If you do not know too much about the printing business then you may not have heard of the term print finishing before. This refers to the way in which the printed matter may be completed after it has come out of the printer. For those with little knowledge of printing procedures, you may be forgiven for thinking that this would not involve too much but the truth of the matter is that there are a number of procedures and processes that really do enhance the materials and they are quite complex. Below are a few of the processes that might be carried out during the print finishing stage.
Die Cutting and Creasing
Die cutting or creasing is a very common print finishing process and this procedure involves removing any excess paper that does not make up the finished matter. Die cutting involves an area of about three millimetres around the printed work being cut away. The artwork will have extended out beyond the proper size and this is often referred to as the ‘bleed’. By removing the bleed, the artwork will not have any unnecessary borders. At the same time that the artwork is die cut, it will also be creased which is the process of folding the material into the correct layout. There may be some jobs which will not require any creasing to take place but there may be other types of work that will involve a number of different folds such as in the case of leaflets or brochures.
Laminating
Laminating is also very popular in terms of print finishing. This is when the printed material is coated with a very thin layer of plastic on the back and the front. The two pieces of plastic are sealed together around the printed material with heat. There are a couple of laminate finishes that might be applied such as gloss or matt. Laminated materials are much stronger and far better quality. Another benefit of laminating is the fact that it can often enhance the artwork on a printed poster for example.
Other Types of Print Finishing
There are many other types of print finishing such as punching, perforating, numbering, guillotining, collating or drilling and these processes are done to make sure the printed materials are more presentable by being well organised. At this stage you may also want to have your printed matter stapled, bound or stitched to keep all the documents together. Types of materials that might require these types of print finishing are magazines, booklets or brochures.
Print finishing can also be used to make the finished product look more decorative. Foiling for example is a great way to ensure that your materials have a very high quality finish. Another benefit of foiling is that it offers authenticity and makes your materials more secure. There are various types of foils that can be used these days.