Visualize Varnish Finish back to reading room
While it is one of the best ways to protect a print piece, using a varnish can make your designs more memorable

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There are a lot of things that go into making a print project look great. From design to photo selection to paper weight and binding, everything is important to the look of the final printed product.

But there is one thing that can make your printed piece shine—a varnish. Used to protect a page or print product from scuffing, wear, ink rub or smearing, a clear varnish coating can really enhance photographs or graphics and focus your reader’s attention.

Typically added to a finished print piece, a varnish can be applied in two ways. An overprint or flood varnish needs no special preparation because it is applied over the entire printed surface. This application is good for protecting projects that may be exposed to moisture or just used a lot. Plus it makes your project look great.

A spot varnish is applied to selected parts, like photos or graphics, and is mainly used for aesthetic reasons. Spot varnishes can make color photos jump but they can be tricky to prepare because they need to be made in your page-layout or image-manipulation program.

Print buyers should be aware of the increased cost of using a spot varnish. While a flood is easy to apply, a spot varnish requires additional film, stripping and a plate. This translates to additional costs.

Varnishes can be applied with a gloss or matte finish. The gloss varnish reflects more light and adds to the sharpness and saturation of images. A matte or dull varnish is used on a page that has mostly text. It increases readability by diffusing light and reducing glare.

Some designers spend a lot of time applying a glossy spot varnish to images. This can make photographs, especially those using clipping paths, really jump off the page and make a design more memorable.