Special Printing Effects for Flexible Packaging

Special printing effects and finishes can significantly enhance the visual appeal and functionality of flexible packaging.

Choosing the right special printing effects or finish depends on brand image, target audience, product characteristics, and regulatory requirements.

In this article, we will introduce 3 types of special printing effects and finishes for flexible packaging：

Special Printing Effect: Matte Varnish

Matte varnish, also a matte finish, is a printing technique that involves the application of matte ink through reverse printing to achieve an effect akin to brushed aluminum. This innovative technology serves as a versatile alternative to traditional matte film, offering increased flexibility to cater to individual customer requirements.

What are the Benefits of the Matte Varnish for Flexible Packaging?

• Matte Varnish provides a doll or non-glossy, smooth packaging surface that can reduce glare and give the packaging a sophisticated, tactile feel. This is in contrast to a gloss varnish which creates a shiny, glossy appearance.
• Matte varnish is often used on flexible packaging like pouches, bags, wraps, etc. that protects and enhances the visual aesthetics of the packaging, giving it a premium look and feel.
• Matte varnish printing provides a barrier for flexible packaging, shielding against factors like moisture, abrasion, and fingerprints, and protecting printed graphics and text. This helps prevent the fading, smudging, or abrasion of printing details.
• Matte varnish printing results in a more upscale packaging appearance, giving it a premium, high-quality feel. The flat yet decorative finish creates visual interest while maintaining the clarity of brand colors and information, elevating the brand’s presence.
• Matte varnish printing technology typically utilizes environmentally friendly inks, such as water-based inks, which help reduce environmental pollution. This aligns with the current trend towards environmental sustainability and meets consumers’ demand for eco-friendly products.

Glossy Finish VS Matte Varnish

How does matte varnish compare to glossy finishes in terms of performance?

• From a visual perspective, matte varnish reduces glare and reflections compared to glossy finishes. This soft appearance is preferred by some brands seeking a more subtle aesthetic. Unlike smooth glossy surfaces, it does not display fingerprints, grease marks, or external reflections, allowing brands to maintain visual consistency.

• Matte varnish is often more resistant to wear and tear than gloss, improving durability over time. The surface treatment is less prone to scratching or abrasion.

Matte varnish offers a good balance of protection and visual appeal.

Special Printing Effects: Spot Varnish

Spot varnishing is a printing technology that refers to applying a transparent coating layer to targeted areas of the printing material, rather than coating the entire surface. The coating can be glossy or matte, depending on the desired effect of the customer.

This method allows for selective emphasis on certain design elements by creating a contrast between varnished and unvarnished areas.

Spot varnish / Selective varnishing typically utilizes screen printing, flexography, or digital printing techniques which require precise alignment to ensure the coating is only applied to designated locations.

• Spot varnish can highlight specific design elements like logos, images, or text, making them stand out from the rest of the packaging. This contrast creates a visually eye-catching effect that can draw consumer attention.
• The application of spot varnish can add a tactile quality to packaging. This can enhance the haptic experience for consumers, making products feel more premium and appealing.
• Through the creative use of spot varnish, brands can distinguish their products from competitors. Design features highlighted uniquely by selective varnishing can become part of the brand identity, aiding recognition and recall.
• Spot varnish can also provide practical benefits, such as protecting key design aspects from wear. For example, it could be applied to text to prevent smudging or to images to prevent fading.
• Adding spot varnish in certain areas can produce a sense of depth and dimensionality on the packaging. This can make flat designs appear more vibrant and three-dimensional.
• Spot varnish can be used to selectively apply either gloss or matte effects. For example, glossy varnishing spots on a matte backdrop can create a subtle yet sophisticated look, while matte varnishing spots on a glossy backdrop can introduce an elegant hint.

Special Printing Effects: Metallic Printing

In flexible packaging, metallic printing involves using metallic inks or metallic foils to produce metallic effects on packaging materials.

Metallic printing in flexible packaging is both aesthetically pleasing and practical, making products more appealing while also potentially extending their shelf life and performance.

• Metallic printing adds an eye-catching shine and premium look to packaging through metallic shadows, gloss, and shimmering effects.
• The glamorous sparkle attracts consumer attention on shelves amid competing products. It helps brands stand out by giving packaging a premium look and feel compared to standard print methods.
• Metallic layers can act as barriers to moisture, oxygen, bacteria, and light, thus protecting contents,
  which can enhance the shelf life of products.
• Metallic coatings or foils reinforce packaging and allow withstanding stresses of transportation, storage, and handling.
• Metallization lends packages a distinctive metallic look that aids brand visibility and recall value.
• Metallic inks permit the innovation of different textures, designs, and hues onto flexible substrates. It allows for intricate designs and detailed graphics, enabling creative freedom in packaging design

Gold Stamping

Gold stamping, also known as hot foil stamping, is a process in flexible packaging that applies metallic foil (typically gold or silver) onto packaging materials.

Foil stamping is a general term that does not necessarily mean the color stamped is gold. Foil stamping paper comes in many colors, with the most common ones being gold, silver, laser gold, laser silver, black, red, white, etc. The suitable foil stamping color can be selected based on the flexible packaging design.

Gold stamping creates a very aesthetically pleasing effect with clear patterns and a metallic texture on the surface. It can be used as an accent or to highlight designs on flexible packaging by applying it to logos and names. The foil stamping process imparts a premium, luxurious look and feel to products, elevating their tactile quality and added value.

• Visually appealing metallic appearance
• Crisp and detailed imprints
• Ability to emphasize design elements
• Conveyance of luxury and prestige
• Enhancement of product perceived value

Gold stamping is a technique that beautifies flexible packaging designs while imparting a quality image to packaged products and brands.

What are the key factors to consider when choosing special printing effects?

Thoroughly evaluating these criteria will help determine the optimal special printing effects for your packaging needs and priorities.

• Brand image/aesthetics – Consider which fits your branding better.
• Substrate/print process – Ensure compatibility.
• Durability needs – Consider abrasion/wear risks.
• Reflectivity – Matte eliminates glare/reflections better than glossy. Consider if these need to be minimized or not.
• Budget – Consider costs.
• Sustainability priorities – Compare coating chemistries/production methods. Choose lower footprint options if sustainability is key.

CONTACT KINDERWAY PACKAGING FOR ALL OF THESE SEPCIAL PRINTING EFFECTS.