Design Production: Finishes

Foil stamping is a special kind of printing procedure where heat, pressure, and a metallic paper (foil) is used to create different shiny designs and graphics on various materials. Foil stamping gives the stamped design a shiny and incredible look and is increasingly becoming the preferred method of printing in many an industry.
http://www.whatisfoilstamping.com

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Varnishing
A range of coatings to give your printing a wow! factor
Want to really make your printing grab your audience’s attention? Including varnishing can:   Create a great first impression about you   Instantly raise the interest level of the recipient   Add to the drama and punch of your message   Increases the perceived value of your product   Make your printing more likely to be read and kept!

What is Varnishing?
A varnish is a liquid coating applied to a printed surface (for example the outside of a presentation folder) to add a clear glossy, matte, satin, or neutral finish. Varnishing, also referred to as Coating or Sealing, can be carried out ‘online’ (the varnish is applied directly (within seconds) after the ink is put on the paper), or ‘offline’ by a separate machine, some time after printing. There are various kinds of varnish that can be applied to printing, but all share some common characteristics: A varnish increases colour absorption and speeds up the drying process. By 'locking in' in the ink under a protective coat, the varnish helps to prevebt the ink rubbing off when the paper is subjected to handling. Varnishes are used most frequently, and succesfully on coated papers.
These are the major types of varnishing available:
Gloss Varnishing
A gloss varnish is often used to enhance the appearance of printed photographs in brochures or flyers, as the coating reflects back the light and makes colours appear richer and more vivid. A gloss coating can add impact to your print, especially in sales or promotional material, where optimum presentation of images is paramount.
Matte Varnishing
A matte (or matt - the spellings are interchangeable) varnish gives the printed surface a non-glossy, smooth look. This type of seal is sometimes considered to ‘soften’ the appearance of a printed image. Small text in a leaflet or booklet is easier to read on a surface coated with matt vanish as the coating scatters the light, reducing glare.
Silk / Satin Varnishing
Naturally enough, this coating represents the ‘middle ground’ between the two above, being neither as glossy as a true gloss, nor as subtle as a matt.
Machine Sealing
A machine seal is a basic, and virtually invisible coating applied to a printed item by the printer. It does not affect the appearance of the job, but as it ‘seals’ the ink under a protective coat, the printer need not wait so long for the job to be dry enough to handle. It is often used when producing fast turnaround printing such as leaflets on matt and satin (silk) papers, as inks dry more slowly on these materials.
UV Varnishing
Ultra Violet (UV) Varnishing is a process for achieving an even more striking type of coating on your printed material. Requiring the use of special Ultraviolet drying machinery, a UV coating is like a deluxe version of the non-UV varnishes, with the varnish appearing noticeably richer and more luxurious. A UV varnish can be applied as either an all-over coating, or as a spot varnish:
All-over UV varnish
Simply put, this is a UV seal applied all over the printed surface. A gloss UV varnish seal is the most common type of all-over UV varnish, (perhaps because this finish really does give a very high gloss effect, more so than with a laminate in many cases) although silk and matt are also available.
Spot UV Varnish
As the name suggests, a Spot Varnish is applied to chosen spots (areas), of a printed piece. This has the affect of highlighting and drawing attention to that part of the design, but it also provides the additional visual stimulus of having varied textures on a single printed surface. This adds a lot of interest, and can identify the printing as a premium piece of literature in the perception of the reader. One very effective technique is to apply a UV gloss spot varnish on top of matt laminated printing. This achieves maximum contrast between the highly reflective shiny UV coating and the light-absorbing matt laminate, and can, for instance, create a striking first impression on presentation folders or a brochure cover.
Textured Spot UV Varnish
In four finishes: Sandpaper, Leather, Crocodile Skin and Raised A textured spot UV varnish allows the creative designer not only to surprise the recipient of the printing with a mix of textures on the same printed surface, but also to reinforce the tactile properties of the product he or she is depicting. For example, a manufacturer of ornamental glassware could use a raised effect gloss UV varnish to give a highly reflective, 3-dimensional portrayal of a featured piece of glass work, or an interior design company could use a combination of leather, sandpaper or crocodile skin varnishes to highlight some of the different textures the company works with. http://www.printingdirect.com/information/varnishing.php Debossing and embossing are two techniques used to imprint images onto paper, leather, or vinyl. In embossing, an image is pressed into the material so that the image raises from the surface. Debossing is the opposite of embossing; the area around the image is pressed so that the image is pushed down into the material rather than raised.   To emboss an image, a logo or artwork must be used as a template in order to cut a metal die and a corresponding counter-die. Dies are made of brass, copper, or magnesium. Brass dies are stronger and they will last longer with repeated use. They are used for multi-level and detailed designs, such as an imprint of a human face. Copper, though usually cheaper than brass, will not withstand as many impressions and it will not be as effective for multi-level printing. Magnesium is much weaker than brass and copper, and it is used one time for simple, single-level impressions.   To begin the embossing process, the material is fit between the two dies and a press and heat are used to squeeze the die imprint into the material. The result is a raised and exact copy of the logo or artwork. The embossed area is smooth because the heat and pressure act like an iron.   Embossing can be used with textiles, paper, and non-woven materials such as tissue paper, vinyl or leather padfolios. Color register embossed printing is embossing with the addition of colored ink, and blind embossing is embossing without the addition of ink. Foil stamping can be used in conjunction with embossing, and this process is called combination or combo stamping.   The deboss process is the same as that for embossing, except debossing raises the material around the die impression rather than raising the design area itself. Brass, copper, and magnesium dies are used in the debossing process as well.    There are several debossing techniques. A blind deboss is used with screen-printing or foil stamping. With the screen process, the art or design is first printed onto the material and then the outline of the print is debossed using a die exactly registered to the silk screen print. In foil stamping, the foil is transferred to the material using a special die and then the same die is used to deboss the area. Debossing is less complicated than embossing, and when done in conjunction with silk screen printing, it results in a colorful and more detailed rendering of artwork and lettering.   Debossing and embossing are preferred methods of imprinting onto materials such as leather or vinyl. For promotional gifts on the executive level, debossed and embossed leather or vinyl make elegant reproductions of a company logo or name. http://www.qualitylogoproducts.com/lib/what-isa-deboss.htm