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 prevent 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.

At Flyerpress we often seal work for people, mainly on lumi or claro papers though as they have less chalk in them that the more porous papers that are used for headed paper for example.