Print finishing encompasses a wide range of processes that provide a final touch to a design. Although these are at the end of the production process, they should be viewed as an integral part of a design - either to provide added functionality to a design or simply for decorative means.
Varnishes
- A colourless coating that is applied to a printed piece to protect the substrate from scuffing, ear or smudging - it can also enhance the visual appearance of a design.
- Gloss - Reflects back light and is often used to enhance the appearance of photographs as it adds to the sharpness and saturation of images
- Matt (dull) - Used with text-heavy pages to diffuse light, reduce glare and therefore reduces readability. It provides a non-glossy and smooth finish to a printed page
- Satin (silk) - A mid-option between gloss and matt varnishes
- Neutral - A basic, almost invisible coating that seals the printing ink without affecting the appearance of the design. It is often used to accelerate the drying of fast turnaround print jobs where inks dry slowly.
- UV Varnish - A clear liquid which is cured instantly with ultraviolet light. It is sometimes used as a spot covering to highlight a particular image as it provides more shine than varnish.
- Full-bleed UV - All-over UV coating which produces a very high gloss effect
- Spot UV - Applied to highlight discrete areas of a prited design
- Textured spot UV - Textures can be created with UV varnish to provide an additional tactile quality to a printed design. Examples include sandpaper, leather, and crocodile skin.
- Pearlescant - Varnish that subtly reflects myriad colours to give a luxurious effect Lamination - A thin film that is applied to one or both sides of a printed stock. It improves sheet stability or rigidity, protection from moisture and handling but also provides a gloss or lustre finish.
Die cut
Die cutting is a process that uses a steel die to cut away a specified section of a ensign. it is mainly used for decorative purposes and to enhance the visual performance of a piece. A die cut can serve a functional purpose such as allowing a person to see through an aperture through a publication or as a decorative aesthetic. For example, die-cut rounded corners to a business card softens its visual appearance.
Embossing
An emboss or deboss is a design that is stamped into a substrate with ink or foil, which results in a three-dimensional, raised , decorative or teetered surface to provide emphasis to certain elements of a design. Thicker stock is typically used as it able to hold an emboss much better than thinner stocks.
Embossing - RAISED impression made in conjunction with ink or foil
Blind embossing - RAISED impression made without ink or foil
Debossing - RECESSED impression mad in conjunction with ink or foil
Blind debossing - RECESSED impression made without ink or foil
Embossing
Blind debossing
Foil blocking
Foil blocking is a process whereby coloured foil is pressed on to a substrate via a heated die, which causes the foil to separate from its backing. There are other terms to describe this process including foil stamp, heat stamp, hot stamp, block print and foil emboss.
Flat stamping - Gives a slight raise above the surface and usually no impression on the reverse side of the substrate
Multi-level stamping - A die created with different levels and textures which provides eye-catching results but is more expensive (also called sculptured foil embossing)
Gold foil on blue stock (Benwells print sample)
Fore-edge printing
This is a special process to print on the cut, outside edges of the book block of a publication. It originates from gilding, a process that applied fold or silver to the pages of a book to pretext them - however, it is now used to add decorative effects.
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