Paper is the part of a printed piece people touch first, and it says something before anyone reads a word. The good news is that choosing well does not require knowing the trade names — it requires knowing what the piece has to do.
The four families
| Family | Character | Suits |
|---|---|---|
| Coated (art card) | Smooth, sharp, strong colour | Photographs, detailed logos, vivid branding |
| Uncoated | Soft, matte, takes a pen | Cards that get written on, restrained identities |
| Textured | Tactile, visible grain | Craft, heritage, studio and food brands |
| Kraft / recycled | Natural brown or flecked tone | Eco positioning, packaging, artisan products |
Coated: why detail looks better
Coated card carries a thin clay-based layer that stops ink soaking straight into the fibre. Ink sits on the surface instead, which keeps edges crisp and colour vivid. That is why a coated card reproduces a photograph so much better than an uncoated one.
The trade-off is that coating is smooth and slightly sealed, so an ordinary ballpoint pen will smudge on it. If you expect to write on the card, that matters more than the colour.
Uncoated: the writing card
Uncoated card has no coating layer, so ink is absorbed slightly into the surface. The result is softer, lower contrast and much more tactile — and crucially, it accepts a pen.
If your business writes appointments, measurements or notes on its cards, uncoated is the practical choice. It also suits brands that want to look understated rather than glossy.
Textured: for the hand, not the eye
Textured stocks have a visible grain — linen, laid or felt patterns. They feel distinctive and immediately signal care. The constraint is that very fine detail, thin rules and small type can soften because the printing surface is not flat, so textured card rewards designs built from strong shapes and generous lettering.
Kraft and recycled
Kraft has a natural brown tone; recycled boards often carry visible flecks. Both communicate an unpolished, honest character, which is why they appear so often on artisan food, packaging and eco-focused brands.
One practical note: because the base tone is not white, colours print differently on them than on a bright sheet. If your brand colour is a specific shade, it will shift on kraft. Ask for a sample of your actual colour on that stock rather than judging from a screen.
Matching stock to use
- Handed out at meetings, lives in a wallet — coated 300–350 GSM, laminated. Durable and sharp.
- Written on regularly — uncoated, no laminate.
- Carries a photograph or detailed logo — coated. Detail needs a flat surface.
- Craft, food or heritage brand — textured or kraft, with a design that works with the grain rather than against it.
- Sent through the post — keep the weight moderate. Paper weight adds to postage.
The one step worth taking
Ask to feel the stock. Colour and even weight are genuinely hard to judge from a screen, and two boards with the same GSM can feel quite different because coating is denser than paper fibre. Handling a swatch removes the guesswork in seconds.
For weight rather than surface, see What Is GSM in Printing?. For the full card specification, see Business Card Specifications.