UV Coating: Make Your Printing Project Shine

Your printed marketing materials may be your only opportunity to get your customer's attention in today's increasingly competitive arena. Why not make them really shine, and catch their attention? You may want to check out the advantages and benefits of UV coating.

What is UV or Ultra Violet Coating?

UV coating, or ultraviolet coating, is a very glossy, shiny coating applied to the printed paper surface and cured on a special machine using ultraviolet light. These special UV coatings harden, or cure when they receive ultra violet radiation. UV coating makes your printed piece eye catching, and is perfect for products such as postcards, hand-out sheets, presentation folders, business cards and catalogs, or any product that can benefit from a rich, glossy and dramatic look.

What are the Benefits of UV Coatings?

Ultraviolet coating has several advantages over other coating methods such as aqueous coating or varnish. They include:

• Very high shine finish

• When UV is used on deep, rich colors, like blues and rich blacks, the result is an almost wet appearance. This can be highly effective with image-rich projects, like catalogs. The stunning shine it creates is why it is so popular for certain designs and products.

• Good abrasion resistance

• If your printed piece is going to be handed out or travel through the mail, the combination of a visually appealing piece and durability makes for a great combo for postcards, brochures or business cards. The UV coating allows the mailed piece to resist smudging and marking and allows it to maintain a professional, high quality appearance due to an extremely hard finish, one known for being both chemical and abrasion resistant

• High clarity

• UV coatings make details pop and stand out, and are perfect for photographic images and company logos.

• Environmentally friendly

• UV coatings are free of solvents and do not emit volatile organic compounds, or VOCs when cured.

• Instantaneous drying time with UV light exposure

• By drying so quickly, the use of UV coating helps reduce production time, enabling earlier shipping and delivery times.

What Should I Know About UV Coating?

When using metallic inks, it's a good idea to ask your printer about how well the coating will adhere with your specific design requirements. This is because when used with UV coatings, metallic inks can dry too quickly, causing the metallic particles rise to the surface making them more prone to rubbing off.

More Ways to Make You Shine

The various kinds of coatings allow you to really make your printed piece stand out. Depending on what kind of end result you want to achieve, coatings can range from subtle to matte, shiny to nearly wet looking, as is the case with UV coating. And when the project calls for something to make the reader stop and say "wow", UV coating is tough to beat. Use UV to make those rich, full color photos stand out, allow your strong graphical elements to pop, and really showcase your products, property or team on any print project.