Laminating is a popular finishing process that has long been used to protect printed collateral and extend its lifespan, especially in situations where it will be handled repeatedly, exposed to the elements and at risk from spills. Restaurant menus are the classic example.
Lamination, however, is not purely done for pragmatic reasons. By bonding a printed substrate between two sheets of clear plastic, the ink colors can be not only preserved, but enhanced.
But now you have a choice…UV and aqueous coatings.
Benefits of UV and Aqueous Coating
With UV and aqueous coating from Kompac, you gain access to a whole new world of textures, plus productivity and cost-saving advantages. So how do these two technologies work?
Pictured: High gloss flood coating to finish print from HP
UV coatings rely on UV-compatible inks (such as HP Indigo’s ElectroInk range) for maximum impact. The chemicals used cure rapidly when exposed to UV light and create a glossy, highly reflective surface that’s particularly well-suited to enhancing the appearance of printed photographs.
UV flood coating can be used to create this effect across an entire sheet, while UV spot coating lets you focus on the vital elements of your printed collateral. Typically, this might be your customer’s logo, or the part of the packaging that calls attention to a new, improved recipe or special offer.
Aqueous coatings also offer the advantage of rapid drying (ensuring seamless flow from your printing press through finishing to dispatch and increasing your hourly throughput of finished materials).
Aqueous coating differs from UV coating in that by using water-based substances, it is more environmentally friendly. It also works best when used as a flood coating (to coat entire sheets).
Technicolor Dream Coatings
Just like laminating, UV and aqueous coatings both enhance and protect your final printed product. They let you offer additional value to your customers, and also burnish your reputation for technical proficiency. When used in consumer-facing applications, they can lead directly to increased brand awareness and sales – that is, a tangible ROI against the additional costs of the coating treatments.
Pictured: Coating of digital prints from Xeikon
No end to the finishes you can achieve
With Kompac Coating Systems, you can create finishes for multiple applications – many of which cannot be achieved with conventional laminating. Kompac UV and aqueous coatings even include writable and glueable finishes for maximum flexibility.
Pictured: Soft touch spot coating done by Kompac’s ONYX 30 UV and Aqueous Coating System
They have food-safe applications, as well as offering an exceptional range of finishes designed to catch the eye and be irresistible to the touch, such as high-gloss, satin, textured and soft-touch effects.
Advantage UV and aqueous coatings
When it comes to enhanced business efficiencies, UV and aqueous coatings are very hard to beat. Both processes are up to 10x faster than conventional laminating, a factor that is particularly significant when it comes to longer runs. Coating also typically delivers lower costs than laminating, helping to maintain (or even increase) your margins in a business climate where every cent counts.
Any color as long as its green
One disadvantage of laminating is that it uses significant amounts of plastic, and because of the bonding process used, this is rarely recoverable or recyclable later on. Kompac has developed a range of lower-impact coatings, with aqueous coatings in particular offering a more sustainable alternative.
Agility is probably the most important busines attribute under existing market conditions. Being able to rapidly switch to the next job reduces unprofitable downtime, and ensures that all your presses and associated systems are running at optimum output rates. With Kompac Coating Systems, you can change between coatings in just 2 minutes – not even enough time to boil the kettle.
When it comes to providing finishing solutions to your clients, expand your offering beyond laminating with Kompac. To learn more about the exciting potential of UV and aqueous coating, check out the ONYX 30 here.