Spot uv(ultra violet) is a clear plastic coating that can be placed on any design aspect of a business card. This treatment is applied directly on top of the desired area making it seamless, yet these areas are now physically raised (like raised ink printing) and are shiny, like polished glass. Spot uv is extremely versatile and can be used on any part of the card as long as it can be designed. This is the only requirement necessary to properly add spot uv to your business cards; the mask file.

If your new business cards will be 2 sided with spot uv on both sides, you will need the following files:

• Front Side Artwork File
• Front Side Mask File
• Back Side Artwork File
• Back Side Mask File

So for each printed side that you want spot uv to be applied, you will need to supply an additional file (mask) for each side. Don’t forget the actual artwork as well.

Creating mask files may just be the easiest step in designing business cards. As the name suggests, these files should be a sort of “mask” that goes on top of your regular artwork that shows where you want the spot uv. The mask file should be the same exact size as your regular artwork but must be completely black and white – no colors. All black areas of the mask will represent the spot uv placements and the white will be where spot uv will not be present.

All artwork files including masks can be uploaded during the checkout process.

More on business card mask set up and instructions.