OUGD504 - Brief 3 - Research: Print Finishes

OUGD504: Brief 3: Type In Context

Research: Print Finishes

The selection and inclusion of print finishes can elevate your design aesthetically and improve its potential for retention. However, the selection must be appropriate for the concept and content of the design.

Varnish:

Paper varnishes can be applied to paper stock to give the page a smooth  texture as well as

sealing the printed material to help better preserve it. It is commonly featured in high

quality books and magazines 

Fine varnish can be sprayed on to the surface of card. When dry this gives a gloss finish and helps protect the printing underneath. The printing and colour work must be completed before this process takes place. Also, folding a package takes place after the varnish has been applied.

Lamination:

Lamination adds a layer of protective coating (usually some type of plastic), often glossy or matte, to the printed surface while also improving its sturdiness and water resistance. Lamination also has the added benefits of improving the tactile feel of the of the printed surface, lending it a smooth finish.

The process involves an adhesive that applied to the less absorbent substrate web, after which the second web is pressed against it to produce a laminate.

Spot Varnish:

Spot UV varnishes are paper varnishes applied to the printing surface and is cured or hardened by UV light during the printing process. This results in a glossy coating on the surface of your print, UV varnishes are usually used as a spot application where only specific parts of the page get a UV varnish.

UV varnish is applied with a separate varnishing machine or in a screen printing press and this varnish can be applied either on the image alone or the whole sheet surface. It is then finished under UV to complete the process. 

Foiling:

Foil stamping is the use of a malleable metallic material applied to the print surface by using heat and pressure. Foil stamping adds reflective properties to various elements of the design and can serve to add a bit of luxury to your project. Typically, it is used on text and the logo on the page or when certain elements call for it. 

In principle, hot foil stamping is the process of using heat and pressure to apply metallic foil or holograms to materials such as light papers, carton board, laminated board, plastics and corrugated board. 

Embossing: 

Embossing refers to raising parts of the page for emphasis and texture. This print finish adds physical depth to the embossed elements and thus, shadows and highlights are also produced in the design. Embossing also adds a tactile dimension to your design. Images and text are literally felt. Often, embossing can be combined with other printing techniques such as foil stamping to enhance the effects of both techniques although this increases the cost of production. 

There are a range of production techniques for paper embossing, a common technique being running paper  through a printing press. The paper is dampened and pressed against a block or plate prepared by the embosser. 

Debossing: 

With the use of a male and female tool, a little bit of heat and a lot of pressure, we can also sink the artwork into the sheet. This is known as a deboss. Both embossing and debossing can be coupled with printing or foiling to really make a great impression.

Letterpress:

Letterpress printing is one of the oldest printing techniques available.  The letterpress is used to depress or indent certain portions of the page. It can be seen as the opposite of embossing. Traditionally, the letterpress technique was used only for applying ink on a page as a form of relief printing and usually only for text. But it has evolved to also include pressing logos and other design elements directly into the paper substrate. 

Traditionally, letterpress printing involved arranging individual blocks of 'moveable type' into a caddy, forming words from the combination of letters. As this type was used to make the print, all the characters were moulded in reverse, and the words had to be similarly arranged in reverse. 

This has given me an extended knowledge of print finishes that I can look at applying an appropriate printing finish to my resolution.