Dispersion varnish

Also known as water varnish, it comprises up to 65% water and approx. 35% solids. It is applied inline using a coating unit. The drying process is accelerated using IR or hot air drying. Varnishes are processed from matt to high gloss, as are speciality varnishes like anti-slip or scented coatings.

Primer

Undercoat on a dispersion basis. Improves adhesion for further finishing stages. Produces powder-free printing, improves the overall UV coating and reduces yellowing of cartons.

UV coating

Drying executed through binding of the integrated photoinitiators using a UV lamp. Both matt and high gloss coatings can be used. Low-migration UV coatings are used for food packaging, although the risk of migration/permeation makes them unsuited for direct contact with foods.

Spot coating

Combination of matt and gloss coating. The gloss coat can be either a dispersion or UV coating. The matt section is realised as a dispersion matt coating (full or partial surface using printing plates) or through use a matt paste (printing ink via conventional offset printing plate). Matt coatings using a matt paste work best when the materials are run through an additional print pass using the same printing plate with a light matt coating.

Effect varnishes

Printing coatings/UV coating combinations can be used to produce a stubbly surface and/or use clever graphic design to achieve optical effects through a matt/gloss contrast.

Iriodin

Iriodin is a glossy pigment exclusively produced by Merck and intended to be mixed into dispersion varnishes. The optical effect depends on the particle size. While pigments of up to 200µ can be applied through silk screen or intaglio printing, offset printing can only transfer pigments of up to 50 µ.

Hybrid inks

Combination of UV and conventional offset inks. Drying is executed through the curing of the integrated photoinitators during UV drying. The binding agent portion dries in the same way as normal inks. These benefit of these inks: they can be processed using normal rubber pads and rollers. These inks are best suited for non-porous printing substrates.

Foil lamination

Full-surface application of gold, silver or effect foils onto cardboard. The foils can be pretreated to optimise surface tension, which in turn offers better printability and adhesion.

Hot foil embossing

Partial application of foils using embossing tool and heat. Embossing can be performed either before or after printing.

Cold foil transfer

Application of foils using a customised offset machine – a normal offset plate is used, eliminating the need for a separate embossing tool. Especially well suited for large surfaces.

Embossing

Relief embossing can be added to foil finishing, although it is also possible to perform pure blind embossing using an automatic punching press. Cost-intensive embossing tools are required.

Lenticular foil

This foil is used to create 3D effects in images. The foil includes a linear structure on its upper side that functions like a lens. The line count per cm determines the fineness of the reproduction and the specifications for data generation during pre-press. Special software is required to produce this data. Printing is applied to the rear of the foil.