To ensure the highest quality of coating we suggest the following:

Sheet Layout And Samples

Please provide a single sheet of the printed material to be coated as a sample. It will need to have clearly marked indicators of areas that need to be left uncoated. If needed, the sample sheet should provide pertinent information needed to align UV files accordingly. Also, please provide enough overages to allow for initial quality assurance testing.

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Spot UV

OCC is capable of creating the film needed for spot and raised UV jobs. The customer can simply email the spot UV file to OCC. If preferred, the customer could also provide the positive film (right reading, emulsion down) with proper registration marks. Please provide clear indication in regards to how the file should line up with the specific job to be coated.

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Inks

Finding and using the correct type(s) of ink is not difficult, but can cause major issues if overlooked. Most importantly, the ink must be dry off the press before stacking and/or coating. Depending on ink saturation, some pieces require 24-48hrs drying time, although typically shorter drying times will suffice. The inks should be 'hard drying' inks, to avoid the inks softening under the extreme heat expelled from the UV curing lamps. In addition to protecting the quality of the print, occasionally UV is used to draw attention to a specific area of the piece. To avoid a washed out or bleached look in those areas, one must be sure that the inks used are UV compatible. Ink must be wax free, that is, it cannot contain teflon additives, paraffin waxes or silicones. Although all ink colors, if not UV compatible, may be subject to appear washed out after coating, rhodamine and rubine red, reflex blue and most PMS colors are the colors which most often result in this potential issue.

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Metallic Inks

It is not recommended to use metallic inks when planning to apply UV Coating to the piece.

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Prints Containing Varnish/Aqueous Coating

All varnish/aqueous coatings used in printing should be tested prior to UV coating to determine if UV will adhere to these solvent or water-based topcoats. Typically, these pre-UV coatings contain waxes, resins or acrylic chemicals which restrict proper UV adhesion. Also, printers are asked to use the lowest water settings and use fountain solutions which have the least amount of glycol and glyco ethers, as it will determine the outcome of UV quality.

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Dust/Powder

All prints must be dust and power free when arriving at OCC. Although our machinery is equipped with built in 'dusting/cleaning' capabilities, which clean the print before coating, OCC is not responsible for over spray powders or particles which may be sealed into the print after UV coating process.

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Bindery Work Needed After UV Coating

Any bindery work which may be needed, such as cutting, folding, slitting, scoring, gluing, etc. should be done after the piece has been UV coated at OCC. Please have any glue tabs (ie: presentation folders) 'spared out' due to the inability for glue to stick to the material after UV coating.

Please note that foil stamping a piece after UV coating is not possible. However, embossing should happen after the UV coating process.

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Paper Regulations

Currently, the thinnest paper OCC can coat is 70# and the thickest is 24pt. The smallest sheet is 12.5in x 19in and the largest is 28in x 40in. If our customers notice that prints tend to crack during bindery work after UV coating, it is probable that a heavy amount of ink may have been used. Heavily inked paper, combined with a UV coat, will induce cracking if the card stock chosen for the print job had a clay coating. There are several other reasons for this, such as prolonged paper storage or a chemical change in the coating on the paper while at the paper mill. Proper coating should seal the top of the sheet and allow proper adhesion of UV to the paper with out the UV scratching or cracking.

Not all paper has a clay coating that could cause issues, yet King James and Kromekote 'cast coated' sheets should not be UV coated. Lastly, paper stocks containing acids may cause the UV coating to become discolored and may restrict UV adhesion.

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Feel free to call now to discuss any further questions before placing your order with OC Coating today!