There are many processes beyond printed colour which can be used to embellish or finish a printed piece. We often do these non-print processes separately after completeing the print. The most common embellishments are a print coating, foiling, embossing and die-cutting. GSM takes a look at print coatings…
Clear Print Coating
Print coatings are clear finishes with the primary purpose of protecting a printed piece from smudging, scuffing and general wear and tear. However, some coatings can also be part of the overall aesthetic. Here are the most common print coatings:
Acrylic Varnishes
Primarily used in Offset Lithography, Flexography and Rotogravure, these uncoloured transparent acrylic varnishes (sometimes called ‘sealers’) are printed ‘in-line’ on the press after the colours. Available in matt, satin and gloss finishes, varnishes can be printed ‘all-over’ (i.e. covering the entire sheet, called a flood varnish)—or printed in specific areas only (called a ‘spot’). For example, twe might apply a gloss ‘spot’ varnish specifically to photos or areas of solid colour. This creates extra shine and helps trap dense ink to reduce rub-off.
When using varnishes as spots, a printing plate is required. To achieve this, the varnish needs to be set up within the artwork in the same manner as a Pantone ink and set to ‘overprint’ any elements that this will sit over. All-over flood varnishes do not need to be set up within the artwork, provided this request is communicated to the printer. Note that acrylic varnishes are subtle— not to be confused with Spot UV (see below), which is significantly more noticeable.
Aqueous Coating (AQ)
An Aqueous Coating is a more eco-friendly water-based alternative to acrylic varnishes used in Offset Lithography, Flexography and Rotogravure. Like acrylic varnishes, Aqueous Coatings are available in various finishes (matt, satin and gloss), creating different but subtle looks. Unlike standard varnishes, Aqueous Coatings are only applied as all-over ‘flood’ finishes. As such, there is no artwork requirement to use these coatings. You just need to instruct the printer to do this.
Spot Ultra-Violet Coating (Spot UV)
Spot UV is a transparent polymer protective coating, available in matt or gloss and applied as a separate process after printing is complete. As the name suggests, we usually apply this in spot areas, rather than an all-over flood finish. The process is done in a similar manner to screen printing, with a liquid applied through a masked screen and cured using ultraviolet light (hence the name). When combined with different paper finishes, Spot UV creates a striking look far beyond what we can achieve with acrylic varnish or aqueous coatings. Think of contrasting a matt Spot UV with a gloss paper or vice-versa. From an artwork perspective, using Spot UV is the same as using a spot varnish and needs to be set up in the same manner. On the outside cover of the folder (below) we have used a gloss Spot UV over a matt Aqueous Coating.
Digital Varnishes
There are some digital print systems which offer varnishes similar in appearance to the above methods, but these vary from system to system. Some systems offer digital Spot UV, which looks identical to conventional Spot UV and can be employed in the same manner. Other systems also have special ‘high-build’ varnishes that create a raised transparent surface (similar to old-school ‘thermography’). If you are using digital printing, check with your printer about what varnishes their systems can produce.
Creative Use of Spot UV
This folder uses two Pantone inks (PMS425 grey + PMS021 orange), plus gloss Spot UV and features a blind-deboss. We have not used CMYK. On the cover, we have applied the Spot UV over the orange, creating this vivid, wet-look finish. And we have used a blind-deboss to create the letter forms (‘…MMM…’). This is a ‘blind’ deboss, as the impression is not registering to the same printed graphic. On the inside (right), we have created the wording ’PAPERLICIOUS‘ by using a Spot UV overprinting the grey. We create this look by contrasting the gloss Spot UV against the satin board stock (Crescendo 2-Sided).
This business card (left), from the same stationery suite, also employs Spot UV in the same way. The ‘wet look’ wording is the Spot UV only. Using an acrylic varnish in the same manner would result in a less visible, more subtle look.
Print Coatings & Paper Stocks
An important consideration when it comes to print coatings is paper stock. A single ‘hit’ (one lay-down) of a print coating is usually enough to create a seal to stop set-off on most papers and boards. But if the coating is an important part of the aesthetic—some types of papers and boards may need double or triple ‘hits’ (where the same printing is repeated over itself) to make this visible. This is particularly true when printing on uncoated papers as these will often soak the first coating into the stock—the visual affect will not be visible. Most coated papers only require a single pass.
This article was originally published in GSM-CMYK. To read this and other great articles purchase this issue here.
