What is varnish coating?
Compare varnish & lamination, Varnish is a protective coating applied during or after printing to extend the life of the printed material. It comes in a number of different styles, depending on the type of design you’re looking for – whether they need to protect against the wear and tear of everyday life, or just want something a little more stylish than standard packaging designs.
It is important to note that varnish must be applied over a mature ink design for best results. This coating will change the look of the design by enhancing the color, making it more vivid, adding shine, or darkening it, depending on the type of varnish used.
Therefore, you must use an experienced printer to understand which type of varnish is best for your specific product needs.
What is lamination
Laminating is the process in which two or more flexible packaging webs are fused together using a bonding agent. These webs are comprised of films, papers or aluminium foils. To bond the webs, a solventless adhesive is applied to the printed substrate. It is then pressed against the second substrate and heated to create a fuse. This results in a multi-layer laminate. Lamination is an essential step in the flexible packaging process. There are many functions of lamination including
- To create bespoke barrier properties that protect products from external elements such as light, moisture and gas
- To sandwich the ink and protect packaging designs
- To improve the strength of the material making it more resistant to tearing