By Melissa Donovan
Part 2 of 2
Aqueous and UV coatings are available for a number of printing technologies. Products vary based on finish—gloss, matte, or satin—as well as compatibility with inkjet- or toner-based output.
Product Offerings
ACTEGA North America, Inc. offers an extensive line of aqueous and UV coatings for the digital market under the trade name ACTDigi. ACTDigi aqueous and UV coatings include high gloss, satin, matte, soft touch, pearlescent, foil stamp, dry erase, raised/doming, and MotionCoat coatings.
Coatings and Adhesives Corporation offers UV and aqueous coatings. The coatings are used for many different types of print including club cards, labels of all different varieties from shampoo, oil, conditioner, and deodorant to wine bottles.
Frimpeks provides a wide portfolio of special UV coatings. This includes its TDS 38001, which is a UV-curable coating specially designed for offline coating over digitally printed sheets. This product shows excellent results on most of the brands in the market, with outstanding flow properties and high curing capability.
Kustom Group offers both UV and aqueous coatings. Both lines offer a variety of options. The UV portfolio includes gloss UV coating for toner-based inks, matte UV coating, satin UV coating, and gloss UV coating for challenging inks. Its aqueous coating line includes primer, gloss, and satin options.
MGX offers digital print-receptive coatings engineered for HP Indigo, dry toner, laser, inkjet, water-based, and UV digital printing. Water-based or UV flood coating for ink reception is available.
Value Enhancing
Vendors agree that the most notable trend in coating right now is the idea of adding value to products. Coatings are able to do this whether they are aqueous or UV, flood or spot applied.
“The latest trend has been, and remains, to add value to your product offerings. Produce and promote products that other print providers are less likely to offer, which in turn, enables one to charge a premium price point. Set yourself apart from the rest. Today, coupling digital print with inline UV coating capability—especially with two coating heads with spot coating capability on one of those heads—ensure the printer stands out from the pack,” admits Erich Midlik, EVP, Prime UV-IR Systems, Inc.
Technology advancements make it possible to do more than just gloss, matte, or satin finishes. Specialized products include soft touch, pearlescent, foil stamp, dry erase, and raised/doming. “As the inkjet ink market grows, so will the demand for inkjet coatings. These inks and coatings will be applied to different, and sometimes, temperature sensitive, substrates. This opens the door for LED curing units to replace mercury arc lamps. LED curing is the next wave of curing options. The LED curing unit not only runs much cooler, uses less energy, and lasts significantly longer than mercury lamps, it also does not contain mercury,” shares Robert Andrews, product manager, publication and commercial and paper-based packaging, ACTEGA North America.
Another interesting trend is the use of coatings that work on a project created via a hybrid of processes. “Many customers have more than one type of digital production in their facility. There is a demand for coated films that are cross platform. In other words, the print manufacturer can use the same inventory SKU and yet be able to print on two different platforms,” notes Tom Yeager, VP sales and marketing, Strata-Tac.
“We are seeing combination printing where covers are produced digitally and larger run pages printed offset and the gloss reading needs to be the same, so it is one cohesive product and does not appear as two separate items to consumers,” agrees Matt Apke, coatings product manager, Kustom Group.
Wrap Up
Many vendors offer a variety of coating options. If you are unsure of the best choice for your application, it’s wise to reach out and consult with an expert. Choosing the correct coating leads to new trends in the digital space like hybrid printing, adding value to products, and increased substrate options.
Click here to read part one of this exclusive online series, Coating Choices.
Dec2019, DPS Magazine
