Applying a metal foil (normally gold or silver) sounds simple but it has proven to be a tricky technical challenge.

Historically, special dies were used to press the foil onto the card with the design on them. These days we have invested in a Scodix digital press that uses polymers, UV curing and rolls of foil to apply wonderful designs to cards, invitations and high end packaging to exude quality.

Deciding how you fold your printing job is a key design consideration. It fundamentally affects how the information is presented to the reader.

There are 4 commonly used folds and these are described below :

Lamination refers to the process of bonding a clear plastic film onto printed matter to make it stronger and more durable. In most cases, the bonding is applied to both sides of the printed piece so that it is totally enclosed in the plastic film and this is referred to as encapsulation. This protects the print from stains, tears, moisture and other hazards that can damage or ruin it altogether. Lamination adds strength and rigidity to a printed piece and also makes the colours stand out more.

Spot UV printing is used to enhance the final finish of your print job. Once all the ink layers are laid down, any paper lamination is added, and the drying process completed first. The Spot UV is then printed on top of the paper, as a clear gloss, and then dried for the finished result.

Spot UV can be applied accurately over letters or parts of photographs or even as text over a plain matt background to add interest and intrigue to your print.

UV coating is a clear compound that is applied to paper wet, then instantly dried by ultraviolet light (UV coating is short for ultraviolet coating).

It provides a glossy sheen to your print finish – making photos more vibrant and extra durability when exposed to moisture.