The Power of Print Coatings

Attractive designs and beautiful printing go a long way toward enticing recipients to read your print collateral. However, unsightly marks, scuffs and scratches can dull some of that interest and distract end users from enjoying or possibly using the piece. That's why print coatings are a must for many projects to ensure that they will make it to their destination in the best possible condition.

At Springfield Printing, we offer high-quality aqueous coatings and varnishes that help protect your printed pieces during binding, shipping and mailing. Of course, coatings can also be used to enhance your designs. Here are a few details on these coating varieties and some planning tips to help you incorporate them into your products:

This piece takes advantage of both dull and gloss varnishes. The gloss was applied offline, giving the piece added contrast and protection.

Varnishes
The chemistry of varnish is similar to that of printing inks, and therefore behaves much like ink in that it absorbs into the paper during the drying process. It can be applied either inline during printing or offline as a second pass through the press. Offline finishes may increase costs, but will net better results. Varnishes are available in gloss, satin and dull finishes, offering you a variety of appearance options for your pieces.

Planning Tip - Combining different types of varnishes on different areas of a piece is a great way to add contrast. For example, adding a gloss varnish to a logo and photos while using a dull varnish on the background allows you to highlight certain graphical elements while offering protection for the entire piece. We can also create a tinted varnish by mixing small amounts of ink with the varnish to give your pieces understated color.

Aqueous Coatings
As the name suggests, aqueous coating is a water-based product that's applied inline during printing. Aqueous coating sits on top of the sheet, forming a surface tougher and more scratch-resistant than varnish. It also dries by curing after being exposed to heat, allowing coated sheets to be sent back through the press almost immediately for additional printing.

Planning Tip - Both aqueous coating and varnish can be used for spot coating applications. However, intricate spot coating masks, such as those for a logo or headline, are far easier and more cost-effective to reproduce with varnish. Due to the complexity of creating spot varnish masks, we suggest having us handle this step for you to save time and ensure accurate registration.

The Springfield Printing Advantage
At Springfield Printing, we take pride in helping you look good through beautifully-produced printed products. In addition to high-quality coatings, we offer helpful services such as a comprehensive file analysis (including proofreading of each page), flexible scheduling and multiple proofing options. Feel free to give us a call for free planning and layout advice.