When working on your marketing materials, you have to decide between the different types of finishes you can do on your print materials.  Sometimes, there are so many options, you need help deciding what the best finish is for each job.

To help you decide what is best for your needs, the first question to ask is if you want a matte look or a glossy look. Once you decide which style you are looking to achieve, we can then present you different specialty finishes. Here is a guide on when to choose a matte or glossy print.

Matte Finish

Matte finishes on printed material, like on paints, do not have a shine, and do not reflect light.  A matte finish is silky and smooth to the touch. Here are two matte finishes that we can offer you:

Standard Matte

– Considered to have become one of the more popular options.
– This finish is created by placing a special ink on a coated stock.
– Usually the most cost-effective option.

Our Matte / Silk Lamination

– A smoother finish than a Standard Matte.
– Colours will appear softer, and more elegant with the smooth lamination.
– This process is applied after the ink has dried from printing, making it more expensive than other matte options.

We would recommend a matte finish to you when you:

– Want softer colours
– Want your product to be elegant and understated
– Are using your printed product in an environment where people will feel the print

Glossy Finish

Gloss finishes can be very glossy depending on which finish, and can reflect light. By allowing for the reflection of light, it will show of a beautiful sheen. Here are three different types of gloss finishing:

AQ Coating

– Is a semi-gloss finish that allows you to have a finish in between gloss and matte.
– Can help offer some protection from dirt and oily hands.

UV Coating

– Considered to be one of the shiniest finishes.
– This helps the colours appear more vibrant.

Gloss Lamination

– Rather than a spray coating, like AQ or UV this is a glossy lamination that is applied after printing, similar to the matte lamination.
– This will allow for a protective layer from dirt, as well as helping with an overall shine.

We would recommend a glossy finish to you when you:

– Want printed colours to appear stronger
– Want sharper, more detailed images
– Are using the printed product as a sales piece

There are so many different finishes that can be used on printed materials. On top of just using one of the above methods, you could use multiple methods (like a matte lamination and a spot UV) to have a matte business card, and only highlight one or two areas with the gloss. Just remember that the finishing depends on your company branding, product design and function. To find out what other finishes there are call us and ask!

AQ gloss finish gloss lamination marketing matte finish Matte lamination print spot UV UV