Why does nobody talk about using uncoated paper for business cards anymore

Honestly, a buddy of mine who runs a small letterpress studio in Portland gave me this advice like 6 months ago. He told me to stop using that glossy coated stock for my freelance design cards because it looks cheap and slippery. I laughed it off at first since I thought glossy meant professional. Then I ordered 250 cards on coated paper and handed them out at a networking event downtown. Nobody even commented on them, they just took them and shoved them in pockets. Last week I finally tried his trick with a nice uncoated 100lb cotton stock and the difference was wild. People actually held onto them and asked about the texture. Has anyone else switched from coated to uncoated and noticed a real change in how clients react?

2 comments

2 Comments

dixon.anthony12d ago

Man I had the exact same experience but in reverse - I showed up to a client meeting with these fancy uncoated cotton cards I was so proud of, and the first thing they did was try to write on the back and their pen just kinda skidded across it like a rock on a frozen lake. They looked at me like I was trying to hand them a napkin with my info on it. Now I keep both types in my car, coated for people who actually need to jot something down and uncoated for the folks who just want something pretty to fidget with during the meeting.

emmar7511d agoMost Upvoted

That's a classic move, @dixon.anthony. Nothing like watching a client's face go from impressed to confused in about two seconds flat. I've learned the hard way that fancy paper is for looking at, not for writing on. Those cotton cards might feel nice to the touch but they're about as useful as a screen door on a submarine when someone actually wants to take a note. Keeping both kinds in the car sounds like the kind of wisdom you only get from getting burned once. Next time just hand them the coated one first and save yourself the awkward silence.