Paper Coatings
Different Types of Coatings:
Aqueous Coating
A high-quality coating with excellent protection against water damage and scuffing for your printed pieces. This water-based coating is available in several finishes: Gloss, Satin, Matte, and Soft Touch. Aqueous coating is perfect for retail boxes or any other printed product that needs to be water and scuff resistant. And because it’s a water-based coating, it’s also environmentally friendly. To give your printed piece the best cost-effective protection, choose our aqueous coating.
Film Lamination
Lamination coatings add extra strength to your box, increased water and scuff protection, and increase the perceived value. We offer several different varieties to suit your needs–including gloss, matte, and soft touch. Each one will add a different level of sophistication and protection to your product. Our film laminates are applied to your carton to enhance its look and prevent ink from cracking as well as increase overall box durability. This not only makes your product look more professional, but it also ensures that it stands up to the rigors of the shipping process. You can be confident that your product will arrive looking just as good as it did when it left your facility.
Spot UV Coating
Are you looking for a coating that will give your prints a high-gloss treatment in a specific location, with the rest of the packaging done in matte or soft touch coatings? Then Spot UV coating is a perfect choice for you! UV coating uses ultraviolet light to quickly dry the coating, hardening it to a brilliant shine. This makes it ideal for creating eye-catching highlights on your print pieces. Because the UV coating is a hard coating it can resist scratching and scuffing; however, it’s important to note that Spot UV is not recommended to wrap around panels/folds of your packaging as it can crack with the stress of folding.
Varnish
Varnish is a clear ink that can be applied over the whole piece or in selected areas. Spot varnish is especially useful for highlighting a logo, part of an image, or a call to action. It creates a glossy, satin or matte area on the printed piece. Varnish is similar to aqueous coating, but is noticeably less glossy. The use of varnish has been superseded by aqueous and UV coatings, but is still available as a custom option.
Coating Finishes:
Gloss Coating
Gloss coatings provide significant scratch/scuff resistance and is our standard go-to coating if you’re unsure what coating you would like. Gloss coatings make colors pop and are generally included in your print price as it is an industry-standard coating and readily available.
Satin
A satin coating is a less shiny coated finish. It has a lower gloss level than gloss finish, yet a higher gloss level than matte finish. Colors pop but without the full shine of a gloss coating. Moderate scratch/scuff resistance.
Matte
Matte coated paper is the perfect choice for those who want to create stunning full-color prints with no glare. This coating has a smooth, non-glossy finish that retains print crispness. Please note that due to the matting agents in the coating, your color vibrancy may be affected. Light scratch/scuff resistance.
Soft-Touch Coating
This specialty coating changes the tactile feel of your paper, giving it a velvety smoothness that’s both elegant and practical. Your customers will appreciate the improved hand-feel of your business cards, postcards, and other printed materials that will be handled frequently. Plus, the soft-touch effect helps to soften colors and create a warm inviting appearance to your images. Give your printed products the high-end look and feel they deserve with a soft-touch coating. Please note that due to the matting agents in the coating, your color vibrancy may be affected. Light scratch/scuff resistance.