Specialty coatings or finishes can help protect your printed documents and add aesthetic appeal. Learning more about the types of coatings can help you decide which best suits your needs.
Varnish Coating: Ink-Type Coating Protects and Enhances
Varnish coatings, the earliest printing coatings, are applied with a printing press, just like printing ink. They are usually clear but can be tinted for creative effects. A varnish coating protects printed paper and gives it a subtle to a strong sheen, depending on the chosen finish. Offset spray powder is often applied soon after the varnish goes on to prevent printed sheets from sticking while they dry. Varnish coatings can be applied to entire documents or to specific sections. Varnish coatings are typically the most affordable.
Aqueous Coating: Fast-Drying Water-Based Coating
Aqueous coatings are some of the most common coatings used in the printing industry today. As their name suggests, aqueous coatings are water-based. This makes them more environmentally friendly than both varnish and UV coatings. Aqueous coatings dry more quickly than varnish coatings, improving turnaround time. They are also more protective than varnish coatings, helping documents resist not just fingerprint marks but scuffs and other damage too. Aqueous coatings can be applied as a flood over the entire file or as a spot for specific sections. Types of Aqueous coatings offered at Solo Printing include Gloss, Dull, Satin, and a very popular one today, Soft-Touch.
UV Coating: Thick Tough Coating Cured By Light
A UV coating gets its name because it dries and hardens with exposure to ultraviolet light. It is the glossiest and thickest of the coatings for printed materials. UV coatings can be applied to entire documents or to certain parts of a sheet, either with a printing press or off the press. UV coating options offered at Solo Printing include Gloss, Matte, Textured and even Glittered!
Solo Printing offers all of the above types of coatings inline on our sheetfed press as well as Varnish and Aqueous coating on our web presses. Also, check out our website for all of the services we offer!
