Our print finishes

Lamination adds a plastic coating to the finished product. It’s a durable finish, offering protection from cracking and scuffing, and prolongs the life of the item. Lamination also looks and feels great. Ideal for hardcover books and catalogues, lamination prevents paper from tearing, folds from cracking, and ink from transferring or rubbing onto fingers.

Lamination can elevate the quality and durability of a finished print project, but it can also alter the final colour of a product ever so slightly. Lamination is highly recommended for ink-heavy projects.

Matt lamination

Offers a soft look and feel. Our customers find the matt lamination for product covers can deliver a 'natural' look whilst retaining strength and quality. Matt laminate also offers protection against discoloration and fading. Samples available on request.

Gloss lamination

A gloss laminate is the perfect solution to catch the eye with high-contrast colours and sheen. Gloss tends to be used for more high-profile products. Gloss laminate adds a high gloss sheen which is often used on brochure covers, menus, magazine covers or presentation folders. Samples available on request.

Soft touch lamination

Adds a velvety-soft feel to print materials. Soft touch is a perfect finish for premium print products. It is often used for brochure and book covers to showcase a distinctive high-end finish. A soft touch encourages people to engage with the product due to its appealing surface. Samples available on request.

Soft touch coating

Just like the laminate a soft touch coating adds a velvety-soft feel to print materials. Soft touch coating also provides a perfect finish for premium print products. It is often used as a more sustainable eco-friendly finish for brochure and book covers. Samples available on request.

UV Matt coating

UV matt coating protects the underlying material from such radiation’s harmful effects. The coating hardens, or cures when it is exposed to the ultra violet. Samples available on request.

UV Gloss coating

UV Gloss provides a brilliant glossy sheen. UV coating, or ultraviolet coating, is a very glossy, shiny liquid coating applied to a printed paper surface’s and then cured on a press or special machine using ultraviolet light. Just like the Matt coating it is cured when exposed to the ultra violet radiation. Samples available on request.

The PrintMX Anti-microbial coating is the first antimicrobial water-based coating for the print industry. This invention is unique and has a highly effective antimicrobial function for all types of printed collateral. Bacteria can survive from hours to months - in some cases even years have been reported - on dry inanimate surfaces (and thus transferred by hands or objects).

Whether menus, books, cards, or packaging everything that is passed through multiple hands potentially serves as a “transporter” for germs such as bacteria, viruses, or fungi. These can also include germs that can cause serious illnesses such as Covid 19.

Test reports show how successful this coating is in reducing the bacterial count which means that 99.5% of the bacteria are killed. The antimicrobial effect is activated by visible light and oxygen.

Foil blocking

Foil blocking (or hot foil stamping) is the process of applying metallic or pigment foil to paper or card. At PrintMX we offer this service in house and heat stamp dies onto the foil. Gold and Silver foils are used to highlight a product as premium or category leading.

Spot UV

Spot UV is commonly used for its decorative effect as light catches the partially coated portion of the paper. When a Spot UV is applied to a specific area of artwork it creates an eye-catching shiny contrast. This contrast is perfect for highlighting premium images on the print. Samples available on request.

There are a number of reasons why you might not want any type of finish on your print project, both practical and artistic. If you intend for your product to be recyclable, don’t apply a laminate finish. Paper is shredded when recycled, and the plastic coating from lamination can be a contaminant.

Using an uncoated paper can help you achieve a rustic, artistic, eco-friendly look. The paper retains an earthy, natural texture if left unfinished. Please be aware that we don’t offer lamination for uncoated, natural, or recycled papers.

This is because uncoated papers absorb a lot of ink, so they aren’t a good candidate for laminate coatings. If the laminate is applied over an uncoated paper that doesn’t have enough ink coverage, it will start to peel off.

If you’re choosing uncoated, natural, or recycled paper, you probably appreciate the more natural appearance and feel of it. Any type of lamination would negate the aesthetic effects of those paper choices.