When it comes to producing a printed application, the print is actually only half the story. Once it comes off the press, it still needs to be finished to get the final look and feel the customer is hoping for.
But what is print finishing? Options include everything from saddle stitching and perfect binding to cutting and folding, and the embellishments applied to make the print stand out. It encompasses a wide range of techniques, skills, equipment, even additional materials — just to name a few. Having an idea of what some of the finishing options are can help you better plan how to achieve the perfect printed items, be it a postcard, brochure, poster, packaging, book, or anything in between.
While not an exhaustive list by any stretch of the imagination, let’s take a look at five of the top finishing techniques, how they work, and what effects they are best used for.
1. Binding. Whether it’s a traditional book, which uses a process called perfect binding, a workbook that uses the coil binding process, or a magazine that uses the stitching process, binding is the process of taking pages that were printed on a sheet, cut or folded to size, and then connected together to create a finished package. Often, a cover of some sort is bound alongside them, sometimes using a different substrate to contain and protect the sheets inside.
Binding can be done to sheets that have been printed using any kind of technology whether that’s offset, inkjet, toner, or lithographic. Bindery equipment doesn’t care if it was printed UV, eco-solvent, or with traditional printing inks. In other words, you can bind almost anything you can print, as long as the cut or folded sheets fit into the bindery equipment.
Binding isn’t just for large books or catalogs, either. It can also help create unique marketing pieces that people will want to hold onto as keepsakes. Examples could include calendars or other promotional items designed to stay on a desk and be referenced to all year long. This is one of those processes that can be a powerful tool in the arsenal once you start thinking of different ways to bind printed sheets together.
2. Cutting/Folding/Scoring. Printed sheets come off a press as you might guess, a sheet. If it’s a sheetfed press, it will literally be sheets of printed material, often with multiple items on the same sheet. For web presses, the final material is on a continuous roll. Cutting, of course, is the first stop for nearly any printed material.
Cutting, however, isn’t as straightforward as you might imagine. Yes, it can simply mean straight cuts to separate regularly shaped and spaced pieces from the whole, but it can also mean diecutting, or cutting out irregular shapes from the sheet. It depends on the application, and most print shops will have several methods of cutting at their disposal to ensure they can handle whatever the final shape needs to be.
But cutting isn’t the only way to achieve that final shape. Folding and scoring is another finishing technique that can take a flat sheet and turn it into something else entirely. Simple folds are how you get items like brochures, giving an end-user an easy way to see how to navigate what is in reality a single printed surface. More complex folds, however, can be used to create unique applications that stand out. For example, an intricate snowflake fold could be used for a winter promotion to encourage the recipient to interact and uncover information. Scoring is used on thicker substrates before folding to ensure the piece has a clean line when the fold does happen. It is also used for some of those more complex folds to get the precise lines needed to create the final shape without risking damage to another section.
3. Perforating. Perforating is the process of cutting very small holes or slits into a piece — it is not a complete cut, but it marks a place where an end-user can pull something off the finished piece. Tickets are a prime example of perforating, where they are printed as a single item. Perforation is then used so the tickets can be separated when it’s time for the user to go through the venue doors.
Perforating can also be used to create unique interactive elements that encourage users to engage with them. For marketing applications, creative use of perforation can create a powerful piece that will get consumers talking on social media and sharing with their friends, for example.
4. Laminating. The process of laminating is taking a printed piece and running it through a second process that applies a protective film over the entire thing. The process most often sandwiches the entire print in a sleeve material, and then uses heat or pressure to seal them together.
This is a great technique for, usually, flat pieces of print that will need to hold up longer than a piece of paper on its own can withstand. Menus are one application that everyone has probably seen and interacted with — while restaurants that change out their menus likely haven’t laminated, those that keep the same menu for any length of time will want protection against wear, tear, and spills that come with the territory.
Laminating can also be used to protect pieces that will be outside, such as a poster on an exterior wall. It won’t protect from fading, but it can ensure it won’t be destroyed by the elements during the first rain it encounters.
5. Coating. Coatings are one of the more versatile finishing techniques on this list since they come in a variety of types and can be applied to an entire piece or just to specific areas. For example, a protective coating might be applied to a piece that doesn’t need the longevity of lamination but does need to last a bit longer than an unprotected piece of paper. Those menus that are changed out monthly, for example, likely aren’t laminated because that would be a heavy additional cost that doesn’t provide much benefit. A protective coating, however, will allow them to hold up for the time they are in use without breaking the bank.
Spot coatings are those applied to just one element on a piece, and rather than protect, those are usually used as a design element to help draw attention to a specific area or bit of information. Using a glossy coating on a logo will make it jump off a page, for example, or using a matte coating on an image printed on a glossy paper will make that image stand out when someone is glancing at the page. Modern coatings can even add a textural element to print, making a recipient want to touch and interact with it. When it comes to coatings, the possibilities are very much only limited to the imagination of the designer and the printer to achieve some creative applications.
Of course, these are just a few finishing techniques used to enhance a printed product. Experimenting with what combinations of finishing are used and pushing the technology to find new ways to apply it, can help take what would have otherwise been a standard piece of print and turn it into a memorable application that gets attention and stands out from the crowd.
TONI McQUILKEN
Guest Blogger
NAPCO Media
