Print finishes are something I have not had too much experience with as a graphic design student. I have been meaning to research and experiment with them for some time now as I have always been attracted to some of the effects that can be achieved with them. I believe that they can be very appealing to an audience and can push a project further in the right direction.
Embossing / Debossing / Letterpress
Generally, embossing refers to raising parts
of the page for emphasis and texture. This print finish adds physical depth to
the embossed elements and thus, shadows and highlights are also produced in the
design. Embossing also adds a tactile dimension to your design. Images and text
are literally felt. Often, embossing can be combined with other printing
techniques such as foil stamping to enhance the effects of both techniques. Letterpress printing is one of the oldest
printing techniques available. Some printers may call letterpress printing by
the term debossing. A letterpress is used to depress or indent certain portions
of the page. It can be seen as the opposite of embossing. Traditionally, the
letterpress technique was used only for applying ink on a page as a form of
relief printing and usually only for text. But it has evolved to also include
pressing logos and other design elements directly into the paper substrate.
http://designinstruct.com/print-design/print-finishes/
Embossing is a technique that I want to experiment with and apply to design work sometime during university. I'm aware that we have the resources to do embossing at college. Although creating the embossing plate might take a while to do, embossing generally makes good use for large runs. This method requires no printing and no ink. The finished product has a tactile quality to it.
http://designinstruct.com/print-design/print-finishes/
Embossing is a technique that I want to experiment with and apply to design work sometime during university. I'm aware that we have the resources to do embossing at college. Although creating the embossing plate might take a while to do, embossing generally makes good use for large runs. This method requires no printing and no ink. The finished product has a tactile quality to it.
Foiling
Foil stamping is the use of a malleable metallic material applied to the print surface by using heat and pressure. Foil stamping adds reflective properties to various elements of your design and can serve to add a bit of luxury to your project. Typically, it is used on text and the logo on the page or when certain elements call for it. This method allows for a true metallic look on print. However foiling is relatively expensive. It does work in conjunction with embossing/debossing too. In college theres a foiling machine in the Library and using gold/silver foil is something I have been meaning to try for awhile. Although for this project I don't think using gold or silver would benefit my advertisement for the website in anyway. Perhaps if the colour gold or silver was one of my colour used throughout the ethos.
I came across this example online and had never seen anything like it before. These business cards use a special type of foil fore-edge process on the edges as well as a diffraction foil effect used on the words which sit on the white side of the card. This effect is downright radical. I would love to experiment with something like this. I searched online for results which could tell me where this could be done or printed but I haven't had any real answers. I came across the term 'holographic foil' which could be the material used on these business cards below. I did an image search on the term and it came up with pictures of foil with the same rainbow effect. I'm pretty sure some digital printers could achieve this, I remember seeing similar foil at Pressision printers in Leeds.
Spot Varnish
Spot varnishes are paper varnishes applied to the printing surface and is cured or hardened by UV light during the printing process. This results in a glossy coating on the surface of your print. UV varnishes are usually used as a spot application where only specific parts of the page get a UV varnish. This effectively gives texture and focal interest to different areas of the printing surface while leaving other areas untreated.
Spot varnish allows its surface to change at different angles/under different light. It creates a subtle layer to a design and creates a highlight. If I were to use spot varnish it would probably be on something like a business card or for a title of a hardback book.
Spot varnishes are paper varnishes applied to the printing surface and is cured or hardened by UV light during the printing process. This results in a glossy coating on the surface of your print. UV varnishes are usually used as a spot application where only specific parts of the page get a UV varnish. This effectively gives texture and focal interest to different areas of the printing surface while leaving other areas untreated.
Spot varnish allows its surface to change at different angles/under different light. It creates a subtle layer to a design and creates a highlight. If I were to use spot varnish it would probably be on something like a business card or for a title of a hardback book.
UV / Neon Ink
Neon ink can creates bright colours that can't be created using CMYK ink. Neon reacts differently under UV lights and can be utilised to create a dynamic image. I have screen printed with fluorescent inks before but I have never used neon in coordination with a uv light of any kind. I think it would be interesting to combine a finished product using neon/uv ink in an environment that used a uv light or light with uv filter to make use of the printed design. It can be taken advantage of in dark light conditions and be used for an effective, eye catching design.
Neon ink can creates bright colours that can't be created using CMYK ink. Neon reacts differently under UV lights and can be utilised to create a dynamic image. I have screen printed with fluorescent inks before but I have never used neon in coordination with a uv light of any kind. I think it would be interesting to combine a finished product using neon/uv ink in an environment that used a uv light or light with uv filter to make use of the printed design. It can be taken advantage of in dark light conditions and be used for an effective, eye catching design.
Glow In The Dark Ink
Glow in the dark inks contain optically active pigments which absorb light, store it, then emit it again over a long period of time. The technology is used primarily on signs and in cars for things like speedometers – but of course, it’s used on paper print too. It’s mainly screen printed but can be litho printed too. The main thing to bear in mind is that the inks don’t cover other inks very well so it’s advised that they’re printed directly onto unprinted but sealed plain white/black. Once printed, the inks tend to be pretty rough to the touch. If you’d rather have a smooth finish, they can be overlaminated afterwards to give a glossy effect without imparing the glow. One other thing worth noting is that they shouldn’t be printed over areas that need to be creased, trimmed or folded.
http://printbrain.webmartuk.com/print-for-marketers/glow-in-the-dark-inks/
Glow in the dark ink can allow for some dynamic imagery that can change depending on the lighting. It's especially good for use in dark environments of course as it lights up. If I had a project that was relevant to darkness, the night time or had a concept similar I would definitely consider using glow in the dark inks. I think it's an exciting method to try out and I haven't come across much of it myself. I would love to see more of it being used.
Glow in the dark inks contain optically active pigments which absorb light, store it, then emit it again over a long period of time. The technology is used primarily on signs and in cars for things like speedometers – but of course, it’s used on paper print too. It’s mainly screen printed but can be litho printed too. The main thing to bear in mind is that the inks don’t cover other inks very well so it’s advised that they’re printed directly onto unprinted but sealed plain white/black. Once printed, the inks tend to be pretty rough to the touch. If you’d rather have a smooth finish, they can be overlaminated afterwards to give a glossy effect without imparing the glow. One other thing worth noting is that they shouldn’t be printed over areas that need to be creased, trimmed or folded.
http://printbrain.webmartuk.com/print-for-marketers/glow-in-the-dark-inks/
Glow in the dark ink can allow for some dynamic imagery that can change depending on the lighting. It's especially good for use in dark environments of course as it lights up. If I had a project that was relevant to darkness, the night time or had a concept similar I would definitely consider using glow in the dark inks. I think it's an exciting method to try out and I haven't come across much of it myself. I would love to see more of it being used.
http://www.dezeen.com/2011/08/05/good-ideas-glow-in-the-dark-by-bruketazinic-and-brigada/
Die Cutting / Laser Cutting
Die-cutting is a process used in many different industries to cut a thin flat material (in our case, paper) into a specific shape using a steel cutting die. It can be used to punch out a decorative shape or pattern to incorporate within a larger piece, or it can be used to create the main shape of an object by cutting the entire sheet of paper in an distinct/designed way. More simply put: for us it’s way of making a hole in paper in a desired shape using the same presses that we use for letterpress printing.
Die cutting involves creating a unique die that cuts the paper exactly the same every time, it can allow windows or fold within the design, as well as custom paper shapes.
Die cutting is unfortunately not cheap, it's expensive. It's high minimum order and it creates a tactile quality to it. I have yet to experiment with this method. Laser cutting which can create similar things is available at college and is something I want to incorporate into a project. I have used it at school and sixth form for product design but not for graphic design. Laser cutting doesn't cost us students anything apart from the materials we use.
Electroluminescent Ink
"When someone brings up silk-screening, you might think of hand-made t-shirts or concert posters. What you probably don’t think of is electric current and glowing surfaces. But at the University of Pennsylvania, traditional screen-printing and high technology are colliding to create incredible, eye-melting artistic experiments. Orkan Telhan is an artist and Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at UPenn who works at the intersection of design, engineering, and interactivity. During last month’s visit to the Common Press, Telhan was kind of enough to show us some recent forays into the use of electroluminescent and electrochromic inks. These are inks that respond to electric current by emitting light and changing opacity, respectively. When silk-screened onto clear plastic sheets, artists can produce gorgeous designs. Throw microcontrollers and sensors into the mix, and the possibilities are endless. The experiments are simple yet beautiful, and it only takes a little imagination to think of how these technologies can be applied on a larger, more complex scale. There are already companies using these concepts for things like windows that change from see-through to opaque based on the flip of a switch, but it is fascinating to see what artists conjure up, outside of commercial applications."
http://gizmodo.com/this-silk-screened-art-glows-with-electroluminescent-in-589610692
Die-cutting is a process used in many different industries to cut a thin flat material (in our case, paper) into a specific shape using a steel cutting die. It can be used to punch out a decorative shape or pattern to incorporate within a larger piece, or it can be used to create the main shape of an object by cutting the entire sheet of paper in an distinct/designed way. More simply put: for us it’s way of making a hole in paper in a desired shape using the same presses that we use for letterpress printing.
Die cutting involves creating a unique die that cuts the paper exactly the same every time, it can allow windows or fold within the design, as well as custom paper shapes.
Die cutting is unfortunately not cheap, it's expensive. It's high minimum order and it creates a tactile quality to it. I have yet to experiment with this method. Laser cutting which can create similar things is available at college and is something I want to incorporate into a project. I have used it at school and sixth form for product design but not for graphic design. Laser cutting doesn't cost us students anything apart from the materials we use.
Electroluminescent Ink
"When someone brings up silk-screening, you might think of hand-made t-shirts or concert posters. What you probably don’t think of is electric current and glowing surfaces. But at the University of Pennsylvania, traditional screen-printing and high technology are colliding to create incredible, eye-melting artistic experiments. Orkan Telhan is an artist and Assistant Professor of Fine Arts at UPenn who works at the intersection of design, engineering, and interactivity. During last month’s visit to the Common Press, Telhan was kind of enough to show us some recent forays into the use of electroluminescent and electrochromic inks. These are inks that respond to electric current by emitting light and changing opacity, respectively. When silk-screened onto clear plastic sheets, artists can produce gorgeous designs. Throw microcontrollers and sensors into the mix, and the possibilities are endless. The experiments are simple yet beautiful, and it only takes a little imagination to think of how these technologies can be applied on a larger, more complex scale. There are already companies using these concepts for things like windows that change from see-through to opaque based on the flip of a switch, but it is fascinating to see what artists conjure up, outside of commercial applications."
http://gizmodo.com/this-silk-screened-art-glows-with-electroluminescent-in-589610692
I came across this awesome article online when researching into print finishes. I think this technology is crazy and has so much creative potential. Creating glitchy designs and printing them onto clear plastic sheets with electroluminescent inks would be wild! Hopefully this technology and inks become more accessible in the near future, although there is more too it than just inks and paper. There are different aspects to be considered when using this technology, which is more complicated than your normal screen printing. Take a minute to watch the video below which explains how the process is done. I would still love to be able to play around with this stuff.
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