Guidelines

For lamination and coating processes, the following guidelines should be observed in preparing your press sheets. Our specialists are available to answer any technical questions you may have.

• Press sheets should have ½″ margins on all four sides due to gripper and side guide requirements. Sheets larger than 45″ x 45″ require 1″ margins on all four sides and should be printed on 95# or better.
• Rule up and mark a layout sheet to show coverage areas, trim marks, bleed marks, and fold / score lines.
• Mark sample / special sheets and different lots, so they may be kept separate in loads.
• Inks should be free of wax, silicone, teflon, and other additives to assure proper adhesion of films and coatings.
• Rhodamine reds, purples and reflex blues are not recommended. Due to chemical composition, they may undergo some color change when laminated or coated, particularly when UV Coating is used.
• Special care should be taken with Metallic inks. Due to chemical composition, they may impede the adhesion of laminating films and UV coatings. Fake metallic ink can be substituted to avoid adhesion issues.
• Allow 24 to 48 hours of drying time of your coated sheets, before coating or laminating to assure proper adhesion.
• Allow a minimum of 24 hours of drying time after laminating or coating before further finishing processes to assure proper cure of adhesives and coatings.
• Ink offset spray powder should be kept to a minimum for optimum appearance. UV coating, in particular, highlights the presence of spray powders.