Carmelia Ray
What is Print Finishing?
Your graphic design is not complete until you’re done with the print finishing. Print finishing refers to all the additions you make to your graphic design after the ink applied to the print is dried.
Print finishing not only ensures enhanced functionality but also makes your work aesthetically pleasing. A good finish goes a long way in making your design more appealing.
Keep reading to discover why finishing is essential for your prints and what techniques you can use.
1. Protection of Designs
Once the ink is dry, you want to make sure that your designs are protected from external damage from dust, water or accidents in general. There are two things you can do to give your designs long-term protection.
The first is binding. Binding is done by fastening separate pages so that they are in one collected place in the form of a book. Binding methods include stitching, adhesive binding and spiral binding. This will even help prevent wear and tear.
The second is laminating your designs. In this process, a clear plastic film is bonded to your print. Your designs will be less susceptible to water damage this way. If you want a premium laminator machine, you can find it at Sign Outlet Store.
2. Enhanced Resolution
People often tend to ignore image resolution when they’re working on graphic design projects. When files are printed on paper though, there’s a high chance that the result is not as good.
It is important to use high-resolution images when printing for designs. But if you’re still worried, you should focus on your print finishing.
This helps ensure the image quality is perfect and prevents issues like ink smudges or staining, and leaves you with a high-quality design print.
3. Compactness
You want your designs to be compact to ensure ease of carrying and fitting into folders, envelopes, or shelves. This can be done using a simple concept- folding.
Folding is a technique used frequently in all types of print media, be it magazines, catalogs, menus and newsletters, among other things.
Compactness is a useful attribute when you’re printing your creations for distribution. As an added benefit, foldability also increases the appeal of your design.
4. Keeping it Organized
It’s important to keep your prints organized. An organized design helps in easy transportability without messing up the order of your goods.
To make sure of this, you must suitably package your designs.
Packaging is another aspect of print finishing that adds value to your printed designs. Good packaging draws the customer’s eyes and is effective in conveying the contents inside.
5. Showing it Off
There’s nothing wrong with wanting to show off your masterpiece. After all, you worked so hard on it.
You can mount your graphic design to put it on display. This can be done by gluing your work to a foam or mat board. Mounting makes your design the center of attention.
6. Giving a Tactile Finish
Printing without a proper finish leaves you with a plain and boring-looking design. To spruce up your design, varnish it! Varnish is a type of liquid coating that when applied gives your design an impressive finish.
You can choose from glossy, matte, satin, or even ultraviolet (UV) varnish styles. It’s up to you whether you want a smooth or a raised three-dimensional finish.
7. Achieving the Desired Shape
Sometimes printed designs need to be molded into a shape for the final execution. That’s where an essential print finishing technique comes into play: die-cutting.
Die-cutting will help you achieve the exact shape you want for your design by forging a metal blade into that specific shape. This way, when the blade cuts into the paper, you’ll have a perfectly shaped design as the outcome.
Conclusion
The best way you can make sure your graphic designs have the highest quality possible is by giving them a good finish after printing.
There are many finishing techniques out there that you can put to use. Try and experiment with as many as you want to figure out what works best for you and your designs!
