Paper finishing

Paper refinement describes a change in the porous surface of paper through an additional coating . This gives the paper either a certain gloss , a structure or predefined effects that it does not have in its original, unprocessed form.

The term print finishing is often used as a synonym for the term paper finishing . In the printing industry , a change in the paper surface is achieved thanks to paper or print finishing , which makes the printed product as a whole more durable, on the one hand, by protecting it from wear and Services contributes.

Types of use

Paper refinements are used for the following print products, among others:

• Books
• Glossy magazines
• Folder and brochures
• packagings
• greeting cards
• Catalogs
• Business Cards
• City maps
• Menus and table displays
• Place cards
• Learning materials

techniques

Painting

The paper refinement by varnishing is done by applying glossy or matt varnishes. These can either be applied over the entire area or partially - i.e. only on certain areas of a surface. In addition, a large number of so-called special coatings are used in paper finishing. The paint is usually mixed with a substance that specifically ensures the desired effect, such as:

• Glitter varnishes
• Thermal inks
• Luminous paint
• Scented varnishes
• Scratch-off lacquers
• Relief varnishes
• Spots
• Dispersion varnish
• UV varnish
• Soft touch paint
• Drip-off paint
• Oil print varnish
• Textured paint

Foil lamination

Under lamination is meant the combination of multiple layers of identical or different materials. In paper finishing, these are paper or cardboard with foil . Foil lamination is mainly used where long-lasting print products such as books or sales catalogs need to be protected from wear and tear. Mostly matt, gloss, structure and Forchheim foils are used for lamination.

In addition to these classic films, there are also a number of special films:

• In the case of window lamination , for example, viewing windows are punched out in the printed sheet and then covered over the entire surface.
• With strip lamination , printed sheets with cutouts can be laminated. Full-surface lamination with metallized silver and gold foils is also possible.
• In composite lamination , paper, cardboard and a large number of plastic films are laminated from roll to roll with solvent-free adhesives . The following common composite productions are possible: paper with foil, foil with foil, foil with aluminum, duplex composites or triplex composites.

Foil stamping

Packaging before embossing (left), after embossing (middle) and the film after embossing (right)

Foil stamping involves several technical processes and different types of foil. In principle, with foil stamping, regardless of the specific process, a stamping foil is “pressed” onto a substrate with the help of an embossing printing plate. The basic form of the embossing process is the so-called plan embossing. The transferred film lies in one plane with the printing material. Depending on the contact pressure and substrate, the film layer can be barely noticeable or noticeable.

Other common methods are: microembossing, structure embossing, relief embossing or special foils with special effects such as silver and gold, special scratch resistance and holograms or holographs.

Each process has its own, individual effect, is suitable for very specific areas and is also dependent on the quality and properties of the printing material.

See also : hot foil stamping

Blind embossing

The blind embossing is originally from the printing and allows the paper finishing multidimensional representations with light and shadows by deformation of the printing material by the coining tool. Blind embossing with a raised motif is called embossing, while those with a deepened motif are deep embossing. Since the embossed edges enable a fine play of light and shadow, fonts, logos and structures in particular are refined using blind embossing.

Cold foil transfer

The cold foil enhancement or also called cold foil transfer is a relatively new procedure in the paper finishing. For the transfer of the film, a special adhesive with a very high resolution and fineness of detail is applied to the printing material via an inking unit. In the following inking unit, the film is taken up on the printing material at the points where the adhesive was previously transferred. This enables the highlighting of the finest structures, grid gradients, fonts and especially metallic colors.

Sealing

Sealing or lamination is a continuous process in which a double-sided, full-surface bond is achieved between the printed sheet and polyester films under the influence of pressure and heat. The thickness of the composite can vary depending on the use of the product. The following applies: the thicker the bond, the more robust and protected the product. Sealed papers are protected from dirt and moisture and are stable. The sealing is used u. a. for learning materials, maps, pocket calendars or catalogs, in order to protect these products from wear and tear due to permanent use.

literature

Till Beckmann, Franziska Morlok (Ed.): Extra. Encyclopedia of Experimental Print Finishing. Birkhäuser Verlag, Basel, 2009, ISBN 978-3-0346-0082-8 . Carsten Müller-Wartenberg (Author): Creating experiences with print. The new manual for print finishing. Publisher Book on Demand, 2019, ISBN 978-3-7481-9362-3

Individual evidence

1. ↑ vdmbb.de: Examples in the presentation at the Federal Association of Printing and Media  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 2.45 MB).  
2. ↑ achilles.de: Technical data sheet: Glitterlack ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 512 kB). 
3. ↑ veredelungslexikon.de: Glitter varnish also glitter varnish , tinsel, glitter, mica .
4. ↑ veredelungslexikon.de: Luminous color also luminescent color, glow-in-the-dark .
5. ↑ heidelberg.com: Scented varnish .
6. ↑ print64.de: Rubbelfarbe  ( page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. .  
7. ↑ achilles.de: Technical data sheet: Rub-off colors ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 514 kB). 
8. ↑ achilles.de: Technical data sheet: Relieflack ( Memento of the original from February 26, 2014 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 254 kB) 
9. ↑ veredelungslexikon.de: Relief varnish also contour varnish, braille varnish and water drop varnish .
10. ↑ druckspiegel.de: Precision landing with Achilles Spot Effects
11. ↑ Refinement techniques ( Memento of the original from October 25, 2012 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
12. ↑ veredelungslexikon.de: Dispersion varnish also water varnish , water box varnish .
13. ↑ veredelungslexikon.de: UV varnish
14. ↑ veredelungslexikon.de: Soft-Touch-Lack .
15. ↑ veredelungslexikon.de: Drip-off lacquer also twin-effect lacquer .
16. ↑ veredelungslexikon.de: Oeldrucklack also printing varnish .
17. ↑ veredelungslexikon.de: Textured paint also textured paint , foam paint .
18. ↑ value-magazine.de: Exclusive refinements with special foils ( Memento of the original from April 22, 2016 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. . 
19. ↑ achilles.de: Technical data sheet: Foil lamination ( Memento of the original from April 19, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. (PDF file; 511 kB). 
20. ↑ [1]
21. ↑ [2]  ( Page no longer available , search in web archives )  Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.  
22. ↑ [3]
23. ↑ [4]
24. ↑ [5]
25. ↑ Archived copy ( memento of the original from September 5, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
26. ↑ [6]
27. ↑ [7]
28. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original dated August 4, 2008 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
29. ↑ [8]
30. ↑ [9]
31. ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from April 24, 2009 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was automatically inserted and not yet checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice. 
32. ↑ [10]
33. ↑ [11]
34. ↑ [12]
35. ↑ [13]
36. ↑ [14]