SPECIAL EFFECTS
DIE CUTTING, EMBOSSING, LAMINATING, VARNISHING & HOT FOILING
WHY USE A SPECIAL EFFECT?
A Designer must take into account the following when deciding if a special effect is necessary…
· It adds extra cost to the item to be printed
· It’s only used for quality products?
· It adds extra manufacturing time to production of the printed product
· Which effects are most suitable for the product?
EMBOSSING
· A design is pushed into the paper or cards surface using an embossing tool. This raises the surface of the material.
· Often used to add emphasis to a design. Gives a very high quality feel to the product.
DIE CUTTING
· An image is cut out or perforated using a steel stamp.
· The Die (the cutter) is pressed onto the paper or card under high pressure.
· Used to cut out all mass produced packaging nets. Also good for decorative effects and windows.
LAMINATION
· A product is bonded between two pieces of thin plastic to protect its surface.
· Usually used for very high quality packaging, e.g. fragrance packaging or posters & menus.
· The same process as foil lamination (see packaging materials)
VARNISHING
· The surface of the paper or card is sprayed with oil or water varnish to give a glossy effect and protect it.
· Usually used for glossy magazine covers,
· SPOT VARNISHING is where a certain part of a design is varnished to emphasise it.
UV (Ultra Violet) VARNISHING
· UV VARNISHING is where UV light is used to dry the varnish instantly after application, speeding up production times.
HOT FOIL BLOCKING
This is where a design is applied to card or paper in a metallic foil
It is done using a metal die (stamp), which is heated up and then used to press the foil onto the package.
FOLDING BARS
These are bars which fold a package once it has been scored and cut with a die cutter
A metal bar presses down onto the paper or board and folds it precisely.
