Print marketing is as powerful as ever with well-designed business cards, brochures, flyers, posters and more all having the potential to make a great impression with your customers. Investing in a special print finish can really help your marketing materials stand out. We’ve put together this beginner’s guide to help you choose the right print finish for your next print job.
Top 10 Print Finishes to Help Your Marketing Materials Stand Out
1. Spot UV
Finishing business cards, brochures or flyers with Spot UV can help your print materials make a great first impression. With a spot varnish, an additional plate is used to overprint the varnish to certain areas of a design. This technique is used to highlight different parts of your design such as logos, design elements or text. Choose from a gloss or matt (or even glitter) varnish to create texture, visual interest and really enhance your printed product.
2. Varnishes
Often associated with wood, a varnish is a liquid coating that is added to your paper to give a smooth and consistent finish without adding to much weight to the paper stock. The varnish can be glossy or matte and will seal your paper not to mention – help to preserve it. This option is particularly popular for magazines and brochures.
3. Lamination
Lamination gives a layer of protective coating to your print jobs, often with a glossy or matte finish. It is both water and tear resistant and helps improve the feel of your print materials. A high gloss finish gives a modern look, works particularly well with bright vibrant colours and will make photographs more clear and sharp. A matte finish is perfect for creating something more elegant and classic.
4. Foil Stamping
A foil is a heat processed coating which is added to parts of your design to give contrast – usually on the text or logo. The most common foil colours are gold and silver, but other colours are available. It’s often used on text and/or your logo adding that touch of luxury to your print jobs.
5. Embossing
The perfect finish when you want to add a tactile dimension to your materials. Embossing creates a raised impression on your paper for added texture and emphasis. Your messages and images can literally be felt by your target audience.
6. Debossing Letterpress
The opposite of embossing is – debossing – also known as letterpress one of the oldest printing techniques around. It will create an indent in your paper and is great for adding physical depth to your designs, perfect for helping your business logo stand out.
7. Metallic Inks
Special inks such as metallic or fluro are perfect for adding that special touch to print materials. The metallic or fluro finish helps makes logos and lettering ‘pop’ on print pieces such as cards, invitations and programs.
8. Die-cutting
Die-cutting can be very impactful and involves cutting shapes or designs out of the paper using a die. It’s a great technique for creating marketing material with a point of difference, changing the shape of the edge of your business cards, flyers and other print materials with, for example, rounded corners or for cutting patterns into the surface of a page.
9. Folding
Your printer will ensure a quality finish for printing materials that need folding, with techniques that ensure your brochures, letters, cards don’t split. Whether you need large volume folding or custom hand folding, marketing collateral can be folded in a number of ways including single, double, concertina and letter to name but a few.
10. Laser-cutting
Laser cutting uses a precision beam to cut and create shapes for your print materials. It’s a great technique for adding your own special touch to your marketing collateral. Your print materials can be cut into any shape to add a unique touch. Perfect for invitations, pop-up cards, point of sale material and business cards.
As you can see, print materials engage the senses in a way that online media simply can’t. Adding that special finishing touch makes print look amazing and speaks volumes about your business.
For advice on the perfect finish for your marketing materials, speak to the print experts at your local Kwik Kopy today.
Image Sources
https://au.pinterest.com/hardingpoorman/awesome-die-cuts/
https://www.rockdesign.com/print-feature.html
https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/guide-print-finishes-amy-dennis
