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| Finish | Look | Color | Write on it? | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Matte | Flat, no shine | Rich, slightly softer | Yes, with most pens | Text-heavy cards, flyers you hand out, anything read under bright light |
| Silk | Light sheen | Sharp with less glare | Somewhat | Premium flyers and postcards that mix photos and text |
| Gloss | Shiny | Most vivid and saturated | No — pens smear | Photo-heavy flyers, product shots, bold color |
| Uncoated | Natural paper | Softer, more muted | Yes, easiest of all | Menus you mark up, forms, letters, notes |
Gloss front / writable back cardstock gives a business card vivid color on the front and an uncoated back you can write on.
Matte cuts glare, so text stays easy to read under store lights and phone flash. It feels understated and modern, and you can write on it. If your piece is mostly type, matte usually reads better.
Gloss makes photography and saturated color pop. The trade-off is glare, visible fingerprints, and a surface pens smear on. Use it when the image is the point, like product shots, event posters, and real estate flyers.
Silk sits between the two: a light sheen that keeps color crisp without full gloss glare. It's a good default when a flyer or postcard has both photos and a lot of text.
Uncoated paper has no coating, so ink soaks in and pen, pencil, and stamps all work. Color looks softer than on coated stock. Choose it for menus you update by hand, forms, letterhead, and anything people fill in.
Matte if the card is mostly text or you want people to write on it; gloss if it's photo-led or color-heavy. Gloss front / writable back cardstock gives you both.
Not reliably. Ink sits on the glossy coating and smears. Choose matte, uncoated, or a writable-back card if people need to write on the piece.
They're used for the same in-between finish: a soft sheen that's less shiny than gloss. We list it as silk.
Matte for everyday handouts and text-heavy flyers, gloss for photo-heavy promotions, and silk when you want sharp color with less glare.
