Print Production & Finishes by Nathan Bolton

Print Production & Finishes

Designing for Print

Printing Processes Pages 4-11

Print Production

The Print Production and Finishes book is the second edition within The Print manual Resource which looks into commercial printing. In this publication we will look at the different printing processes and materials used within the print sector. Along with that we will also look at finishes techniques and how these can be adapted within your work to give it an extra element to stand out from the rest in the industry. Throughout this publication we are looking and talking about different processes and techniques, so we have provided a sample pack which has examples of each process and technique explained in the publication; making it easier for you to understand and see what actually happens and the results you get from them. This is the last book in the resource and therefore the end of learning about commercial print. Hopefully this resource pack has been useful and explained this sector of Graphic Design to you.

1 Set up of Print Offset Lithography Web Offset Flexography Gravure Pad Printing Digital Printing

4 Special Finishes Pages 26-33 Finishing Methods

The Print Manual is a resource pack for any graphic designer wanting to learn more about commercial print. Within the pack there is two books which go through designing for print and printing methods and finshes. With the added sample pack, The Print Manual is everything you need to get the best print within commercial printing.

Foil Blocking Perforation Duplexing Thermography Emboss & Deboss Cutting Methods

Printing Techniques

Stock

Screenprinting Letterpress Wood Block Printing Monoprinting

Stock Qualities Types of Stock Sustainability within Stock

Pages 12-17

Pages 18-25

Binding & Folding

Laminates & Varnishes

Types of Binding Book Binding Types of Folds

Types of Laminates

Pages 34-41

Pages 42-47

Types of Varnishes

Designing for Print

Printing Processes A designer communicates the printing requirements for the design through the print order, this also includes the printing processes to be used, the stock, print run and any special finishes.

Print Production & Finishes

Print Processes

Set up of Print A designer communicates the printing requirements for the design through the print order, this also includes the printing processes to be used, the stock, print run and any special finishes.

Understanding Print Order A print order is the sequence in which the different colours within a design are laid down and printed within the printing process. For the CMYK printing process, the order in which the ink is laid down is- Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and then black. Within the CMYK printing ink, ‘K’ refers to black but does actually stand for KEY; this is because all the other colours use black to ‘key’ to when registered. The acronym CMYK implies the order in which the colours are printed, but printers will sometimes change this order when they have seen the artwork. This is often changed if a design contains large areas of flat colour or overprints.

Standard Print A standard print would print a CMYK document in the order of Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and finally Black. If the inks are printed in a different order then it could cause the design to printed wrong and not display the colours how they should be. In some instances, changing the order of the inks is needed to get an accurate print and to get the best quality of the print. If a large area of one colour is used within a design, this would often be printed first, then following that the CMYK process would follow, printing in the acronym order. Depending on the colours used in a design, the most dominant colour would be printed last. For instance if a yellow or orange was dominant; yellow would be printed last to act as a seal for the print. Black can sometimes print leaving uneven patches and pickering problems, hence printing it between the colours this wont happen.

Printing Imposition The imposition plan will plot where the different pages of a design will print. This plan also takes into consideration how it will be printed and folded. The imposition plan is important for the printer as it will determine what method to print the document in.

Sheet Work

Printing one side of a sheet of paper, turning it over and printing the other side with a separate plate.

Work & Turn

Printing one side of a sheet, turning it from front to back and printing the second side with the same sheetedge alignment on the press.

Work & Tumble

Both sides of a sheet are set on one plate. The sheet is printed and turned over side to side to be printed again.

Work & Twist

Printing one half of the sheet, turning it 180 degrees and then going back through to print the other side.

Print Production & Finishes

Print Processes

Types of Processes Printing is a process that applies ink from printing plates to a paper stock through the application of pressure.

Offset Lithography

A printing process through which the inked image from a printing plate is transferred or offset on to a rubber blanket roller, this is then pressed against the paper stock. Lithography uses a smooth printing plate and uses the basis of oil and water, which repel each other. When the plates pass under the ink roller, the non-image areas have a water-based film, which repel the oily ink that has stuck to the image areas. Lithography produces good photographic reproduction and fine line work on a variety of stocks. The printing plates are easy to prepare and high speeds are achievable with this machine, making it a low-cost printing method. This process is available in sheetfed presses and continuous web presses. The sheet-fed presses are used for lower production runs such as flyers, brochures and magazines. Web printing is used for high volume printing such as newspapers, magazines and reports.

Web Offset Lithography

The difference between web offset and lithographic printing is that web offset uses a continuous roll of stock. This generates high printing speeds and lower cost per print for the higher volume printing jobs. Web offset printing is most commonly used with rotogravure and flexography because the printing plates used on these are more durable.

Offset Vs Web Offset Lithography

Water Rollers

Ink Rollers

Plate cylinder Water

Offset cylinder

Stock

Impression cylinder

Print Production & Finishes

Print Processes

... Flexography

This printing process uses flexible printing plates made from either rubber or plastic. The inked plates have a slightly raised image; these are then rotated on a cylinder, which transfers the image to the stock. Flexography uses fast-drying inks, it is a highspeed print process and can print on to many types of absorbent and non-absorbent materials. First developed for printing packaging materials, this process was traditionally a lower quality reproduction method, but it now competes with lithography and gravure. Flexography has been widely used as a quick and economical way of applying simple designs and areas of colour to a wide variety of packaging materials, such as paper and plastic containers (including waxedpaper ones), corrugatedcardboard boxes, tape, envelopes, and metal foil.

Rubber Roll

Anilox Roll

Ink Plate Cylinder

Plate

Stock Impression Cylinder

Impression Cylinder

Stock Blade Engraved Cylinder

Ink Tray

Gravure

This is a more common commercial print process, it happens by an image being engraved into a copper printing plate, this is then pressed directly onto the substrate. The copper printing plate is created by using a laser or diamond tool to engrave the chosen image into it. Once it has been engraved, it holds the ink and transfers it to the stock. A separate plate is created for each colour separation within the design. Gravure is a high speed printing process that can give the highest production volume; it is used for very large print jobs.

Digital Printing

Digital printing is the process of printing from a digital based image directly to a variety of stock. The process is used for small job runs, which are printed, from desktop publishing software and other digital sources using large format and/or high volume laser or inkjet printers. The advantage of digital print is that there are no printing plates, therefore the process is a lot quicker and cheaper to print the artwork, but the quality of the print isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t as good.

Pad

Ink Transfer Ink

Pad Printing Key

Magenta

Cyan

Yellow

Pad printing is a printing process that can transfer a 2-D image onto a 3-D object. This is accomplished by using an indirect offset (gravure) printing process that involves an image being transferred from the clichĂŠ via a silicone pad onto a substrate. Pad printing is used for printing on otherwise impossible products. Pad printing is used for one off prints and also large runs; it is applied to medical, automotive, appliances and other products. It is a very adaptable process and can be used across lots of different media.

Designing for Print

Printing Techniques Printing techniques are similair to printing processes in that a design is still needed to be be able to create the final piece. Printing techniques use machinery or objects to create the final design. These processes are done by hand and use acrylic paints and inks to produce the final piece.

Print Production & Finishes

Print Techniques

Screenprinting Screen printing is a printing method, which presses ink through a mesh screen. The mesh screen holds the design, which is either done by a stencil or by covering it in an impermeable substance, which covers the blank spaces allowing ink to be pressed through the openings to transfer onto the stock and show the design. This process is a slow and a low volume method, but it can be applied to a range of different substrates. The process allows specific colours to be applied and also be used to create a raised surface to add a tactile element to the design.

Letterpress This is a method of relief printing whereby movable type is locked into a bed of a press; it is inked, and then rolled or pressed paper against a substrate to form an impression. Letterpress was the first commercial printing method and was the source for many of the modern printing processes today. Letterpress is made up of moveable type, which is made from single type blocks, cast lines or engraved plates. The type blocks are all different typefaces, so comprise of letterforms, numbers and characters. To use the type blocks, you would create a sentence/block of writing with the letterforms and then lock them into the bed, ready to print. In todays industry letterpress is still used but is seen to be a bespoke technique; it is used on short run jobs for the more decorative trades. To make the process work for the industry it is now used within a rotary press, this works in exactly the same way except it is a lot easier and can be reproduced at a higher volume.

Print Production & Finishes

Print Techniques

Woodblock printing is one of the oldest methods of printmaking and has been around for thousands of years. Since there is such a long history of block printing, there are lots of different techniques, but it is basically using a carved material coated in ink to transfer an image on to stock. The blocks used to print with can be made from wood, linoleum, rubber and other materials. Designs that are printed with this technique are usually much bolder, since the blocks are carved by hand; there is less detail and more texture to transferred image. Block printing is also referred

as â&#x20AC;&#x153;relief printingâ&#x20AC;? because the ink leaves a raised texture on the paper. This is different to letterpress because with that process the image transferred leaves an indent on the paper; as block printing is done by hand, the ink sits on the surface adding a raised texture to the paper.

Woodblock Printing

Monoprinting is a process that involves images, lines, textures and type that can only be made once; it is not reproduced. A monoprint is created by building up layers within the design, this could be done through using screen printing, but also different craft materials such as graphite pencil, water colours, woodblock stamps. Each layer would be created on a screen and then transferred onto the stock by using printing medium or ink. Throughout the process the designer can make changes to each layer; adding elements or

Monoprinting taking them away, this is how only one design can be produced. Out of all the printing techniques this is most art influenced technique and isnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t used that much within graphic design, mainly because it is very time consuming and only one design an be done at a time. This technique could be used for a one off print, but as a commercial process it is not up to that standard.

Designing for Print

Stock When printing a design or job the designer must select the stock to be printed on, this must be selected right as it can change the appearance and feel of the printed work. The designer must think about the design and objective of the work and make sure the stock will support and enhance the work.

Print Production & Finishes

Stock

Stock Qualities When selecting and using a stock for printing you must look at the physical characteristics of the paper; the GSM, grain and paper direction.

GSM

Stands for grams per square meter. This is a weight measuring system that is part of the paper specification; it is based upon the weight of the paper for a square meter. The higher the GSM value is, the thicker and heavier a piece of paper will feel.

Paper Grain

Paper produced on paper machine has a grain because the fibres from which it is made line up during the manufacturing process in the direction that it passes through the papermaking machine. The grain is the direction in which most of the fibres lay. This characteristic means that paper is easier to fold, bend or tear along its grain direction.

Direction

The direction of fibres in printing paper for laser printers typically have a grain that runs parallel to the long side of the paper. This is so the paper can pass through the printer easier.

Short Edge

80gsm

100gsm 115gsm

170gsm 200gsm 250gsm 280gsm 300gsm 350gsm 400gsm

gra

tion

ec dir

Long Edge

130gsm 150gsm

Stock Characteristics Many different types of paper stock are available for any designer to use. Using a variety of paper stocks within one design can add to it and make it more interesting. Every stock has different printability characteristics and costs, which is something you must take into account. The main characteristics that affect printability are smoothness, absorbency, opacity and ink holdout.

Smoothness

The smooth surface of these stocks is created through the used of filler elements. These are usually polished with calendaring rollers. This type of paper stock is typically glossy.

Absorbency

Stocks have different absorbency levels, which refer to the amount of ink that can penetrate the paper. Printing inks will dry quicker on absorbent stocks, as the paper will absorb the ink into it meaning there is less to dry on top, but this can cause problems with the print finish such as dot gain.

Opacity

Opacity is used to describe the extent to which whatever is printed on one side of the paper shows through and is visible on the other side. It is measuring how easy light can pass through the paper. A high opacity paper stock will have no show through.

Ink Holdout

This is the degree to which a stock resists ink penetration because of its lack of absorbency. Coated stocks will be prone to this as the ink sits on the surface of the stock, which increases the drying time.

Print Production & Finishes

Stock

Type of Stocks Coated

Paper with a clay or other coating applied to one or both sides. Coated papers are available in gloss, silk, or matt finish and are used for projects requiring a fine finish. Coated paper generally produces sharper, brighter images and has better reflectivity than uncoated paper. Used to print brochures, leaflets and posters. Typically used for high volume print runs.

Mechanical

Produced using wood pulp and acidic chemicals, this paper is suitable for short term use as it yellows and fades quickly. It has a higher brightness and smoothness than newsprint, but it is uncoated, with a matt finish. The stock is used for newspapers and directories.

Uncoated

Paper that doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have any kind of coating applied is uncoated paper. Through not having a coating this stock is not as smooth as a coated page. There are many different finishes, colours and weights available with this type of paper and is generally a more absorbent stock. Used for business stationery and in laser printers. Uncoated papers are usually used in conjunction with coated paper, to add extra texture to a project or on its own, as it is more cost effective.

Laid

Laid paper is a premium quality paper stock with a textured pattern of parallel lines within the grain. Commonly used for business stationery.

Wove

Paper made on a closely woven wire roller or mold. It has a faint mesh pattern within the grain of the paper. This paper type is popular for stationery and book publishing.

Plike

A rubbery substrate used for cover stock and flyers.

Bond

This is a economic, uncoated woven paper, often used for copying or in laser printers. A high quality bond stock would be used for letterheads.

... Antique

A high quality paper with a clay coating on both sides, leaving the paper with a textured finish. The stock is available with a rough or matt surface and is typically used to add texture to a design or publication. This stock would be good for halftones or a design that have a lot of definition and detail.

Cartridge

A thick white paper, with a stiff feel. This stock is used a lot with artists and mainly within sketchbooks as ink and pencil drawings are produced well on it. The stock has a textured finish to it. Used mainly for sketchbooks, stationery and annual reports.

Greyboard

Lined or unlined board made from waste paper. It has a rough texture, good bulk and is grey in colour. Used for packaging material or covers for publications.

Artboard

Uncoated, stiff board. Typically used as a cover stock for publications.

Newsprint

Made primarily of mechanically ground wood pulp, this is the cheapest paper than can withstand standard printing processes. It has a short life span and reproduction of colour is low quality. Used for newspapers and comics.

Chromo

A waterproof coating is applied to one side of this stock to allow for embossing and varnishing processes to be used. This stock can be glossy or matt. Used for labels, wrappings and covers.

NCR

A carbonless coating to make duplicate copies. By applying pressure to the stock paper is will transfer the markings to a second layer of stock below. Used for forms and purchase orders.

Print Production & Finishes

Stock

Sustainability within Stock Sustainability is a key concern for many clients and consumers and plays a big part of commercial printing as so much paper is used but also wasted. Many companies now opt for a more sustainable product that has used recycled products to produce the stock. This is reducing their environmental impact on the world, but still being able to have the printed products needed.

Sustainable printing is now an ever-growing concept within the printing industry as more and more companies are opting for this type of product. Many printers specialize in offering this environmentally friendly service. Most people would think that sustainable printing just involves using a recycled stock paper, but it goes much further than that. Specialist sustainable printers will use chlorine-free paper, ‘waterless’ technology within the printing process and environmentally friendly inks, along with recycled paper. Not only is the use of sustainable products and printing processes reducing the impact, but graphic designer and clients can both contribute to this as well. Graphic designers have a huge part in this, as they are the ones, which specify the print job. Simple changes to how a graphic designer works can also help, these could include, reducing point size to fit more text to a page, send PDF’s instead of print outs and sourcing the print estimate at the start of a job as there could be ways to save cost through changing formats etc. Clients can also be more environmentally friendly too, they can specify from the start they want to use a sustainable stock/ink. The best way they can contribute to the reduce in waste within commercial printing is by providing a more accurate print run; thousands of over prints are wasted and thrown away by print companies everyday because the client didn’t need as much. Other ways involve the use of smaller formats and minimizing the use of different finishing techniques. Throughout every stage of the printing process there are ways that sustainable products can be used, but also the mind set clients, designers and printers can all add to becoming a more environmental world.

The Forest Stewardship Council This is a non-profit organisation which looks for solutions to the problems created by bad forestry practices. Paper produced from forests managed in accordance to the principles of the FSC can be endorsed with this logo to indicate that it has been produced responsibly.

Designing for Print

Special Finishes A range of techniques can give a designer the possibility of adding an extra element or value to design. These techniques are referred as special techniques and are applied to a product/project at the end of the printing process.

Print Production & Finishes

Special Finishes

Types of Finishes Speciality printing is a number of printing techniques that allow a designer to produce something different to a standard lithography print. These techniques tend to be more expensive, as there is the additional set up time required and only low volumes can be produced, but they can add a lot of aesthetical value to the work.

Foil Blocking This is a process whereby a coloured foil is pressed on to a paper stock via a heated die. There are different ways you can apply this process to a design. The first involves using glue, which the design is screen-printed onto the stock; the foil papers are then laid over the top and put under a heat press to activate the glue. The second uses a normal laser printer, you would print off the design on a standard laser printer, then laying the foil papers over the design you can either use the heat press or a laminator to attach the foils onto the design. This way works because the ink used in a laser printer is heat activated, so when it is put under heat for the second time it becomes sticky which the foil papers then stick to. Usually you would find that using a laminator gives the best results because this has a constant pressure as the paper is taken through the machine and the speed of the laminator is a lot slower than the heat press, so there is more time for the process to work.

... Perforation

Duplexing

Thermography

Perforation or perf cutting is a process that creates a cut-out area in a stock paper to weaken it so it can detached. The process involves cutting small slits into the packaging or design, which when pulled away pulls that section off the packaging. It is usually used within mail outs and packages sent out to clients to show samples etc, itâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s a more formal and creative envelope idea.

Duplexing is the bonding of two different stocks to form a single stock paper with different colours or textures on each side.

Thermography is a print-finishing process that produces raised lettering by fusing thermographic powder to a design in an oven.

Print Production & Finishes

Special Finishes

Embossing & Debossing These two techniques are where a design is stamped into a substrate to produce a raised or indented surface. The result of an emboss or deboss depends upon the fineness of the design and the stock thickness. Generally thinner stocks can hold finer lines, but there is a danger of puncturing the stock, on the other hand thicker stocks are more robust, but lose detail as there are more paper fibres to press through. Choosing the right stock for the process is essential and so is the design; you need to make sure you have the balance right.

Emboss

Embossing uses a magnesium, copper or brass die which holds the image to stamp into the stock and leave the impression. With an emboss it pushes the design through the stock to result in a raised surface, for this to happen the deign needs to be slightly oversized, with heavier lines and extra spacing between letterforms. The copper and brass dies are more durable, so these should be used for high print runs, when using a thicker or abrasive stock, and also if the design is highly detailed. If you are producing a detailed design then a thinner stock would be better to use, but detailed designs donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t also reproduce well. If you are embossing on a coated stock then be careful that the coating doesnâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t crack; these stocks are good for holding detail. An uncoated stock is best for embossing deep designs and generally is a friendlier stock to use for embossing as not a lot can go wrong with it. Embossing is can be used alongside Foil Blocking to add colour to the embossed area, but the majority of the time it is used blind to create a tactile element to a design.

Dry Emboss

Dry embossing, also called relief embossing, is done by tracing a stencil with some paper over it with a special tool called a stylus to get the raised effect on it.

Heat Emboss

Heat embossing, also referred to as stamp and heat embossing, is done by stamping an image on a piece of paper, sprinkling powder over the stamped image, and then applying heat.

Deboss

A deboss uses a metal die containing a design which is stamped from above on to the stock to leave an indentation. Debossing also produces better results on a thicker stock because a deeper indentation can be applied.

Things to remember when using these techniques:

Be aware that embossing is a mechanical process that manipulates the paper stock, so by default, it will also manipulate your design. Set your type with more space between letters than usual. If you put them too close to one another, they can merge and become one element once the embossing has been done. Embossing makes design elements look smaller and reduces the sharpness of smaller items.

Print Production & Finishes

Special Finishes

Cutting Methods Cutting methods are ways in which you can remove a certain part of a design. There are three main methods in doing this, die, laser and kiss cutting.

Die Cutting

Die cutting is a manufacturing process used to generate large numbers of the same shape from a material such as wood, plastic, metal, or fabric. The die cut shapes are sometimes called â&#x20AC;&#x153;blanks,â&#x20AC;? because they are usually finished and decorated before being sold. Die cutting uses a steel die to cut away specified sections of a design. It is mainly used to add a decorative element to a print job and to enhance the visual performance of the piece.

Laser Cutting

Laser cutting works by directing the output of a high-power laser, at the material to be cut. The material then either melts, burns, vaporizes away, or is blown away by a jet of gas, leaving an edge with a highquality surface finish. Laser cutting can produce more intricate designs with a cleaner edge, but the heat of the laser can burn the cut edges. Laser cutting can be used on a high volume scale, as it is a fast set up and quick process

Kiss Cutting

This is a die cutting method, but is used with self-adhesive stock. The process works the same as die cutting but it only cuts through one layer, leaving the backing sheet of the adhesive stock uncut; this is so the top layer can be removed easily. You would use kiss cutting for stickers. For the process to work, you need to have a separate cutter guide set up as a layer on top of your design, this is how the machine knows where to cut.

Designing for Print

Binding & Folding Binding is a process in which the pages of a publication are gathered and held together so that it can function as a book/publication. Folding methods are ways in which you can create a more interesting and interactive publication or printed material.

Print Production & Finishes

Binding & Folding

Types of Binding Methods

Perfect Bind

Saddle Stitch

Singer Stitch

Comb bind

Spiral Bind

Belly Band

The backs of sections are removed and held together with a flexible adhesive, which also attaches a paper cover to the spine and the fore edge trimmed flat.

A spine of plastic rings that bind and allow a document to open flat.

Signatures are nested and bound with wire stitches, applies through the spine and along the centerfold.

A spiral of metal wire that winds through punched holes allowing the publication to open flat.

A binding method whereby the pages are sewn together with one continual thread. Examples of this are: Japanese and Coptic binding

A printed band that wraps around a publication to hold it together.

A book without a cover to leave an exposed spine.

Elastic Bind

An informal binding whereby an elastic band holds the pages together and nestles in the center fold.

Clips and Bolts

Case Bind

Canadian

Thermabind

Open Bind

A common hard cover bookbinding method that sews signatures together, flattens the spine, applies endsheets and head and tailbands to the spine. Hard covers are attached and the spine is usually rounded.

A wiro-bound publication with a wrap-around cover and an enclosed spine. A complete wraparound cover is a full Canadian and a partial wrap-around is a half Canadian.

A fastening device that holds loose pages together. This usually requires the insertion of a punched or drilled hole for the bolt or clip to pass through.

A binding method that uses a fabric tape strip which wraps around the binding edge and folds onto the front and back covers of the book. It uses a strong adhesive glue to stick to the book stock.

Print Production & Finishes

Binding & Folding

Book Binding Bookbinding is a variety of processes in which produce a finished book. Within the book itself, there are many elements and terminology that make up a book,

1 4

6 6

The Breakdown of Book Binding

Head and Tailbands Head and Tailbands can be patterned or coloured, depending on the fabric selected. Bulk The dust jacket spine measurement needs to take into account the book block bulk, when depends on the number of signatures, with the addition of 3mm for the boards. As a rule, the spine will measure whatever the bulk measures plus an extra 6-7mm. Text Block The text block of book block is comprised of the printed signatures or sections that will form the pages of the publication. Flaps Flaps are an extension of the cover or dust jacket, which fold back into the publication. These keep the dust jacket attached around the publication and usually will hold information about the author, a synopsis on the work, or any other information. The flaps can be any size but 75mm is considered enough for the dust jacket to grip into the book. End Pages These are the pages that secure the text block to the boards of the cover. They are typically made from a strong stock such as cartridge paper. Dual Binding Some publications feature dual bindings where two or more separate book blocks are united into one publication such as the z-bind.

Key

1 - Head & Tailband 2 - Bulk 3 - Text Block 4 - Flaps 5 - End pages 6 - Dual Binding

Print Production & Finishes

Binding & Folding

Folding Folding encompasses a range if different methods for turning a printed sheet into a more compact form or signature. The majority of folding techniques make use of the basic valley and mountain folds to create a series of peaks and troughs.

Valley Fold

Held horizontally, a valley fold has a central crease at the bottom with the panels rising upwards to form the sides.

Mountain Fold

Held horizontally, a mountain fold has a central crease at the top with the panels falling downwards.

4 Page Single Fold

6 Page Gate Fold

6 Page Concertina Fold

6 Page Roll Fold

8 Page Parallel Double Fold

8 Page Concertina Fold

8 Page French Fold

8 Page Parallel Over & Outer Fold

8 Page Parallel Map Fold

8 Page Reverse Map Fold

10 Page Concertina Fold

12 Page Standard Letter Fold

Designing for Print

Laminates & Varnishes Laminates and varnishes are print finishes that are applied to the printed job to add a finishing surface to the design.

Print Production & Finishes

Laminates & Varnishes

Laminates A laminate is a layer of plastic coating that is heat-sealed on to the stock to produce a smooth and resistant finish to the printed product.. A laminate can be applied to either one or both sides of a stock. Applying laminates to print products is usually done after the print process and can add a significant cost to the finished product, however it provides numerous benefits: Lamination adds luster or gloss to a printed product. It provides stability to the sheet, allowing it to be more durable or to stand upright. It provides protection to printed products that are handled frequently or may encounter moisture. Many laminated documents are waterproof, tear proof, and tamper proof.

Matt

Satin

Sand

Leather

A matt laminate helps diffuse light and reduce glare to increase the readability of text heavy designs.

A laminate that creates a subtle sand grain within a design

This laminate provides a finish that is between matt and gloss. It provides some highlight, but its not as flat as matt.

A laminate that gives a subtle leather texture to a design.

Gloss

A highly reflective laminate that is used to enhance the appearance of graphic elements and photographs on covers as it increases colour saturation.

Print Production & Finishes

Laminates & Varnishes

Varnishes Gloss

Colours will appear richer and more vivid when printed with a gloss varnish; so photographs will appear sharper and more saturated. This finish is often used for brochures.

Matt

This is the opposite of the gloss finish. A matt coating will soften the appearance of a printed image. It will also make text easier to read as it diffuses light.

Neutral

This appears as an almost invisible coating, but it seals the printing ink without affecting the appearance of the finished job. It is often used to speed up the drying the process on fast turnaround print jobs.

Pearlescent

Satin

Textured Spot UV

UV Varnish

A varnish that subtly reflects colours to give a luxurious effect.

Textures can be applied to a design through the use of a spot UV. The textures that can be obtained are sandpaper, leather. Crocodile skin and raised.

This coating tends to represent a midway point between gloss and matt finishes.

A UV varnish can be applied to a printed paper and dried by exposure to UV radiation in order to create a coating that is glossier than any other. A printed page with this varnish will feel shiny and slightly sticky. UV varnish can be applied all over a publication (fullbleed UV) or to a certain part of a design (spot UV).

Print Production & Finishes The Print Manual Nathan Bolton