Comparison between several types of Coatings - Which suits best for me?

Now-a-days there are many different color printing techniques available in the world of commercial printing and the biggest problem where print buyers face may be simply how to understand and choose which of these available printing press techniques best suits our requirements. By understanding the comparison of various coating it may direct your print work to a printing company that offers specific equipment that best suits your needs, ultimately gives you the print customer the best quality and the best pricing.

From the beginning, I stated that, if possible, try to choose a printing company that is best suited to make your magazine, catalog, poster or whatever the item you may need to be printed/coated. Therefore, let’s take a deep look at the various types of coating comparison that best fits your printing press may have to produce your print job.

Four different print coatings are used in commercial sheet fed printing: varnish, aqueous coating, lamination and UV coating. Note that coatings can perform differently on coated paper stock versus uncoated paper stock.

Types of Protective Coatings

Lamination

Lamination has long been employed as one of the most popular and cost-effective methods to protect printed material. There are two types of laminates, film-based and liquid-based. When using film based laminate, a clear plastic film is placed over the paper. To create liquid based laminate, a clear liquid, is spread over the paper to dry. Laminate is great for menus or book covers as it can protect against water and perspiration.

Generally lamination is recommended exclusively for single sheet applications include posters, restaurant menu’s, or book bindings that are wired or spiral bound.

Varnishes

An inexpensive way to add gloss to your printed folders is by applying varnishes. It is the least expensive coating. It is not as hard as other coatings, which offers resistance to dirt, smearing and water. Typically a varnish split as gloss varnish, dull varnish & satin varnish and varnishes may be tinted with certain inks. Unless you have professional experience in tinting, or can afford a press-test before production; I recommend not experimenting with tint varnish. It’s hard to bring outcome accurately and really expensive to be on press and decide you are not happy with it at that point.

Gloss varnish: This coating can be applied overall or in respective areas with high precision. It increases the saturation and depth of colors while improving image contrast, while dull varnish increases readability by diffusing light and reducing glare.

Matte/Dull Varnish: Used on a page that has mostly text to increase the readability by diffusing light and reducing glare. It is more resistant to fingerprinting than a gloss varnish.

Satin Varnish: Satin is created by a mixture of matte and gloss varnish. It has good scuff resistance.

The advantage is that varnish is typically the least expensive of all the coatings available. Varnishes are recycled more easily than the UV coated products. However, they emit harmful volatile organic compounds (VOCs) during the coating process which cause eye, nose and throat irritation, nausea, etc. VOCs are also suspected to cause cancer in humans.

Aqueous Coating

Aqueous coatings are bigger than ever in today’s printing marketplace. Aqueous, a water based coating is generally considered to be one of the most sustainable coating options because it is ideally applied immediately after the ink. Directly after the coating is applied, the sheets are sent through a heated air system that quickly dries the coating. Then the printed sheets can progress to the finishing department in minutes, as opposed to traditional varnishes which may take hours or even days to dry.

AqueousCoating is better suited for overall coating, than spot coating in some cases, merely there are limited exceptions, depending on equipment. Aqueous can be recycled by standard municipal systems without emitting harmful byproducts. Other sustainable alternatives include clear vegetable-based inks in place of any coating.

UV coating

The demand for UV Coating has intensified in the past decade, especially in the digital environment. The result is a product that looks great, but is also protected from the elements, and it has extra durability for repeat handling. Coating Systems will add depth and appeal to printed pieces. The color appears brighter and more vivid with a rub resistant finish.

Most UV equipment we see are operated off-line, which provides only a flood coating option. UV gives more protection and sheen than either varnish or aqueous and, since it is cured with light and not heat, no solvents are emitted. You can coat 80-pound text and heavier, although cover weights are preferred. UV can be used on smooth papers only.

BACT recommends Offline UV Coating System

An Offline ultraviolet coating system is perfect for the digital or sheet-fed printer, because it offers an inexpensive way to easily apply and cure UV protective coatings in house. These machines are easy to install and offer a true focused UV delivery system. Look for an offline UV coater that is recommended by the Environmental Protection Agency as BACT (Best Available Control Technology).

UVcoating is also known as Energy Curable coating, and has the benefit of providing the best surface properties and protection for printed surfaces while being environmentally safe. No Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs) are produced in the process of UV coating.

No matter what coating are you use, the results will look best on coated paper. The above discussed are for comparison between the various types of coatings which are widely used. This blog may help the people to understand what type of coating, they need for their business. The result is smoother the surface, the better the quality.