A guide to finishing options

Feeling a little confused about all the options?

We’ve provided you a mini glossary so that you fully understand what you’re ordering before you buy!

 

Lamination:

With lamination a film is applied to the surface of the printed product giving a layer of protection whilst also improving the sturdiness of the product. It also leaves products with a smooth and luxurious feel. Lamination will also protect the printed sheet and avoid cracking when creasing and folding the final product.

better printing matt lamination

Matt Lamination

A matt film is applied to the surface of of the sheet. This leaves a subtle yet elegant matt finish.

better printing soft touch lamination

Soft Touch Lamination

A silk film is applied to the surface of the sheet. This leaves a silky smooth surface that feels soft to the touch (hence the name).

better printing gloss lamination

Gloss Lamination

A gloss film is applied to the surface of of the sheet. The high gloss gives a shiny finish. Images coated with gloss lamination appear to have a higher contrast and better sharpness.

spot uv

Spot UV Varnish:

Specific ‘spots’ or parts of the page get coated with a UV cured glossy varnish. Think of a book cover where the author or title of the book is glossy and the rest of the page is matt. This is Spot UV varnish. The effect draws attention to a certain part of the print. Matt spot varnish is also available.

printed foil

Foiling:

A malleable metallic material, such as gold foil, is fixed onto the print surface using heat and pressure. This gives your finished product a more luxurious look. Like Spot UV it is generally used to draw attention to a particular part of a print such as the logo on a business card.

Die-cutting:

Die cutters work in much the same way as a biscuit cutter; they are used to make multiple, identical shapes. A cutting forme which consists of a sharpened blade embeded in a wooden block is used to cut the shape out of the paper or card sheet, some people refer to a cutting forme as a “Die”. The print material is placed under the forme and the shaped is stamped out. Different blades have different effects on the paper; Scoring/creasing blades cause indentations in the paper rather than cutting it, these are used to form the fold lines on heavy card items such Presentation Folders or Bottle Neck Hangers. Perforation blades create dashed lines made up of small slits, these are used for tear-of sections that you find on items such as Vouchers, NCR Books or Raffle Tickets.

die cut

Embossing / Debossing:

• Embossing: is where part of the print is raised to give emphasis and texture to the overall finish. Raising the physical depth of the page produces shadows and highlights in the design. A further added bonus is that it adds a tactile element to your print as the embossed sections can literally be felt. Again embossing is generally used to draw attention to a particular part of a design, often in conjunction with other techniques.
• Debossing: is the literal opposite to embossing. Instead of being raised the logo or design element is pressed directly into the page, for a similarly tactile and attention grabbing effect.

embossing debossing
saddle stitched

Saddle Stitching:

Is probably the most common and economical binding method. Similar to stapling, wire is punched through the outside spine of the document and then bent flat on the centre fold, gripping the pages together.

better printing wiro binding

Wiro Binding:

With Wiro bound books a spiral of wire is looped through punched holes and then crimped to stop unravelling. This allows the book to lay flat when opened and allows the pages to be folded back on themselves. The wire is available in variety of colours so you can coordinate it with your cover colour.

perfect bound

Perfect Binding / PUR Binding:

Sections of folded pages have their spines trimmed off and roughed up, the sections are then brought together and glued to a wrap-around cover. The cover is scored on the back and front, so that the book opens easily with less stress put on the spine.

scooring creasing

Scoring / Creasing:

Scoring or creasing is commonly used on heavier weight paper items that need to be folded, such as book covers or greetings cards, the process creates an indentation in the paper to aid folding of the item without cracking the print or the paper.

perforating

Perforating:

Perforations are small slits cut into the paper for use as tear-off sections, commonly used for vouchers, raffle tickets etc. Perforations are usually straight lines but can also be custom shapes.

scratch

Scratch Latex:

This process allows specific areas coated in gold or silver scratch off panels, these panels can be any basic solid shape, squares, circles, stars etc. you can add as many panels on the sheet as you wish as they are printed just like a spot colour. You also have the option to print on top of the latex.