Our annual update on print trends: what’s new, what is back in style, and what to look out for in 2021.
2021 Outlook
Short-Run Printing
Short-Run printing projects are the new normal. With our addition of the premiere Konica Minolta (KM-1) digital press combined with our Scodix Ultra Pro, short-run printing is easier and more affordable than ever. Likewise, short-Run printing affords unique, luxury printing to a variety of products. This year we have already seen an uptick in demand for short-run printedposters and signs.
Short-Run printing affords clients unique products that fit their specific needs practically on-demand. Being able to offer clients affordable short-run printing will allow for more diverse print offerings and faster turnaround time. Significantly, adding short-run printing to your product list will allow you to cater to a variety of print needs, provide branding for pop-up and impromptu events, and encourage your clients to push branding materials for timely and event-specific events.
Variable Data
Coupled with Short-Run printing, offering personalized prints with variable data is a must. Given that the more personalized the print, the more effective the impression it makes, variable data is more important than ever. Premium digital technology ensures that adding variable data to a printing project is hassle-free and seamlessly integrated, at no extra cost. Adding variable data to your print repertoire pairs well with short-run printing as it encourages the one-off promotional materials your clients are looking for. Moreover, it pushes site-specific, event-specific, and time-specific print: invitations, business cards, packaging, posters, signs, folders, and postcards lend themselves well to spontaneous events. Notably, variable data ensures lasting impressions from the get-go, adding a personalized touch to make sure everyone that interacts with your print feels special.
Digital Foil and Raised UV
While we know that Digital Foil and Raised UV are not new print phenomena, over the years we have only seen spikes in the demand for these specialty offline processes. Pairing well with short-run orders, digital foil and raised UV seamlessly integrate variable data into any project. Digital Foil adds all the sophistication of traditional foil stamp without any of the extra costs for die and setup time. Similarly, Raised UV adds a textural dimension to any print with the ease of digital technology.
Pairing the two together creates lasting tactile and visual effects, while maintaining the elegance of timeless, refined print. In 2021, it is necessary to offer this to clients to maintain print relevance, and with our Scodix Ultra Pro the offer is easier than ever. Explore our stock textures and UV patterns, or watch our tutorial series to show clients how to make their own custom UV designs using vector artwork.
2021 Outlook
We ended 2020 battling a global pandemic, doing our best to offer hospitals and essential businesses the prints they need in hard times: social-distancing signs, floor stickers, vaccine packaging, and hospital ID badges.We thank everyone who worked hard to get us through 2020. We look forward to the challenges and surprises 2021 will bring, knowing that with the emergence of digital technology, the resilience of our employees and clients, and the creative innovation of those all around us, the print possibilities are endless.
This is the second post in our current series on designing print-ready Raised UV Files. For this tutorial, we will be going over a workflow to highlight fine details and very small shapes in an image. These details would take hours to draw by hand, so we will create custom vector shapes using Illustrator’s Image Trace tool.
Raised UV Design Tutorial Series, Part 2 Featuring Image Trace
This is the second post in our current series on designing print-ready Raised UV Files. In our first post, we broke down, step-by-step workflow for a simple, custom Raised UV design. The first post featured thick Raised UV shapes to highlight certain areas of an image using Adobe Illustrator’s pen tool to create custom vectors. For this tutorial, we will be going over a workflow to highlight fine details and very small shapes in an image. These details would take hours to draw by hand, so we will create custom vector shapes using Illustrator’s Image Trace tool. This tutorial is perfect for details like: bubbles, dots on a basketball, ocean foam, condensation, or any design that has complex shapes or a multitude of very small shapes that you may want to highlight with Raised UV.
Raised UV is an offline process that adds a layer of uv polymer to a printed marketing product like business cards, presentation folders, posters, and invitations. At Presentation Folder, we have the finest Raised UV technology available with the Scodix digital press. Raised UV is a stunning effect to add to any printed marketing tool because it adds a textural element and allows graphic elements to lift off the page. Because Raised UV is a transparent, colorless coating, it adds texture without crowding the image or overwhelming a design. With Presentation Folder’s premiere Scodix capabilities, short run printing and variable data become easy and affordable. For more information about Raised UV products, you can visit our website.
2. On the website’s main navigation bar, select the “Resources” tab on the right-hand side and click the arrow to drop down all the options. Choose “Templates” then “Raised UV Textures.”
3. Choose a texture template to start (The Parquet Texture is used in the tutorial) by clicking “Download Template” underneath the Parquet Texture option.
4. Your download will open in a new window, but be sure to save to your desktop or wherever you will be accessing your project files.
Open the Raised UV Template in Illustrator
5. Once you have saved the template, open the template in Adobe Illustrator.
6. Review your template by going through “Layers” tab. You will see one of the layers is a magenta folder titled “Raised UV.” The magenta layer helps keep all Raised UV elements organized, visually distinguishes between the Raised UV and CMYK portions of the print artwork. This distinction is extremely important for designing print-ready Raised UV files, as it allows our machines to distinguish between design elements.
7. You can remove the parquet texture from your template, start from scratch and add your own raised UV design elements. For this tutorial, we will delete the texture to create our design. The folder file should look like this before you start designing your CMYK artwork.
Add your CMYK Artwork
8. Import the CMYK (color) artwork elements to your template. In this tutorial, we use our “Soda Bubbles” folder artwork.
9. Once you finish your CMYK artwork it is time to start adding Raised UV artwork to highlight your unique design elements. you begin on marking the artwork, be sure to have the “Raised UV” Layer folder clicked on the right-hand side, while you work. You will be creating new layers under the “Raised UV” Layer folder as you design. For this tutorial, we will be highlighting the carbonation on the ice cubes and in the soda image.
Setting up Images for Custom Raised UV artwork
10. To use the image trace function we have to take the image from the CMYK folder and duplicate it. You can click directly on your image and copy (Ctrl+C) and paste in place (Shift+Ctrl+V). You want the duplicate image to be perfectly aligned with the original image so that when we convert the duplicate to a Raised UV file, the registration perfectly aligns with the original.
11. Lock the original image in the CMYK Layers Section. Staying in the Layers section, move the duplicate image from the CMYK Layers to the Raised UV Layers. You should now be able to see the original image in the CMYK section and its duplicate in the Raised UV section, as seen in the image below.
Using the Image Trace Function in Illustrator
12. Rasterize the duplicate image by going to Illustrator’s top navigation bar, clicking the “Object” dropdown menu, and “Rasterize.”
13. Create a vector trace of the image by selecting the “Object” dropdown menu and hovering over “Image Trace,” and clicking “Make and Expand.”
14. From here, click Illustrator’s direct selection tool to see the vector you have created. Then, switch the fill and stroke color options so that you can see the shapes you’ve made as filled in.
15. Toggle the CMYK artwork layer to be invisible so you can see what your shapes look like once you have swapped fill and stroke. It should look something like this.
Fine Tuning Details and adding Creative Nuance
16. Toggle the CMYK artwork back to being visible and make the Raised UV vector the color “Magenta,” so that you can see that it is the Raised UV color and to provide a visible contrast to the CMYK artwork.From here, you can fine tune the details and add some nuance to your Raised UV Design. The first thing I did is deleting the rectangular border around the vector, using the delete key on the keyboard.
17. Swap the Fill and Stroke on any large shapes that would look good filled in. The first place I noticed to do this was on the large ice cube shape on the right hand side.
18. The last fine details I want to add are highlighting the empty space between the ice cubes along the brown soda line. I do this with the pen tool. If you are unfamiliar with the pen tool, we cover it in a full video which you can view here. Another thing I do to add dimension to the Raised UV design is outline bubbles in the corners of the image that were missed when I did the image trace. I use the ellipse tool to do this. To follow along this tutorial with the accompanying video to this tutorial and to see more in-depth detail work, click this link.
Save your File
18.
13. SAVE YOUR FILE. We accept many file forms, see here. We suggest either an Adobe Illustrator (.ai) or a print-ready PDF file. Visit our site to learn more! https://presentationfolder.com/
And you are done!
Final Result
You can see the fine details we were able to achieve using the Image Trace function. These details add a unique, fully custom Raised UV texture over our branding image that leaves lasting effects.
Presentation Folders featuring Raised UV
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Have you tried adding Raised UV as a print embellishment on your business cards or presentation folders? Using a template downloaded from our website and Adobe Illustrator, you can make impressive, custom Raised UV designs in under 15 minutes! Raised UV gives print elements a tangible lift off the page and shine. Raised UV is a great marketing tool as it highlights design elements on printed products as well as adding a memorable tactile effect. Feel free to learn more about the benefits of Raised UV here. This tutorial is the first in a series of tutorials we are creating to showcase different ways of designing print-ready Raised UV files in Illustrator. These instructions use Adobe Illustrator’s pen tool to create custom outlines around shapes in an image. To look through some Raised UV Folder images, feel free to visit the Presentation Folder Inc. website here. To order free Raised UV samples, visit this link.
You can follow along our step-by-step breakdown of designing Print ready Raised UV Pocket Folder Designs below. Feel free to watch our tutorial video if you would like to follow along visually.
2. On the website’s menu, head to the “Resources” tab on the right-hand side and click the arrow to drop down all the options. Choose: Templates, then, Raised UV Textures.
3. Choose a texture template to start (The Parquet Texture is used in the tutorial) by clicking: Download Template, underneath the Parquet Texture option.
Download the Pocket Folder Template
Free, easy to download Raised UV texture templates for pocket folders.
4. Your download will open in a new window, but be sure to save to your desktop or wherever you will be accessing your project files.
Open the Raised UV Template in Illustrator
5. Once you have saved the template, reopen in Adobe Illustrator.
6. Review your template by going to the right-hand bar, Layers, tab. You will see one of the layers is a magenta folder titled “Raised UV.” The magenta layer helps keep all Raised UV elements organized, visually distinguishes between the Raised UV portions of the artwork. When the file goes to print, the machine will identify the layers and print accordingly.
CMYK and Raised UV Layer separations
7. You can remove the parquet texture from your template, start from scratch and add your own raised UV design elements. (For purposes of this tutorial, we go ahead and delete the texture to create our design)
Illustrator File with the Raised UV texture removed
Add your CMYK Artwork
8. Import your artwork elements to your template. In this tutorial, we use our “Soda Bottle” folder artwork.
9. Before you begin on marking the artwork, be sure to have the “Raised UV” Layer folder clicked on the right-hand side, while you work. You will be creating new layers under the “Raised UV” Layer folder as you design.
In this tutorial, we will be tracing the large soda bottle shapes
Trace a large shape in your image
10. As you will see in the tutorial, we use the PEN TOOL (left click to lay down points) to outline (no fill) the soda bottles’ contours. Every time you click down, you add a new anchor point to your layer, connecting each line and point you create. The more anchor points, the more details you can get. The editing process involves deleting or adding anchor points, depending on how precise you are. You want the lines to be as tight and clean as possible to create a full vector.
Illustrator’s Pen Tool
Fill in your Raised UV shape to make it a solid
11. Once you have created your shape, reverse the stroke’s color, so we have a white fill, then switch to magenta under your layer, and you have your first raised UV layer. (In the tutorial we repeat step 10 on all three soda bottles)
12. Once you have all of your shapes completed, check to be sure they are all appropriately stored in the magenta raised UV folder. Toggle the eye icon on/off, to make sure they are all linked.
Save your file
13. SAVE YOUR FILE. We accept many file forms, see here. We suggest either an Adobe Illustrator (AI) or a print-ready PDF file. Visit our site to learn more! https://presentationfolder.com/
And you are done! You will now have a Raised UV artwork file that is completely custom to your company’s image and branding. Stay tuned for our next Raised UV tutorial using Illustrator’s Image Trace function for fine-detail, textural Raised UV designs.
We understand that your clients come from a variety of industries, and that each industry has specific needs for presentation folders and other printed products. We have compiled this list of our most popular industry-specific folder applications so that you can know which type of folder will best fit your client’s unique needs.
Real Estate: 9 x 12 Raised Foil Folder All black folder with a Raised Foil logo.
Legal: Legal-Size Four Color Process on Legal Size Paper.
Academic: 9 x 12 4-Color Folder Great for photographs. Add lamination for extra durability.
Medical: 9 x 12 4 -Color Folder Clean and simple to hold basic paperwork.
Hospitality: Hotel Key-Card Folder Great for hotels and resorts.
Raised UV is a great digital print process that can create memorable tactile experiences on presentation folders. Typically, Raised UV is added to presentation folders like other spot coatings to logos, images, or anything else that a brand would like to highlight on its marketing materials. While highlighting logos and imagery is a great way to utilize Raised UV, there is another way that often goes under-utilized in the print industry. Adding a large Raised UV texture background to any folder is a great way to incorporate Raised UV in a simple yet unique way.
Black Folder with Cross Hatch Raised UV Texture
To help encourage adding a raised uv textural background, we have recently introduced a variety of stock textures that are available for download on our website. These backgrounds can be added to any Raised UV folder and help create lasting effects. Additionally, each free, downloadable Raised UV pattern creates a specific experience, allowing clients to hone in their brand identity with a unique textural layer on their printed products.
Black Folder with Raised UV Diamond Texture
Added contrast is a great feature of these Raised UV textures. By creating a background layer of textured lines or shapes, all other design elements appear lifted and smooth. For example, a simple image laid on top of the pattern will stand out more so than on a printed sheet without the added texture. Moreover, the pattern is a transparent, lifted gloss so it doesn’t compromise any design elements by adding an extra ink color. Allow clients’ logos, imagery, and other unique design materials to stand out by adding a Raised UV texture!
Four Color Folder with a Raised UV House Pattern with Raised UV on images and logo
The breathtaking effects of Raised UV textures is truly tangible, which is why we recommend seeing them in person rather than online. Please take a look at our website to request free samples of Raised UV textures to understand the effects and design potential of this process!
Foil Stamping + Embossing Vs. Digital Raised Foil: The Right Fit For you
In our most recent posts, we have been focusing on the innovative technology currently involved in the print industry, however, we don’t often walk through comparisons between traditional print methods and digital print methods. Each process is very different and achieves different tactile and visual effects on presentation folders, business cards, and more. This piece will focus on primary differences between foil stamping + embossing and digital printed raised foil coating. Both are finishing processes implemented to highlight design areas, most commonly logos and branding. Read more to learn about key differences between foil stamping + embossing and digital raised foil coating. It is important to learn these differences in order to determine which process will best fit your marketing materials and brand identity.
Foil Stamp Folders on Greenbrier Linen with Copper Foil Stamping
Traditional foil stamping + embossing has a classic look and feel and can add personal touch to any custom presentation folder. Most commonly, we see traditional foil stamping + embossing utilized on our in-house dark linen stocks, as we don’t recommend printing ink colors on those stocks. Foil stamping on dark linen stock is a simple and affordable way to showcase your brand, as the metallic shine of the foil contrasts with the matte weave of the linen. These pocket folders are great for office organization, presentations, and report covers. They can be used in a variety of fields including: accounting, real estate, legal, banking, medical, and more.
Light Linen Pocket Folder with Blue Ink and Gold Foil Stamping
Foil stamping and embossing on presentation folders does come with certain limitations we would like to mention here as well. The larger the area the more expensive the die will cost, as well as the set up time to ensure perfect registration. It will also have a longer production time to account for ordering and acquiring the die for the folder design. Moreover, embossing can only push up into the stock so far so not to compromise it, as well as leaving an indent on the back side of the paper. When a folder has embossing on the front cover, you can see the impression on the other side when you open the folder.
Embossing must be done on high quality paper, which can be an additional cost. Because the set up time and die costs are generally one-time costs, ordering these pocket folders in large quantities makes the price per unit decrease significantly, and becomes an affordable and customizable option. Ordering tax folders, report covers, or other folders on dark linen stock with foil stamping + embossing in short quantities, however, might not be the most cost effective option for you and your clients.
Black Folder with Digital Raised Gold Foil and Soft-Touch Lamination
For short orders looking to make high impact, we recommend implementing digital raised foil to complete your folder design. This metallic spot coating is printed with our Scodix® Sense press, and comes with a variety of customization options. We recommend that you use 10% coverage or less of the coating, and implement our capability of variable data and variable density options. This means that your client can have full control to customize their pocket folders to achieve a memorable tactile design that is completely unique to their brand. Raised foil folders are great for short runs because there is no extra cost for dies or set up times, and the effects can be breathtaking. Because there are no dies involved, the production time is much quicker. Moreover, raised foil can be incorporated on any kind of coated stock, and works well with printed ink colors. Raised foil is not pushed up into the stock in the way that foil + emboss is, rather it is a thick polymer UV coating with a foil layer over it. Because it does not compromise the integrity of the stock, raised foil can be applied to an array of coated stocks, allowing you to save money on paper cost if needed. This is a significant difference between embossing and raised foil coating, as embossing pushes into the back of the paper in order to achieve the raised look. Embossing produces a visible indent on the back of the sheet which converts to the inside of the folder or the back of a business card. Because Raised Foil is applied only to the front surface of the sheet, it will not make any indentations on the back of the stock, leaving the design of the inside of the folder clean and untouched. You can see an example of a business card with Foil Stamp and Embossing on the front and the indent on the back in the image below.
Business Card with Foil Stamp + Emboss with Visible Indent on Back Side
While the overall differences of raised foil coating and traditional foil stamping + embossing are apparent, it is ultimately the aesthetic and tactile difference that matters in terms of brand identity and presentation products. Knowing the difference and having both to offer can help you fully promote a client’s brand. To see and feel the differences between these two metallic finishing options, request samples of both here!
Raised UV + Raised Foil Folders
We at Presentation Folder Inc. are committed to serving your unique needs and look forward to working with you to continue building a better folder. We offer the following products online but can work with you to quote and print other presentation products.
Our in-house light linen stock is a durable and classic option for presentation folders. Textured like linen fabric, this paper is light and elegant, almost like you could wear it. On our website, we refer to light-colored linen stock as our Group A stock, listed one tier above our traditional economy stocks. We recommend using linen stocks for a premium yet affordable upgrade to traditional presentation folders printed on white 12 or 14 pt c1s. Linen presentation folders offer a timeless quality and feel. Restaurant menus, luxury stationery, business letterheads, tax folders, and an array of promotional products stand out when printed on linen paper. Rather than business cards, we recommend printing presentation folders or luxury postcards on linen stock.
Linen Folder with Foil Stamping and Embossing
Linen Folders have all of the capability of traditional presentation folders. Available for optimal customization, our traditional linen folder is printed as 9 x 12 with two pockets inside reaching 4 inches in height. These pockets inside the presentation folder have the optional for business card slits to hold premium business cards as well. Pocket folders printed on linen give a luxury effect at an affordable price.
In terms of printing and overall design, we recommend minimalism. Unlike presentation folders printed on economy c1s stocks, we recommend using minimal ink printing on linen folders and instead utilizing foil stamping and embossing. Embossing is a traditional tactile effect that pairs well with foil stamping by pushing it to lift off the page. Foil and embossing will take any linen folder and add a premium finish.
Linen Folder with Foil Stamping
Our commitment to customization will allow you to make presentation folders unique to your brand. Adjusting the pocket size, folder size, adding stitched inserts, foiling, or embossing are all recommended ways to allow your brand to stand out. Visit our website request a custom quote or request samples to see the elegance that linen pocket folders can add to your brand.
There are many benefits to Scodix printed Raised Foil and UV Coating. We love to mention the noticeable tactile and visual effects, the efficiency of short runs, and hassle-free variable data. One thing we don’t often mention, however, is that these capabilities offer a steep competitive edge.
Raised UV and Raised Foil is new, exciting, and offers a cost-efficient unique aesthetic to business cards,presentation folders,postcards,and more. Digital printing is spearheading technological trends in the print industry that are worth paying attention to. The premium embellishments that digital printing can offer is a value proposition unlike anything this industry has seen before. This technology allows you to differentiate yourself from competitors by offering prospective clients premium off-line coatings. Rather than trying to offer prospective clients exceptional customer service, faster turnaround time, or anything else another competitor could offer, working with us will allow you to offer advanced finishing embellishments on as a guarantor that you are ahead of the everyday printer. By choosing to work with Presentation Folder as your wholesale manufacturer, you will be able to offer clients premium embellishments like Raised UV and Raised Foil on an array of presentation products like business cards, presentation folders, posters, postcards, and more.
Postcard with varied Raised Foil coating
Raised UV and Raised Foil coatings offer a lifted tangible effect, which allow clients to be creative with branding and design decisions. By lifting logos, names, or other fine details, digital printing enhances traditional print design. More importantly, these digital capabilities allow for complete customization. Clients can customize their print with variable data and control over how light or dense these coatings come, making each print a truly unique product. Traditionally, we have been proud to accommodate custom sizing,a variety of stock options, and other print details. With the power of digitally-equipped off-line presses, we can now accommodate custom details within graphic design. Raised UV and Raised Foil will give you a unique value proposition to offer your clients, while also allowing them to achieve a fully custom, unique promotional product. Lastly, digital printing enables you to establish trust with clients that you are at the forefront of print innovation.
Raised spot gloss 3d UV is an offline process that is done with a digital inkjet press. It creates a very thick layer of spot gloss UV that stands as tall as embossing on any custom presentation folder, pocket folder, and business card. It is meant to make logos & graphics exceptionally stand out with a three-dimensional feel, achieving unique textured effects with varied levels of coating in specific areas of a client’s folder or poster. There is very little minimum cost, making it great for short-run, high-end jobs when you want something special to make it stand out. We recommend raised UV finishing to help your brand’s promotional products achieve a luxury look and feel. Raised Spot UV gives a textural component to a logo or image not ordinarily achieved by specialty finishing. Adding raised UV to a custom pocket folder, business card, poster, or brochure will allow your promotional products to visually and tangibly stand out, and above ordinary products.
Spot Gloss UV is an offline process, traditionally done with screen printing on custom pocket folder, presentation folder, and business cards. We now have digital inkjet presses for spot gloss UV, that can print a thicker layer of UV for more impact as well as huge cost savings on small quantities. Compared to raised 3d spot UV, it is more subtle, making it better for highlighting larger areas and photos, although we still suggest using a “less is more” approach for impact. It works best with a matte or scuff-free satin laminate underneath for contrast and feel. Adding Spot Gloss UV to any custom presentation folder, business card, or product will give your brand an edge up with a tangible design finish.
Silver soft-touch satin lamination, also known as silver velvet lamination, is applied to press sheets before printing on pocket folders and other presentation products. Unlike most laminate films that are transparent, this printable film is silver in color, with the same soft-touch matte finish that provides a suede-like soft feel. What makes it different is that it creates a unique metallic print surface, creating a new metallic color spectrum using normal cmyk printing; transparent colors all gain the metallic effect. Adding raised spot uv coating brings out the metallic effect even more, making the silver shine through the glossy finish. We recommend utilizing this distinctive specialty finishing to custom presentation folders, pocket folders, or business cards. For best results, combine silver soft-touch laminatedfolders with a raised spot UV gloss coating to make your brand stand out visually and tangibly.
Soft-touch lamination, sometimes referred to as suede or velvet lamination, is an off-line process applied to presentation products after printing. It is a clear, soft film adhered to the press sheet, providing a matte finish and suede-like soft feel to a presentation folder. It is great with dark and light colors, and gives raised spot UV a great clarity and unique effects with lower densities. It also provides the sharpest detail of any coating for raised spot UV and raised digital foil. Soft-touch has gained popularity for printing on presentation folders, business cards, and other promotional products in recent years as a unique, premium finish.
Matte lamination is an off-line process applied after printing a presentation folder. It is a clear, matte film adhered to the press sheet, providing a matte finish and silky smooth feel to any promotional product’s surface. With dark colors, it can give a slightly softer and more mute appearance and sometimes can tend to show some scratching, however, it offers more protection overall than matte aqueous and sustains more durability on presentation folders. Matte lamination seals in a protective layer from stains, moisture, and greasy fingerprints. Not only will your presentation products stand out with a sleek matte finish, they will also last longer and no longer require any reprints. It works exceptionally well with spot gloss UV, providing stark contrast, and also with raised 3dUV and raised foil finishing. Matte Lamination adds a sleek feel to presentation folders, pairing well with subtle, minimalist design.
Scuff-free satin lamination is an off-line process applied after printing. It is a clear, satin film adhered to the press sheet, providing a satin finish and silky feel on any color presentation folders. With dark colors, it is the best option as it keeps them rich and sharp while providing the best protection of any film or coating. It works exceptionally well with spot gloss UV, providing stark contrast, and also with raised 3dUV and raised foil.
Matte aqueous coating is an in-line presentation folder coating as it is applied directly onto wet ink on an offset printing press. It provides a subtle matte finish (as opposed to gloss aqueous coating), and some protection from scuffing, while keeping color rich and vibrant on promotional products. We use an aqueous coating on almost all 4-color presentation folder work and occasionally with 1 and 2 spot color pocket folder printing as well, if needed to help protect the ink from rubbing or scuffing. It is a very cost-efficient process, a large part of the reason it is the most commonly used coating in the entire printing industry today. This aqueous finish is most often used on economy four-color process presentation folders that would benefit from a matte coating.
Best For:
•Short and Long runs
•Cost efficient
•Fast production time
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Gloss aqueous coating is an in-line coating for presentation folders as it is applied directly onto wet ink on an offset printing press. It provides a subtle gloss shine and some protection from scuffing, while keeping color rich and vibrant on the pocket folders. We use an aqueous coating on almost all 4-color presentation product work and occasionally with 1 and 2 spot color folder printing as well, if needed to help protect the ink from rubbing or scuffing. It is a very cost-efficient process, a large part of the reason it is the most commonly used coating in the entire printing industry today. This coating is most commonly used on economy four-color process presentation folders.
Gloss lamination is an off-line process as it is applied after printing the presentation folder. It is a clear, glossy film adhered to the press sheet, providing a subtle gloss shine to the surface of the pocket folder along with great protection from scuffing. It helps keep color rich and vibrant possibly even enriching contrast with the gloss shine. It is the least expensive overall off-line coating, making it great for short and long runs and giving the best protection of any gloss finish. Unlike gloss UV which many big printers use, it doesn’t show fingerprints on dark colors. It adds durability and protection to a presentation folder while also augmenting the vitality of its design.
Because you’ve moved on from the dull days of Gloss AQ.
What is Lamination?
Lamination is a transparent, plastic bond originally added to amplify the integrity of your presentation folder’s stock. While presentation folders traditionally add a gloss aqueous coating to the presentation folder’s paper to strengthen and add shine, lamination has become a necessity to building a better presentation folder. Adding protection from stains, moisture, and greasy fingerprints, your products will last longer and no longer require any reprints.
Presentation Folder with Satin Lamination
What can Lamination do for you?
Not only can lamination increase the integrity of your presentation folder by protecting its stock from environmental factors, it also enhances the ink colors by layering in a vibrant, transparent film. This specialty finishing enhances the artwork on a presentation folder by adding a sealant coating that not only protects it, but adds a glossy, matte, or satin finish to its exterior. You can choose the thickness of the lamination film, leaving it as subtle or pronounced as you would like. Not only does this augment the professionalism of your promotional products, it holds the attention of the viewer longer. Adding lamination allows for an even more vivid design to show through.
Design Tips:
We recommend pairing lamination with a digital foil or raised UV finish. After much experimentation, some of our favorite folders feature a matte lamination finish with the glossy raised spot UV coating. The contrast between the matte-coated stock and the glossy UV design generates a textural design that can be tangibly understood.
Interested? Click here to learn more and add it to your next order, at no extra charge.
