Matt And Glossy Printing Effects – How They Are Created

The text on your printed material has to catch the reader’s eye within seconds of picking it up – and one of the best ways of drawing attention is through printing effects. Of all the printing effects out there, the choice between matt and glossy print is probably the most important of all.

Your choice of printing effects sets the tone of your whole project, from flashy, glittery, or foil-printed text, to understated matt effects that create a sophisticated image. The different styles of projects that can be created simply by choosing matt or glossy printing effects are almost endless, but how do we achieve these two very different effects? Here’s how it works.

Matt and glossy – more similar than you’d think

While matt and glossy printing effects look very different, the process that goes into making them is actually quite similar. The areas on the paper where words are printed are coated with thin layers of varnish that makes the text shinier as more varnish is added.

The biggest difference between matt and glossy print is the number of varnish layers that are applied, which means that matt print is really just ‘semi-glossy’ print, made by using the same process.

Which type should I use?

The simple answer is, it depends on the project you have in mind. Here are some things to bear in mind.

• Matt print may be less shiny and dazzling, but it works extremely well with lighter colour schemes and text-heavy printing because it’s less reflective and easier to read.
• Glossy print draws the eye to it immediately and adds unique visual appeal to any project – foil print, glitter print and ultra-high gloss print are just some of the effects that are available.

Choosing the right printing effect can be tricky, make sure you ask your printing company to help you decide on which effect will be best suited to your project.