Creating Presence…With Coatings

Coatings applied to printed material are not exactly new. They've existed for decades, used for such practical purposes as protecting ink from the effects of sun exposure and shielding paper from moisture or mildew.  More recently, coatings gained favor for enhancing the look of printed surfaces, with “spot” applications used to highlight certain graphic shapes or colors incorporated into print design.

Today, innovations in specialty coatings have been developed featuring an ultra violet (UV) process for achieving even more striking effects on printed material.  UV enables quick drying during production and more flexible applications of coatings on substrates, adding to real and perceived depth, dimensionality and texture.  Printers are pushing the envelope by combining coating effects and providing turnkey production services to efficiently increase the “shelf appeal” of printed products, especially for packaging applications at retail.  But uses extend into other applications as well.

“We’re seeing a rising interest in applications beyond packaging,” says Brad Haralson, President of Printing Inc. in Wichita, KS.  “A large national department store came to us with a need to differentiate holiday gift card holders, and our solution was a glitter UV design accent which dramatically changed the look and feel of the product for consumers – which is what the client wanted for their critical holiday selling season.”

Other factors are contributing to increase interest in coatings. Matte and raised UV coatings can be used as an alternative to physical embossing, for example, because in some instances it can be more cost-effective in some instances and provide customers with a smooth back side of the sheet.  In addition, there are now highly reflective coatings that can be overprinted to make virtually any color look metallic – a recyclable alternative to foil stamping.

Say Haralson: “Anything we can do to maximize the visual impact of a printed piece and make it interactive increases its perceived value – and gives the recipient a reason to hold onto it longer.”

Coating Options that Create Presence:

Glitter UV – Metallic flakes of glitter can be used in combination with matte or gloss UV coatings (see below).  It allows designers to create unique specialized effects in a variety of shapes, colors and dimensions.

“Heavy Metal” – Not actually metal at all, but can be used to create an ultra metallic look with more reflectivity than a metallic PMS.  A recyclable alternative to foil stamping that can be overprinted.

Pearlescent – Popular in the creation of luster effects, enabling new and unique color effects for automotive, industrial, cosmetic, pharmaceutical and other applications.

Dry-Erase UV – High gloss coating that creates a writable and dry-erase surface on many commonly used substrates, for presentation boards, games, calendars or schedule boards.

Cast and Cure – Enhances the brilliance of printed surfaces by embossing UV coating with a holographic film, and retaining the holographic impression within the coating. A recyclable alternative to holographic Mylar.

Raised matte UV – The matte UV coating is slightly raised, so it can be physically felt and seen when held at an angle to the light. When added to full color printed material, spot use adds drama and makes a piece stand out.

Raised gloss UV – Same application as matte UV, but with a gloss application that adds a noticeable richness and luxurious effect.

Creating Presence...With Coatings previously appeared in Consolidated Graphics’emerge^® magazine. To view emerge magazine online and to subscribe, click here.