Today, one of the points that is important in printing products such as brochures, catalogs, tracts, business cards and other printed products is to put some kind of coating on their surfaces. In many cases, this coating is used to protect printed surfaces against factors such as decay, wear, fading, etc., and also to create more attractiveness and beauty in printing.
Among these coatings, we can mention matte and glossy cellophane, matte and glossy laminate, varnish and UV coatings.
In the following, we will examine the mentioned printed covers.
cellophane
After the printing stage of a product is finished, a thin layer called cellophane coating is stuck on it to create more strength and protection. In other words, cellophane is placed on the paper as a very thin layer with the help of glue and in two thermal and simple methods by means of cellophane coating devices and before cutting. The use of heat can have a significant effect on better sticking of cellophane on the printed product.
Cellophane covers are more flexible compared to other covers such as laminate. Also, their thickness is less than the thickness of laminate covers. For this reason, they will be more affordable in many cases.
This layer in printed products such as business cards can be glued on the surface in a double or one-sided manner.
Types of cellophane
This coating layer is placed on printed surfaces in two forms, matte and glossy. Each of these two cases creates certain conditions on the printed work. For example, matte cellophane brings a certain beauty and weight to the product.
– Matte cellophane
This type of cellophane prevents the reflection of light from the printed surface due to the fact that it has a dull color compared to the glossy type in bright environments. Thus, it provides a better visual vision. Therefore, with matte cellophane, the color of the original design is displayed with better quality. Of course, it should be noted that a small amount of transparency of the original design color is reduced.
– Shiny cellophane
As its name suggests, this type of cellophane is more transparent than its opaque type. For this reason, in this type of coating, the colors are seen more alive and fresh. Of course, besides this advantage, there is a point that can cause problems in different cases. Since the reflection of light from the glossy surface is very high, it is not recommended to use this type of coating in environments where light shines directly and with high intensity on the printed surface.
Problems caused by cellophane coating
Cellophane covers are one of the beautiful and attractive covers that are pasted on the surface after the printing process. But in the meantime, problems may arise that need to be addressed.
According to what kind of printed product will be, after printing, other steps such as creating folding lines, cutting, box making, etc. It is also implemented for that. Now, in these cases, placing the cellophane cover may cause the printing paper to deform, and this will cause problems when making folding and cutting lines. Therefore, in these cases, it is better to choose another coating, such as UV, according to the type of printed product, or leave your printed product to a printing house that reduces the percentage of these problems to zero. In this case, by receiving and viewing a sample of your printed work that has arrived at a printing house equipped with printing, you can have a printed product without defects at the end of the work.
laminate
Laminate in general terms means covering the printed surface with a thin layer of plastic. Normally, the laminate coating is placed as a thin and transparent layer in the form of a film or Talc on both sides of the printed surface.
This coating is more durable and strong than other coatings, and while protecting the printed product against environmental damage such as moisture, chemicals, scratches, stains, etc., it also keeps its colors stable.
Laminate coating has other advantages as follows.
– This coating increases the thickness of the printed surface and naturally prevents it from rolling.
– By creating a glossy surface on the printed product, it makes the colors transparent, or vice versa, by adding a matte surface to the design, it prevents light reflection.
– Prevents dirt, tearing or breaking the printed surface.
– By protecting the ink used in it and also increasing the color resistance of the design against light and darkness, it prevents wear and fading of the printed surface.
In this way, the laminate coating can be classified as a very practical and common type of coating.
Laminate covers have different categories, which we will examine below.
Types of laminate
In general, laminate coatings can be classified into two different types with the names “film-based laminate” (such as polypropylene and other synthetic materials) and “water-based laminate”. It should be noted that the film-based version is very expensive and requires more time; It is also not possible to use it as a local transfer on the printed surface. Of course, this type has its own advantages such as high strength against water and other environmental factors.
On the other hand, this thin layer, which is called transparent plastic layer, can be matte or glossy like cellophane covers. Each of these matte and glossy coatings has its own unique characteristics and creates a special coating on the printed surface. As you can see in the picture below, two business cards are shown with two types of glossy and matte laminate coating.
If we want to categorize the covers based on the laminate method, we will have two types of hot laminate and cold laminate.
– Warm laminate (thermal)
Hot laminate method is the most common laminate method. In this way, the plastic cover is glued on the desired surface using heat.
To put it simply, in the thermal type, the coating is transferred when there is heat from the laminator, otherwise it will not be possible to place the coating on the surface.
– Cold laminate
In cold laminate, unlike the thermal type, there is no need for heat to apply the coating. In this method, using a laminator but without the need to heat the heater, the laminate cover is glued on the printed surface. Of course, it should be noted that in terms of appearance and visuals, cold laminate creates a better artistic effect.