Enhancing Printed Material
There are many ways to enhance printed material to add that extra edge – the most commonly used are:
Embossing
Embossing creates a striking tactile finish by leaving an image either indented or raised on the surface of the paper. Embossing can be done on many types of papers and boards. Blind Embossing is embossing on a non-printed area (ie: there is no printed graphic to act as a guide — it is being done ‘blind’). Debossing, or Negative Embossing is embossing ‘into’ the paper instead of ‘out’ of the paper.
Foil Stamping
Foil Stamping, also referred to as Foiling, uses heat to adhere a foil material directly onto the paper surface. Foils come in many different colours and finishes including metallic, reflective and even holographic. Foils are opaque and can be used on coloured or black paper stocks to create a crisp, unique look. Some paper stocks, particularly textured paper, are not suited to Foil Stamping finishes.
Form Cutting
Form Cutting, also referred to as Stamping or Knifing, involves making a die that is stamp pressed against the paper stock to cut a shape. Form Cutting can be used to create a custom shaped outer contour or to cut a window or shape out from the finished piece. Kiss Cutting is similar to Form Cutting, but does not cut all the way through the stock material. Kiss Cutting is often used in manufacturing peel and stick labels.
Laminates
Available in both a gloss and matt finish, a Laminate is a protective film that is applied over the surface of a printed piece. Sometimes a Laminate is applied to a single side only (such as on a cover), or to both sides. A Laminate gives a superior level of protection, is more durable and has a more striking finish than a Varnish.
Spot UV
Spot UV is a gloss coating applied using ultra-violet radiation to cure the finish to the paper stock after the printing has been finished. Spot UV is often mistaken as a gloss Laminate finish as both have a similar appearance — but, a Spot UV has the advantage of being able to be applied in specific areas or as a image, not just as an all over finish.
Varnishes & Aqueous Finishes
Available in gloss, satin and matt, a Varnish or Aqueous finish provides an all-over protective coating that is scuff resistant and will stop ink rubbing off. Whilst a Varnish or Aqueous finish is more cost efficient than a Laminate it also has considerably less visual impact.
A word of advice
Every paper stock has different inherent qualities based on the composition of the fibres in the pulp and how the paper has been manufactured. Some papers are better suited to certain types of embellishment than others. We strongly recommend discussing what you are looking to achieve, along with your choice of paper stock with your commercial print supplier before making a decision. Choosing the wrong stock for embellishment can be a disaster!
Document Binding
There are many ways to bind multipage documents — but the most commonly used are:
Burst binding
Burst binding is a type of Perfect Bind where the binding edge of folded sections have been ‘notched’ instead of pre-trimmed, creating a strong bite for the adhesive.
- Printed spine
- Opens flat
Case (Edition) binding
Case binding is the most common form of binding for hard cover books and involves sewing the folded sections of pages together and then adhering the end papers onto a hard back, lined cover. The process is usually undertaken by a specialist book binder and involves intensive manual labour.
- Printed spine
- Opens flat
Saddle Stitching
Saddle Stitching is the quickest, most cost effective form of binding for thin to medium thickness page documents. Saddle Stitching involves running a line of staples, usually 2 or 3, along the spine of the document. Saddle Stitch bound documents have the advantage of being able to be laid open flat.
- Printed spine
- Opens flat
Side Stitching
Side Stitching is a form of binding used on thick publications – such as manuals. It involves running a staple through the width of all the collated pages, and then wrapping the document with a cover that is adhered to the spine. In this way it is very strong, but has the disadvantage that the document can not be laid open flat.
- Printed spine
- Opens flat
Perfect binding
Perfect binding uses a flexible adhesive to join a cover to the spine of a collated document where the folded sections of pages have had the binding edge pre-trimmed. Modern PUR binding uses polyurethane resin glue which gives a strength as strong, if not stronger, than Burst Binding.
- Printed spine
- Opens flat
Wiro/Comb/Mechanical binding
All these methods involve pre-drilling or hole punching through the collated trimmed pages, through which a pre-manufactured bind, usually made of plastic or wire, is threaded. This bind method is often used in quick turn-around documents as the processing time is very efficient and does not require specialist services.
- Printed spine
- Opens flat
Binding Chart
Looking to do a print project that needs a binding solution? Use our Binding Chart to consider the right bind option for your project:
