when you're choosing a paper stock and finish.
- Point (pt)
- A paper thickness measurement. 1 point = 1/1000 inch. 14pt is 0.014". A standard business card is 14-16pt; premium is 32pt triple-layer.
- Cardstock
- Paper over 100 gsm / 10pt that holds its shape when held by the edge. Used for business cards, postcards, and flyers that need rigidity.
- Coated vs uncoated
- Coated paper has a smooth polymer layer that holds ink crisply (gloss, silk, soft-touch); uncoated absorbs ink and reads matte with a slight fibre texture.
- Soft-touch
- A thin matte laminate that feels like a velvet skin on the card. Resists fingerprints better than uncoated.
- Triple-layer
- Three sheets of 14-16pt paper laminated together with a visible coloured core at the edge. 32pt total; the edge colour is the design feature.
- Spot UV
- A clear glossy varnish printed on specific areas only — the logo, a word, a pattern. Over matte it looks raised; over gloss it disappears.
- Bleed
- Artwork that extends 0.125" past the trim line so colour runs cleanly to the edge after cutting.
- Letterpress
- A relief printing method where the type is pressed INTO the paper. Needs thick, soft cotton or cotton-blend stocks at 32pt+.
- Foil stamp
- Metallic foil heat-transferred onto the card. Real gold, silver, copper — not ink. Pairs best with matte or soft-touch backgrounds.
- GSM
- Grams per square metre — the metric paper weight. 300 gsm ≈ 14pt, 350 gsm ≈ 16pt, 600 gsm triple-layer ≈ 32pt.
Paper & cardstock FAQ
Which paper weight should I choose for business cards?
14pt is the standard everyday handout. 16pt feels more substantial, with better dark-colour reproduction. 32pt triple-layer is the premium tier with a visible coloured edge — people remember it. If you're networking at an event, 32pt. If you're giving one to every customer who walks in, 14pt.
What's the difference between coated, uncoated, and soft-touch?
Coated paper has a polymer surface that keeps ink sharp (gloss, silk, matte coating). Uncoated absorbs ink and feels like fine art paper — slight fibre texture, matte finish. Soft-touch is a matte laminate film on top; feels like velvet, resists fingerprints.
Can I write on these cards?
Yes on uncoated and some matte stocks. Gloss and soft-touch resist pen ink. If you need writable, pick 14pt uncoated or 16pt silk.
How long do paper business cards last in a wallet?
14pt matte: 6-12 months before edges show wear. 16pt soft-touch: 1-2 years, resists corner curl. 32pt triple-layer: 3+ years and still looks new.
Are these recyclable or compostable?
All our uncoated stocks are recyclable with mixed paper and biodegradable. Coated and laminated stocks are recyclable but take longer. Seed paper is compostable AND grows wildflowers.
What's the minimum quantity I can order?
25 cards. Price per card drops significantly at 100, 250, and 500. If you're starting a business, 100 is the sweet spot.
Paper cards, shipped anywhere on Earth.
Same stock, same press, same checks — wherever you are, your cards arrive boxed flat with tracking.
International orders may be subject to local taxes and duties at delivery.
Inkgility vs the other paper card printers.
How our paper cards stack up against the printers most often considered for everyday business cards.
| Inkgility | Mass-market online printer | Local print shop | Premium online printer | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paper stocks | 4 (14pt matte to 32pt triple-layer) | 2-3 | Varies | 5+ |
| Minimum order | 25 | 100 | 250 | 50 |
| 100 cards, 14pt matte | $29 | ~$20 | ~$45 | ~$40 |
| Standard production | 3 business days | 5-7 days | 3-5 days | 4-6 days |
| Human prepress check | Every file | Automated only | Yes | Yes |
| Free digital proof | Yes | Extra charge | Yes | Yes |
| Reprint if off-spec | Free | Limited | Case by case | Yes |
Comparison based on typical publicly listed options for a 100-card, 14pt matte order. Competitor offers change often — check current terms before you buy.
What a good paper card actually moved.
Three businesses, three paper stocks, three measurable outcomes.
Harbor Point Realty — 32pt triple-layer
A coastal brokerage moved its open-house cards from 14pt matte to 32pt triple-layer with a navy core. Open-house sign-ups that came back with the card in hand rose 27% in a quarter.
Morning Ritual Coffee — 14pt matte loyalty cards
A two-location café printed stamp-style loyalty cards on writable 14pt uncoated stock so staff could mark them with any pen. Repeat visits from card holders averaged 3.4 per month, against 1.9 before the program.
Northline Advisory — 16pt soft-touch
A five-partner consultancy replaced glossy cards that showed every fingerprint with 16pt soft-touch and a single spot UV logo. Partners report the card now gets comments in almost every first meeting.
Customers on their paper cards.
"Switched to the 32pt triple-layer with a teal core. People actually comment on the edge before they read the name. Worth the upgrade."
"We hand out hundreds a month at the counter, so 14pt matte is perfect — cheap, writable, and they arrived in three days."
"The soft-touch finish feels expensive without the metal-card price. The proof caught a phone number I'd cut too close to the edge."
3,400 words · foil, deboss, edge paint, NFC, metal cards compared
500+ cards across 20+ reps?
We print per-location batches with per-location details — name, phone, photo — and ship each one labelled. Monthly billing, net 30, dedicated account manager.
Order paper cards.
Pick a weight, pick a finish, hit Order. Free digital proof before anything prints. Reprints are free if the card arrives off-spec.
