With the pressure on marketing budgets starting to ease, now may be the time to take a closer look at value-added printing. Adding more strings to your bow could help your business and specialist finishing techniques such as foiling, die-stamping, holograms and thermography could be a good way to secure new business thanks to the ‘wow’ factor the provide.
One example of a value-added process is thermography. It involves thermographic powders being sprinkled onto printed ink or adhesive while wet. The sheet is heated and the powder and ink mixture dries to form a raised effect.
Foil options
With foil blocking, a foil is applied to a surface using either
a metal die, that can be chemically etched, or by hand from supplied artwork. Converted platen or cylinder presses
heat glue and attach foil to it with pressure. Alternatively, many sheetfed offset presses can use inline technology to print a cold glue pattern and press foil onto it, peeling away the excess.
Adam Robotham, commercial sales manager at Manroland GB, says there has been a massive increase in inline foiling in Europe, but the UK is playing catch-up. There has been growth in general commercial work and the biggest market would have to be packaging items. The packaging industry is really conscious about the way a product looks, he adds.
Caslon sales director David Ball agrees: The market has focused on more specific applications. Short-run, personalised products are on the increase.
With thermography, clear high-raise effects continue to dominate. The market has changed slightly with designers understanding that the process has flexibility and can add tactile beauty to a lot more than just business cards, says Ball. He adds that new product areas have been found such as gift tags, braille, advertising and packaging.
When purchasing equipment, speed is a factor, and it’s important to find out whether the foiler will match the speed of your press.
Quality and running speed are both key as cost per copy is very important. It’s essential for it to run as fast as the press, says Robotham.
Productivity issues in thermography can be caused by printers using cheaper materials. Using a consumable that works may cost more, but it saves hours of expensive downtime says Ball.
What's New in Foils, holograms & thermography
Last December, David Chipperfield Architects appointed Baddeley Brothers to produce materials to support its new exhibition at the Design Museum. The London-based company said the choice of using the embossed die-stamping technique was well received, fulfilling expectations and meeting the practical requirements of the exhibition
An encyclopaedia of finishing, containing examples of a wide range of finishes, was launched at the Frankfurt book fair in October. Extra contains examples of 33 different print finishing technologies including metallic foil lamination and stamped holograms
The Metroplitan Police wants suppliers of printing equipment – and in particular SMEs – to assist it by signing up to a voluntary code of conduct to stifle the production of fake documents and banknotes. So far, only 90 companies have signed up to the code and the Met has warned that if more don’t come forward, it may press for regulatory powers. Officers on the project are working hard to prevent the sale of certain printers, stamps and other specialist equipment
