uv coating Archives - Post Press Specialties

Thirteen effects and finishes that will enhance your next printed piece

Post Press Specialties — Mon, 12 Oct 2020 19:21:00 +0000

In a recent study conducted by the Print Industries Market Information and Research Organization, researchers found that adding print effects and finishes can increase a printed piece’s shelf life up to 49%. Arguably, shelf life is a key component in evaluating a campaign’s profitability. Post Press Specialties specializes in creating state-of-the-art finishing techniques that not only will increase engagement but its effectiveness as well.

Here are 13 effects and popular finishes that Post Press Specialties can help you with:

Gloss UV

Gloss UV coating provides a clear coating with a high gloss. Not only does gloss UV coating look great, it can help protect your piece..

UV coatings are a liquid-based, protectant coating that is applied and instantly cured with UV drying lamps. Compared to aqueous coatings, UV coatings provide an extreme-glossy finish and can deliver an abrasion- and rub-resistant performance.

Raised uv

A great way to add a tactile or more dramatic effect is by using a raised UV coating effect. Adding more coating volume brings more added dimension that can accentuate the art or graphic, as well as invite the consumer to engage and touch.

Pearlescent coating

If a luxurious shimmer appearance is what you’re looking for, then a pearlescent coating is the way to go. Pearlescent coatings can be either aqueous or UV-based. For UV-based coatings, a specific quantity of pearl additive is mixed with a gloss UV coating. Depending on the variation and size of the micron particle, the pearlescent coating can have a more dramatic or subtle effect. The AQ-based version of this coating is similar but is mixed with a gloss AQ coating and pearl additive.

Varnishes

Varnishes serve many purposes included being used as a protectant to the sheet and, in the case of a dull varnish, can be used to create great contrast (step-off) against a higher gloss.

Like coatings, varnishes can be applied to very specific areas (spot varnish) or can be applied to a large print area or the entire press sheet (flood varnish).

Grit

This coating is known for their coarse and rugged tactile effect. Although it is softer than a sheet of sandpaper, the reputation of this coating is the grittiest when it comes to tactile coating effects. The grip of the coating is useful as a non-slip surface and works well in applications for multi-use packaging.

Sandpaper

Sandpaper coatings are more subtle than grit coatings and provide only a slightly rough texture. The coating is similar to some unglazed clay work and gives plastics and paper products a slightly edgy feel.

In both coating applications, you can control the amount of texture that is applied on the sheet by the size of the billion cubic micron (BCM) rollers. The smaller the BCM rating of the coating roller, the lesser the amount of coating it can carry and be applied to the sheet and vice-versa for higher BCM’s.

Both grit and sandpaper can be used on a variety of substrates that allow for a stimulating tactile experience.

Embossing/debossing

Historically used to make a statement, embossing continues to be an assertion of elegance and luxury. Raising and depressing aspects of your packaging gives your customers a tactile experience. Use a contrasting material in your design to differentiate the surface of your material or bring a character to life

Hot foil

This effect is accomplished with a foil stamping machine that uses a metal plate that has been engraved with an image of the desired design required for the particular application. As the plate strikes a roll of foil film, it causes the foil to adhere to the plate. The metal plate then strikes the substrate that is to be imprinted and transfers the foil onto the area of the document requiring the metallic effect. The result is a document that has a highly reflective image with a bright and dense metallic appearance.

Metallic foil

Adding a metallic foil to your design provides variation in texture while starkly highlighting certain brand or graphical elements. Try combining foil with embossing or debossing to add depth to the product. The image on the right is an excellent example of a successful execution of an aggressive and impressive deboss with the use of metallic hot foil stamp. Observing closely, the real craftsmanship came with the ability to hold the adhesion of the hot foil stamp in the very fine areas of the snow flake, especially as a deboss was done as well.

Holographic foils

Using a holographic foil or rainbow foils gives the package or piece the ability to change color combinations when viewed at different angles. This is a great way to add a pop of color to solid packages. Holographic foils provide a fun and sophisticated flair to product packaging.

Clear foils

Having clear foils provide high reflectivity, yet allow the printed image to be seen underneath. This is particularly useful for foods, beverages, consumable products and health and beauty offerings. It can also be used to give customers a preview of a new product.

Micro-etching on foils

Foils used for security purposes may include geometrical shapes, patterns and even brand logos that shift as the viewer changes focus. Take advantage of the mesmerizing effect by using it in a solid block rather than a border or small stamp.

For security measures, a foil with micro-etching can help prevent counterfeiting of items such as high-value coupons (shown above) that could easily be duplicated, causing retailers major losses as manufacturers will not recompense fraudulent coupons.

Perfect for small or large accents, foil is a beautiful finish to catch customers’ eyes.

Die-cutting

Die-cutting, a post-press finish, allows packaging and print pieces to have unique cutouts that can vary from simple to extremely complex. From shapes to letters, die cutting draws attention to the dimensional nature of the piece and the character of the substrate itself.

We’ve been helping the commercial printing industry “finish strong” for over 25 years. Give Post Press Specialties a call at 816-257-1919 and we’ll be happy to talk to you about your next project.

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Enhancing Your Printed Pieces to Increase Shelf Life and Response

Post Press Specialties — Tue, 19 Apr 2016 14:41:26 +0000

Let’s be honest, getting your printed piece noticed is sometimes very difficult. Consider this: Yankelovich, a market research firm, estimates that a person living in a city 30 years ago saw up to 2,000 ad messages a day, compared with up to 5,000 today. About half the 4,110 people surveyed last spring by Yankelovich said they thought marketing and advertising today was out of control.

Marketers need to take advantage of every possible strategy that will get them noticed. Today we’re going to discuss foil enhancements and how they’ve become one of the most viable ways to increase success of your printed piece. Post Press Specialties new MGI Jet Varnish 3D Spot Coater can help you attain remarkable results through foil enhancements.

Consider these findings from a study commissioned by the Foil & Specialty Effects Association:

There are many processes that can be applied to printed pieces to stimulate attraction and hold the attention of a viewer. Some of these processes have long been in existence and are a part of the branding strategy for many companies in a wide variety of product marketing categories, including food and beverage, cosmetics and grocery. Today, processes that increase visibility, stimulate attraction, hold attention, and convey an image of value are known as High-Visibility Enhancements. The list of high-visibility enhancements includes several processes and many references. These processes include embossing, specialty UV coatings and metallic finishes.

The study outlined instances where foil enhancements increased the success and viability of marketing campaigns, such as these case studies:

Colgate® Total® Toothpaste Launch 2

 Product introduced in the United States with holographic foilstamped packaging in early December 1997 with a $100 millionmarketing campaign
 Becomes the #1 toothpaste brand in USA within four months witha 30 percent market share
 Altered the standard of packaging in the oral care category

Best Choice® Private Label Products 5

 Added gold foil stamping to its olive oil brand
 Retailers who stocked the new package experienced a 30-percentjump in velocity for the brand and retention of 10-15 percent thereafter. Over time, other products received packaging makeovers featuring foil stamping.
 Sales for parent company Associated Wholesale Grocers, Inc. from 2004 to 2008 increased by nearly 50 percent.
 A 2006 survey commissioned by the Private Label Manufacturers Association reported that 57 percent of respondents said packaging for private label brands is just as good as the packaging for national brands.
 Best Choice® products are the test subjects in the study described within this white paper.

Gillette® MACH3® Razor Launch 3

 Product introduced with overprinted/foil stamped graphics in 1998
 Becomes the #1 selling razor in the USA and Europe within sixmonths despite a premium price tag that many critics believed wastoo high

Perhaps the most significant finding was how the use of foil enhancements increased the perception of security and quality in the marketplace:

It is the conclusion of the research team that this was a very thorough and effective pilot study. There are clear advantages to foil stamping on packaging, in terms of attracting attention faster and retaining attention on packaging longer than identical packages without foil stamping. Through these tests, it is also the hypothesis of the research team that foil stamping increases sales, but this will need to be quantified through a study specific to tracking sales.

Overall, this pilot experiment clearly indicates that foil stamping on packaging provides real benefits concerning consumer attention on packaging. Additional studies are recommended to confirm these results and explore other potential benefits of visual enhancement techniques on packaging.

The Foil & Specialty Effects Association estimates that high-visibility enhancements are found on less than 10 percent of printed items. What impact do those enhancements have on shelf presence? Find out by reading the entire study here on the Post Press News Blog.

By providing state-of-the-art post press services, Post Press Specialties has become a valuable resource to commercial printers everywhere. Contact us today and we’ll be happy to discuss how we can help you provide your customers a profound competitive advantage.

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