Choosing the right paper stock or coating for your project is important to achieve the desired result.
What is uncoated paper?
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All paper stock starts out uncoated. Uncoated paper has a porous, uneven, and slightly rougher surface which allows it to absorb ink readily and dry quickly. However, because uncoated paper absorbs more ink, it may have less resistance to rubbing or scuffing.
What is coated paper?
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Coated paper has a smooth coating applied to its surface, which reduces the paper's natural porosity and creates a more uniform printing surface. This allows the ink to sit closer to the surface rather than being absorbed deeply into the paper, resulting in sharper images, cleaner text, and greater color clarity.
What is coated finishing?
Coating finishes are applied after the ink. They are often used to enhance the appearance of graphics. These coatings also protect the printed surface from scratching, marring, fingerprints and dirt by increasing the rub and scuff resistance.
Coating finishes improve durability of the printed pieces during shipment through to the end use of items such as postcards, brochures, catalog covers, flyers. Coating finishes can also be used on enhance economy-grade paper by improving gloss and providing a smoother touch.
What is aqueous coating?
An aqueous coating is a water-based coating applied to a printed piece to enhance the graphics with a matte or gloss finish and to provide added durability and protection. Aqueous coatings provide good rub and scuff resistance.
What's the difference between an aqueous coating and UV coating?
Aqueous coatings are dried by hot air, UV coatings are almost instantly dried and cured by ultraviolet light. UV coatings are tougher and more slippery than aqueous. A ballpoint pen can be used to write on an aqueous coating, but not on most UV coatings. UV coatings can achieve a higher gloss.
What is spot UV finishing?
A matte, silk, satin or glossy finish can be applied to specific "spot" areas of the printed piece such as photographs and graphic images. For this type of coating, a liquid is applied to the printed paper and exposed to an ultraviolet light which rapidly cures and bonds it to the paper.
