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spot uv

Also known as: spot gloss · raised gloss

Spot UV is a clear, glossy coating applied to specific areas of a printed piece (often a logo or icon) to make them shine while the rest of the surface stays matte.

It's the same UV coating used on full-gloss cards, just selectively applied via a separate print pass with a custom mask. The contrast between matte stock and high-gloss UV creates a tactile and visual highlight that pure-gloss or pure-matte alone can't. Common uses: a glossy logo on a soft-touch business card, foiled lettering on a matte postcard, or accent shapes on a premium flyer. The artwork file requires a separate spot-colour layer marking which areas get the coating.

See it in action