What is lamination?
Lamination is the application of a protective plastic film (matt or glossy) onto printed graphics. This protects the graphics from scratches or moisture. At the same time, it strengthens the printed material and gives it a more premium, exclusive look.
When to use lamination
Lamination is especially recommended for smooth matte papers, which do not absorb ink as deeply and are prone to scratching or smudging (either from each other or from the environment). These papers mainly include Matt paper with a weight of 200 – 350 gsm and Glossy paper with a weight of 400 gsm. Conversely, creative papers with various types of texture are highly absorbent and do not require surface treatment by lamination.
Lamination provides your printed product with the following benefits
- Scratch resistance for your graphics
- Ink will not smudge onto blank/white areas of the paper
- The product becomes more durable overall and gains a more luxurious look
- The product receives basic resistance to water and grease
- Lamination can also be applied to one side only. For example, on postcards or greeting cards, so that the other side remains easy to write on.
Matt lamination softens colors (therefore, when using lamination, the color saturation of the graphics changes slightly compared to the original).
Glossy lamination enhances colors (therefore, when using lamination, the color saturation of the graphics changes slightly compared to the original).
