Wedding Invites – Helpful Tips
Print coatings are used primarily to protect press sheets but they can also be used to create various visual effects.
Aqueous coating is a clear protective coating that prevents scratching, fingerprints and scuffing. This water-based coating is applied in-line and is available in gloss, high- gloss, dull and matte finish. AQ can be applied to a selected part of the sheet using spot AQ or to the entire sheet with overall AQ. Expect to pay more for spot AQ because a blanket will need to be cut. The benefits of AQ are immediate drying time and it won’t yellow like varnish.
Soft Touch AQ is a popular type of coating that creates a suede/velvet finish. Soft Touch is a relatively in-expensive option that adds a highly tactile and luxurious feel. It’s important to remember that Soft Touch has a matte finish and can dull down darker colors or vibrant artwork. For optimum results, Soft Touch should be used on coated stock.
Strike through varnish is a technique that combines dull and gloss finishes by using AQ and varnish. A dull spot varnish is applied to the areas that are to stay matte and then an overall gloss AQ is applied, creating a contrast between the dull and gloss areas. Strike though works best with a darker background.
UV coating is a liquid coating that is cured and hardened through the use of ultra violet light. UV coatings can be applied overall or as a spot coating. UV coatings create a hard service when cured and will add thickness to the sheet. Because of the thickness, UV coatings may crack when scored. UV coatings work best on a coated sheet.
We are always available to answer any questions you may have about print coatings. So, be sure to contact any of our CT printing service experts for your custom printing needs!
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