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The Matt Coating: subtly prestigious  

There are a good many things in life that you don’t really notice until they’re not there. In fact, that could be said of print in general – as long as you keep seeing consistency you’ll never notice that what you’re receiving is top quality. But as soon as some dodgy print shows up, you’ll realise that good quality has become the status quo.

On the flip side, matt coating is one of those things in life that you probably don’t realise you’re missing out on until you see or feel it. It’s subtle, it’s prestigious, it’s cost-effective.

We go into a bit more detail of the techy side later, but for now suffice to say that ‘coating’ is something we apply during the litho process to not only protect the print but also to enhance the appearance of it. (Don’t confuse a ‘coating’ with ‘coated paper’ – very different!)

Matt coating is just one of the range and the prestigious, superior finish will give your literature a top-notch feel. It’s an awesome alternative to matt lamination – a very similar appearance at a fraction of the cost. We’ve used it with a Spot UV (see our 2016 calendar, March leaf) to highlight this point; and the truth is that you don’t need to spend money on matt lamination just for the matt effect – using this coating offers the perfect contrast to Spot UV.

We’ll be reviewing some of the other coatings in the range so stay tuned in to our monthly Highlights…

MATT COATING FOR YOU

What we recommend for matt coating printing:

  • Luxury brands, products and services
  • Publications for the visually-impaired (matt coating reduces glare)
  • Brochures, direct mail, booklets, catalogue covers
  • Most effective visually on silk paper and on darker colours
  • Low-cost alternative to matt lamination
  • Use with spot UV for the ultimate effect

Our print experts on what to look out for with matt coating:

“Remember that any coating is going to affect the colour slightly. So if you’re comparing against one of our pre-production proofs you’ll notice the variance. If you’re going to use matt coating, it’s best to use it consistently so as to avoid your corporate colours varying. This is most important where you have large areas of particular colours and especially blues.”

Our marketing wizards have a word for you too:

“We can’t stress enough the impact that matt coating can have compared to matt lamination. OK, it’s not got quite the same velvety feel but it really does remove any sheen from a standard silk paper. One major benefit over lamination is that you can easily specify this coating throughout your entire portfolio, so that every page of every brochure is completely matt. It also makes the paper feel much smoother which will subconsciously work in your customers minds to improve their perspective of your brand.”

SWOT SPOT

Machine coating is similar in essence to a varnish – it’s applied inline (IE on the litho printing press) after the ink is laid on the paper. This is the reason it’s far less costly than lamination, because it doesn’t involve a secondary process. It’s a wax oil that coats the entire surface of the paper to protect the ink from scuffing or transferring.

If you want to see matt coating in real life and compare it with some of the other coatings and laminations, take a look at the March leaf in our 2016 calendar. If you don’t have one to hand, just ask and we’ll post one to you right away.


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Simon Besley

Author Simon Besley

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