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Spot-UV & Coatings

Are you looking for ways to make your printing look more attractive to your audience? Well, there’s one easy way to grab your audience’s attention through the use of coatings!

There are several reasons as to how they can instantly help in grabbing someone’s attention. However, the coating gives off a very classy and great first impression of you to your audience. We all know, first impressions count the most. Once you’ve captured your audience’s attention, their interest level keeps rising. Apart from creating interests, coatings add the much-needed punch of drama to your business message. It further increases the perceived value of the product that you are selling through prints. Coatings also make the image more likable. People prefer to buy prints with coatings and also keep them safe. Lastly, having a coated image will make them last longer as compared to prints without a coating.

What Are Coatings?

The liquid coating consists of a clear compound applied to the wet paper and is then instantly dried by ultraviolet light (UV coating). This coating gives the paper a clear, matte, glossy, satin, or neutral finish.

The process involves applying the coat within seconds after the paper comes out with the ink on it.

There are several kinds of coatings available for print in the market. However, all the coatings somehow share the same characteristics. Having a coating on your print helps the print absorb more color, make it look more vibrate, and speed up the drying process. The process known as ‘locking in’ locks the ink under the protective layer of coating and protects it from wearing off. This process makes the document last longer than its usual lifespan.

The five major types of coatings known in the printing world are:

  • 1. Gloss Coating

    People opt for glass coatings to enhance the look and appearance of their print photographs, brochures, or flyers. The coatings reflect the light, giving the printed paper a unique shine of its own. It also makes the print look vibrant and rich in colors. Without any doubt, a glossy coating can instantly enhance the look and feel of your printed paper. It also increases the market value and makes it an excellent promotional material as it presents the images in optimal condition.

  • 2. Matte Coating

    Opposite to gloss coating, the matte coating gives your printed piece of paper a non-glossy and smooth look. This special coating is also referred to as ‘seal’ as it seals the light and provides the image with a soft look. Matte coatings are ideal for leaflets or booklets. You can easily read a smaller text with a matte coating on the paper as the matte coat reduces excess glare by scattering the light.

  • 3. UV Coating

    Ultraviolet (UV) coating is a shiny and glossy coating and is typically applied to one side of the paper and then pressed using a particular machine and ultraviolet light. UV coating is a process that creates papers, brochures, and flyers that are striking and appealing. The ultraviolet coating requires special machinery to dry before the process of spraying UV coating starts. This process makes UV coating a deluxe version of non-UV-coatings. Paper sheets with UV coatings appear rich in color and texture and give a more luxurious feel. Moreover, depending on your need, you can either choose to coat the entire paper with UV coating or do a spot UV coating.

  • 4. Full UV Coating

    The full UV coating has the UV seal applied to the entire printed paper surface. A fully coated UV print has a high gloss effect.

  • 5. Spot UV Coating

    Just as the name goes, Spot UV coating is a coating for targeted areas or spots on a printed piece of paper. Spot UV coating gives a highlighted effect to the paper. You can easily use spot UV coating to bring your audience’s attention to some particular points. Apart from creating engagement, it also adds a textured visual element to the paper. It adds identity and character to the piece of paper that once looked boring. Moreover, after the spot UV coating, prints are usually classified as premium pieces in the reader’s perception.
    An effective way to use spot UV coating is to apply the coating to a laminated matte print sheet. Doing so, in particular, is a great way to create a lasting first impression on a reader. It’s ideal if you use this technique on brochures, leaflets, folders, covers, postcards, and business cards.