Simple but effective finishing techniques can add value to a job and tantalise a recipient's senses, whether it's a smart piece of direct mail or an eye-catching magazine cover. And with that in mind, it's perhaps no surprise that many UK printers opt for five-colour presses with a dedicated inline coater. Demand is still high from end-users.
"The appetite for discovering new and tactile finishes has been increasing as people try and discover new ways to add value to their print," says Luke Hastings, managing director of trade finisher Reflections. "One of the problems holding these finishes back has been the reduction in customers' budgets as a result of the recession. However, we have been pleasantly surprised by the volume of enquiries and interesting projects that are still being undertaken."
For example, last October, Esquire had a special-edition Mirri metallic board cover printed with an in-line high-gloss varnish and, for its March issue, Creative Review produced a cover using Celloglas' high-build UV varnish.
Added depth
Essentially, coatings provide another layer to a printed job. They can add protection, gloss or a tactile feel to a printed image. UV and water-based varnishes make up the majority of products available on the market, with oil-based coatings decreasing in popularity. Water-based varnishes ease any health and safety fears alongside environmental, storage and disposal concerns.
While UV-cured varnishes can increase the speed of production, odour migration can be a big concern.
According to Martyn Elmy at RW Coatings, the big thing for 2010 is the demand for low-migration UV curable varnishes for the packaging and labelling industries.
"This started with an unfounded scare over benzophenone in 2008," he explains. "It is actually safely used by food manufacturers as an additive, but from 2009 it's been more commonly replaced with 4-methylbenzophenone."
‘Approved' materials
However, with Nestlé as the driving force, there is now a ‘Swiss authorised' list of chemicals for coatings being circulated.
"The bad news is that the raw materials used to replace benzophenone are more expensive. In reality, only glass or thick aluminium can offer zero migration," says Elmy.
Environmental concerns are also driving the replacement of lamination with water-based varnishes. For example, ‘scratch ‘n' sniff' products are water-based coatings,
ensuring recyclability, and ‘rub-remove' uses a small amount of latex, so it can still be recycled with general waste.
"At Ipex, we will also see the emergence of LED UV curing systems, with Ryobi already announcing significant energy savings over traditional UV lamps on their latest sheetfed press," says Elmy.
"It is important that a buyer specifies any finishing processes and the use of the end-product when ordering a coating. Then the manufacturer can specify it for foil blocking, or primary food packaging," says Claire Ashby, technical sales and support manager at Heidelberg.
WHAT'S NEW IN COATINGS
• Creative Review magazine celebrated its 30th birthday with a special March issue cover finished by Celloglas. It used Magenta Cellofoil on the CR logo and High Build UV in selected areas. Last October, Esquire’s cover used Celloglas’s gold Mirri metallic board with a high-gloss UV varnish printed by Wembley-based Colour Five
• Drytac Europe showcased two liquid coatings, EnduraCoat Fine Art and EnduraCoat Intego, at Sign & Digital UK in Birmingham last April. EnduraCoat Fine Art is designed to protect canvas and giclée prints
• Last October, Sun Chemical signed a deal with US company First Flavor for ‘taste advertising’ technology – billed to be the next step up for ‘scratch ‘n’ sniff’ applications. With the technology, the reader peels and licks a sample placed in a magazine or newspaper
• RW Coatings launched its 2010 range of packaging varnishes that are free from benzophenone and 4-methylbenzophenone as well as offering low migration
