WHAT IS UV COATING & MATTE DULL FINISH?

UV COATING & MATTE DULL FINISH

Before today’s generation of printing equipment, business cards all pretty much looked the same. They were printed on a white woven stock, and had raised black ink lettering. Today’s standards are a little bit different, with the advent of aqueous and UV coating. The coating process is performed after printing, but before cutting. The cardstock is uncoated by default, as you could probably guess. The various coating is explained below.

WHAT IS UV COATING?

UV Coating is named the way it is because the liquid coating is dried onto the cardstock via ultraviolet light. UV coating has the highest sheen and reflectivity to it. It’s important to note that it’s not possible to write on UV coated prints.

UV Coat is also water resistant (but not waterproof!). That’s part of the reason nightclubs take advantage of UV coat and slap the postcard on your windshield. If it starts sprinkling outside, the card will still be mostly ok. Uncoated materials do not have this luxury.

When bent or folded however, UV coat has the tendency to crack and peel off, unless the cardstock is scored.

WHAT IS MATTE FINISH OR DULL FINISH?

Matte Dull finish prevents light from reflecting off the card. This serves the complete opposite as UV, whose purpose is to shine vibrantly. Since it’s not as heavy in gloss as other coatings, Matte Dull can be written on with most standard ink pens.