One of the critical choices an entrepreneur made in making his product stand out is choosing the right lamination for their custom packaging and printing – matte lamination or gloss lamination. It might seem a simple decision, but this should be included in one of the vital considerations towards honing and designing a perfect packaging or printing that fits your product. In some sense, in whatever decision you do there is a ripple effect of the possible outcome, and it always ended up either good or bad. It is the same thing with choosing a specific product, design, style, packaging, and even the font, everything speaks volume, and everything impacts and create its reputation to the public.
So, first things, what is Lamination? And why is it important?
Lamination is a processing approach to producing a composite solid material by applying a thin layer of card sheets or plastic to paper to make it stronger and more durable. Its importance is an understatement since it improved the strength, stability, appearance, and sound insulation of the composite material. This process is not only to enhance but also to protect the printed matter from being damaged easily. It is usually used for book covers, magazines, price or menu lists, marketing materials, product packaging, and other printed items.
There are two famous types of laminations, matte, and gloss laminate.
MATTE LAMINATION provides a softer and more natural look than glossy lamination. It has a velvety texture with subtle effects making it look modern, high-class, and sophistication finish. Matte lamination colors are not sharply contrasting but rather they can flatten color making it a shallower depth of color. It also makes the printed package easier to read. It has an overall look of elegance which is why it is often used on luxury packaging creating an interactive experience when feeling the softness of the surface. However, when it comes to the level of protection, matte lamination can be prone to fingerprints or scratches from being shuffled around unlike gloss lamination.
GLOSS LAMINATION provides a more visible shine that enhances the color and vibrancy look contrary to matte lamination. When you want an instant high visual impact, this is the best strong option. It shows a glass-like appearance and is commonly used in business applications, such as magazine covers or presentation folders, brochure covers, and marketing pieces. It forms a protective coating over the print that is extremely suitable for items that are often used like menus, price lists, books, and other training materials. The gloss has a bright quality as light reflects upon hitting on it while on matte lamination it absorbs light.
Both matte and gloss lamination provide many similar benefits.
- From enhancing durability, it can withstand being used daily without minding that the printed pieces will get damaged.
- Improving the appearance by strengthening ink colors depending on the type of lamination, either matte or gloss, each has its characteristic, making them unique in their way. Matte lamination best go-to for printed pieces that wants the first impression that last. It is also easy to read for being transparent. While gloss lamination best go-to for printed pieces that want to stand out easily through its shiny look.
- Damage protection. Though matte and gloss lamination doesn’t have the same level of protection, they are both durable.
- Price-wise. You can assure that you can automatically extend the life of print pieces with these laminations since it will avoid reprinting the damaged pieces. You can save more money with lamination.
When thinking about what to choose between the two, analyze each pro and cons.
Depending on the situation, depends more on what type of printed pieces you will be needing a lamination. For example, in-store signage, some will be using a matte finish since it helps deflect any glare. And it is much more convenient making the piece easier to read at any corner. On the other hand, others will use gloss lamination to print items that are being delivered or used from time to time. Since gloss lamination is way cheaper and high level protected than matte.
Also, there might still be many things to consider in the lamination, including the design shapes and size of printed pieces, but what matters is you get to choose what perfectly fits your product. Despite the drawbacks of matte and gloss lamination, you can still get the best of both worlds in every way of your choice.
