sd warren bulletin varnish techniques

7/28/2019 SD Warren Bulletin Varnish Techniques

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VARNISH TECHNIQUEBULLETIN # 6


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This bulletin is issued by S.D. Warren Com pany for the purpose of aiding pressm en indealing with the complexities of the printing and lithographic processes. The information contained herein is a combinationof the findings of scientists and the observations of experienced craftsm en. No truescientist will claim that existing knowledgeis com plete, and no sincere craftsman willpose as a final authority and therefore thetext of this bulletin represents merely theconsidered opinions of experienced andthoughtful analysts.

WARREN


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VARNISH TECHNIQUES:CREATING NEW DIMENSIONS IN PRINTINGThink for a m o m e n t . Is there a particularbooklet or mailer that stands out in yourwh at fea tu re or features have keptCould it be artwork? Photos? Typographyor design? Unusual forma t or innovativeprinting effects?Whatever created that impression. . .wha teve r set this one piece apart from allthose others that crossed your desk andw e r e forgotten...was clear ly wel l worththe thought and effor t it requi red.In this bul letin you' l l learn ma ny techniques for using varnish to add to thememorabi l i ty of your projects. Whi le varnish continues to be one of the best waysof protecting a pr inted p iece, you may f indits uses in desian even more valuable.

The demonst ra t ions we 've inc luded coverm o s t of the popular design techniques. . .as wel l as the practical or uti l i tarian ones.Wi th each demonst ra t ion there is a discussion that provides everyth ing you needto know in order to dupl icate it yoursel f .Emphasis is on techn iques tha t are wi th inthe repertoire of most exper ienced pr inters. We hope that you' l l discover appl icat ions wh ich work for you and that you' l ltake advantage of our budget-saving t ips.W h e n it's impor tan t to make your pro jectstand out f rom the c r o w d , one of the sures t ways to do it is wi th varn ish !


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WHAT IS VARNISH?

Varnish could be thought of as a varietyof ink. It is ei ther clear or t inted, glossy ordull, and i t behaves on press much l ikeordinary ink.From the uti li tarian vie w po int, varnish is asealer that overprints ink and paper, helping to protect them from being scratchedand scuffed. Dul l varnish...in addition toprovid ing protect ion wi thout the s l ipper i -ness associated wi th gloss...is s o m e t i m e sused to reduce glare on glossy stock andthus increase readabi l i ty.For design effects, gloss and dul l varnishesare used independent ly or in combinat ion.Appl ied overal l , they can make a sheetsparkle or give i t a smooth and satiny f inish. As "spot varn ish , " they add cr ispnessto photography, bri l l iance to color, interestand clari ty to charts and diagrams.They can opera te "beh ind the scenes,"too...subtly re inforc ing other e lementswi thout a ler t ing the v iewer to thei r ownpresence.Varnish can even be an eye-catcher on i tso w n . W hen t in ted , it may be su bst i tu tedfor ink. As a separate e lem ent in design,i t creates d imension that is s imply notachievable in any other way

CONTENTSPar t On eUtil itarian or passive uses of varnish. . .protection, readabi l i ty and getting 5-unite f fec ts f rom a 4-unit press.Part TwoBasic desig n effects...ways of raising ancom pon ent of a job into the realm of theextra special .Part ThreeAdvanced des ign effects...demonstratewhat can be achieved when you' re readto expend a b it more tho ugh t, t im e, andeffor t .A p p e n d i xTechnical background and ways of c i rcuvent ing common varn ish ing prob lems.NOTE: Except where otherwise indicatthe paper used throughout this bul letin Lustro Gloss.


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HO W DOES VARNISH WORK?

What is usually most noticeable about avarnished piece is the general crispness ofits illustrations and typography and thedepth and saturation of its colors. Furthermore, certain images may stand out andothers, by comparison, recede. This lattereffect is produced by variable re flectivity...wh ich can be used for separating images,creating emphasis, and providing surprisesin design.Gloss varnish crea tes a surface thatappears smoothe r than the paper/ink combination it overprints. Gloss varnishedimages appear sharper because lightreflected through the clear varnish filmtravels to the viewer's eye with minimaldiffusion.Dull varnish imparts a velvety texture,which scatters and diffuses light...eliminating glare. Thus dull varnished images andtype have a softer look than those eitherprinted on plain paper or overprinted w ithgloss varnish.Effects achieved wit h a single varnish canoften be heightened by using a combinationof varn ishes ... by applying a second hit toreinforce the effect produced by the fir st...or by playing varnishes off against dull andgloss inks or against gloss and dull coatedpapers. For in each case, variable reflec tivityis accentuated .


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+


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This diagram

notice only slightin the angleslight rays are

back to your eyes.nei

a significant diffusionnor a pronouncedof the printed

Glossin the irregu

Because light rayse at identical angles,

diffu

When dull

This ise d ull varnish conthat rise to

as it sets andThe final arrangeist rays

reflected

appears dull.


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WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?intend to create withinfluenced by your choice

f paper and, to someegree, by your ink. Here

and on the following, we'l l dem

onstrate what happensare combined in variousit's their interplay th at

ffords you so manyoptions for using varnishs an element of design.

This demonstrationshows not only ho w varnish changes the appearance of an ink surface bu talso how that appearanceis further a ffected by achange in paper. All threesegments were printedwith the same black ink.The first is unvarnished,the second overprintedwit h gloss varnish, thethird with dull varnish.Now compare the difference between those segments printed on thisgloss coa ted stock and

dull,page 7 and cream, page 11.

NO VARNISH

GLOSS VARNISH

DULL VARN ISH

on plain paperare simply over

Note thee difference

on dull coatedpage 7.

GLOSS VARNISH

DULL VARNISH

DULL VARNISH


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It almost goes withoutsaying that coatedpapers...with theirsmooth surfaces andexcellent holdout...yieldthe best varnish effects.On uncoated paper...withrougher surfaces andgreater absorption...fewof the demonstrationsincluded in this bookletwould be possible.


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WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?NO VARNISH

DULL VARNISH

,:

THIS STOCK IS LUSTRO D


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VARNISH DULL VAR NISH


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WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?NO VARNISH

SS VARNISH

L BLACK INK

NO VARNISH GLOSS VARNISH DULL VARNISH


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11


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WHAT ARE YOUR OPTIONS?By combining varnishesand creating different leels of reflectivity, you caseparate and heightencontrasts among variousparts of an image. We'vedone that here by "rein-forcing"surface texturesGloss varnish overprintsthe shiny water dropletsdull varnish overprints thsatiny skin and flower etsof the broccoli. The rougwood planks and elasticband are left unvarnisheto create still anotherlevel of reflectivity.

THIS STOCK ISLUSTRO DULL CREAM


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that ink

heavy...on

even base for

The first acts like ain the paper/ink

d off-line, in a sep


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PART ONEUTILITARIAN USES OF VARNISH"Shiny and we ll prote cted " is how m ostpeople would describe a varnished piece.They think primarily of the utilitarian use ofvarnish, which undoubtedly remains animportant one.Varnish pro tects catalog and report coversfrom spills and fingerprints...recordalbums from having their often elaborate,expensive artwork w orn aw ay as they'reslipped in and out of racks over the yea rs.The demonstrations on the following pagesinclude pro tection, of course, but go wellbeyond. You'll learn, for example, wh atcombinations of varnish and paper canproduce sparkling halftones and at thesame time insure qlare-free text.


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UTILITARIAN USES OF VAR NISHProtect your image! Glosvarnish applied overall nonly adds luster to desigbut also helps to guard book jacket against damage caused by an occasional mishap.


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varnish...pity thepoor album jacket as ityear after year. Overallhave providedto ease that action and

scuffing.

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UTILITARIAN USES OF VARNISH

gglSBlIHBISIHBS? W S l S S h e Red Delicious as America's favor-S S f o r marketing reasons...tocapital,zeonthe red's popularity.Lmr is liaht- to deep-gold, often with palestr ipes that1 * S whfteto ahMan.Like the red, it has anuseinpiesandpastry.itoriqinatedfromachance cross between a GoldenRenette(asmallEuropeanyellow)andtheAmen^GrimesGolden.Th^^^of Beweli Muliin in Clay County, West W g ^ i a , about1800 He named itMullin's Yellow Seedling. Its currentname wasgiven about one hundred years later.

REDDBJCKXJSThe world's most photogenic (and photographed)apple. Asidefrom contributing to good looks, its thickskin makes the Red Delicious an especially durable"shipper and keeper."Color is darkred,sometimes with faint brown stripes.Shape is pointed or ovoid. Flesh is crisp although ittends toward being overly tender. Flavor sweet andvery mild. For eating raw only.It s the most widely grown and profitable apple in theU.S.Trees are heavy producers and do well in a ll ou rapple growing regions.First called the "Hawkeye" by its originator J esse Hiat t,aQuakerfarmer from Peru, Iowa. Unknown whetherproduced from a graft or found as a chance seedling.Has been heavily promoted by nurseries and growerssince1900.GRANNY SMITHAn increasingly popular apple in American markets.Highly versatile, it is good for eating raw and excellentforcooking.Color is dark- to yellow-green, usually having smallwhrteorgrey flecks. Size medium to large. Flesh hard,cnsp.and uicy. Flavor subacid to moderate ly sweet.^wnmainly in the southern hemisphere, particularlyH2T1WunsromMay through Octo-^.npeningfromOctoberthrough March^"OTtastwood^earSydneyAustralia.

Consider your opt ions.When the job is tooimportant to allow compromises on either theappearance of halftonesor the readability of textyou can go two ways.Option 1 (shown here):use a gloss coated stockto assure sparkle in youhalftones...then applya dull varnish over thetext to reduce glare andimprove readability. Doyou want apples witheven more impact? Givethem a hit of glossvarnish, too.Or...Option 2: start withdull coated stock and glvarnish the halftones.Either way, varnishincreases your options,reduces the compromise


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ffect ofplus varnisha five-unit pressnts were prothe same presssingle pass. Theon the right are25% glossand 75% ink.

\v& 0 ^ >ifr& at\oV#i/i< $ ^ % * # * *


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PART TWOBASIC DESIGN EFFECTS

W ith varnish , a creat ive desig ner cantake a two-dim ension al me diu m .. .pr int .. .and push it tow ard the thi rd dime nsion .This is don e not only by exploit ing the bestfeature s in each of your materials...paper,ink, and varnish...but by taking advantageof the "multiplier" ef fect .By that we mean co mb ining m ater ials inways that produce mo re than wha t yo u 'dexpect wh en consider ing them individually.You saw it don e earl ier in the bo okle t. . .wi th var ious comb inat ions of varnish andpaper. Now you' l l see how dif ferent varnishes can be used togethe r, set off fromunvarnished surfaces, and because of th evariable ref lect iv i ty bui l t up, create imag esthat seem to r ise f rom the page.

Take the scene on page 2 7, for exa mple,where pol ished objects have been overprinted wi th gloss varnish, non-ref lect iveobjects wi th dul l , and the backgroun d lefunvarnished.Man y of the dem onstra t ions in this sect iare much simpler...overall varnish, smal laccent spots, fram es, and pat terns. Butwh eth er s imp le or elaborate, each of thei l lustrates our basic p oint.W ith the creat ive use of varnish, youcan squeez e a li tt le som ethin g ext ra ou tof each of your ma terials. An d that, to th ereader's eye, can be qui te me mo rab le!


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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTSVarnish show s characterandwhen applied overaprotects... but here glossvarnish also reinforces tsurface textures and colsaturation of glisteningleaves and thick, shinypaint. With such heavyink coverage as a base,varnish takes on an evenglossier look.

Just alittle

spot cando it!

Want tomakeapart icu-

ar element reallystand out? Overprint the mainimage with dullvarnish and hitthe detail with

gloss.


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is well suited to a

shingles andof that subject

SP


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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTSCreating illusions ofdepth. Selective spots ofgloss and dull varnishover drop shadows, alonborders, and within patterns...extend even further the illusions alreadypresent in this elaborateVictorian design.

*


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also functionand create

its own.Theseare

varnish.Theis one of objects

in space on tw oplanes.

25


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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTSWhen it's sleek and slippery...smooth and soapy...gloss varnish appliedoverall helps impart the" f ee l " of the subject.

To emphasize thesurfaces in this

spots ofvarnish havapplied "compat

gloss on polishedtive objects, dull velvety ones. Ththe intermediatunvarnished...

table top...therethird level of refl

And when it's woo lenand fleecy...dull varnish,of course.

You can make itApplied to the higand shadows in thcate design of thibox label, spots o

anddull varnish creaillusion of actual


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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTSStill another example ofusing varnish to reinforcthe characteristics ofdifferent elements in oneimage. The mirror is hitwith a spot of gloss varnish to make it shine.

A comment sources of postm

architecture? Or simplay on similari

contrast? Bands onating gloss a

overprint two imatransition. W ith thisnique, youcou

dramatize procesevents unfolding in

The image was crmechanically, by str

together sectionsphotographs. Com

with other methcreating graduated e

demon strated on 46 a


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N .-'"***-,


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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTSYou might have done thegrid in ink. But the overaeffect wouldn't haveapproached the elegancand subtlety of this one.in spot dull varnish. Onthose occasions wh enyou're working with imathat could benefitfrom special enhancement, varnish should bean integral part of yourthinking.


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the originalwhich

ed a generaTV cartoon heroes

of today's m ost

many "gro up"this one usesto iden tify eachHere we go even

underscore

ely w ith spots ofand dull varnish.

hA^ Z%


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The image on this bookcover is entirely the resof a difference in reflecity between dull varnishthe background and gloon the silhouette. It's adramatic foil for dropout type.


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over

gloss background.

* e contrast


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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTS

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to con-visualfora single image,photograph isin clear glosstext is that of

broadcast.

J

A nAnthologyBarnyardHumor

byDoctor Higgins

to consider point-of-purchase.Withawelldust jacket, youthe advantage on acluttered, competitiveshelf. Suggesbecause many jack

try using both dull andgloss varnishes.this exam ple, the barn-are dull varnishedand the type blockwith spot gloss, creating an illusion of deptha atte ntion to the title.

v ;!


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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTSFor cutaways and diagrams that you want vieers to be able to "lookthrough," you can capitaize on the transparency ovarnish. It creates a filmover your artwork that isalmost like glass.Here gloss varnishoverprints the top of arectangular solid. Dulloverprints the front left.The front right remainsunvarnished. An additional benefit of combining varnishes in this wayis the three-dimensionalook it creates.With the cylinders belowe've utilized our threedegrees of reflectivity foa different purpose...reinforcing the separateidentities of each of th ecylinder parts. The topsare hit with dull varnishthe wedges with gloss,while w hat remains isleft unvarnished.


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you can't do better than varnish.Thisuses a gloss for theroom and the live occupants and a dull to setthe ghost Then to giveto the caption,the copy blockunvarnished.


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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTSResults can be equallyimpressive in white-on-white. We created thisfish silhouette with anoverprint of clear glossvarnish. The result issolely a product ofdifferential reflectivitybetween varnish andpaper. The eye in four-color process providesa nice counterpoint.

T u"vamishedtu-tone.

w,

.. -.

W*"


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The contrast betweenerably heightened by

overprinting the bottleswith gloss varnish

and their labels withdull. It's a combination

that stands out.

39


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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTSAgain we see an imagethat employs varnishesto create three levels ofreflectivity...evoking thtactile qualities of threedifferent objects. Overboth the wate r drop andthe foreground spill is aoverprint of gloss. Theformica grid is unvarnished and rendered simply in ink on gloss coatestock. Finally the so ft,porous tissue is overprinted with dull varnish


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r the mom ent, at least,let's forge t ink.There

in which varnish may dothe job better...at least

more subtly.You've already seen itused alone as a clearoverprint...toforma

W ith a tintedvarnish you can go

as we have herein creating this N orth

African rug pattern.

ng d ifferentnish tints...asyou see

below in the line ofEven a single tin t

e the logo.say, p ossibilities

only by one'sown imagination.

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BASIC DESIGN EFFECTSBy the use of varnishesthe designer has madethe image considerablystronger...glossonthestones, dull on the wood.Think how many other juxtapositions of texture,color, and shape could bereinforced by the intelligent use of varnish.

Here, in fact, is them. The water lin

soft in this photothat it's virtually im

ble to detect. Ooverprinting thewi th gloss varnish an

sandy area with dupossible to show w

one stops another b


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* ^tfjfrdaV^ t eence As# od a ^

*.* *r^L *>*** 'vcVho *

s ^ 8do _ i c t o - . 3 U e\ av v tA4' U l % Noi %stedu i n *-,eC

>ea ? ^ s - -^^^ .r^r^r^d S eV\a^e -i a ^ d UU itv V * v e t ^ . a 1 X vet*V G s e dd ^ r e u c ^ i o ^ . a t ^ n cre^tYva-t * , Pr


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PART THREEADVANCED DESIGN EFFECTSFor some of the dem onstrations in thisfinal section, varnish is applied as halftonedots.. .creating a roundness which at aglance m ight actually be taken for th reedimensiona l. In othe rs, it's applied tonally...either blending or separating differen timages to produce an illusion of reality thatfar surpasses what many readers wouldexpect to see in print.While varnish used in these ways cangive your wo rk a "specialn ess" that helpsit to linger in people's memories, manyof these techn iques are applicable to everyday jobs. You don 't have to wa it for anannual report or other special project tocreate a sensation!


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ADVANCED DESIGN EFFECTS

I fr r f "

Artwork. The degradehere was created by lineart...drawnsothatthespray would graduallydisappear as the dotsbecame fewe r and morewidely spread. The silhouette of the can isprinted in tinted glossvarnish; the dots composing the spray are printedin tinted dull.


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areas over-

areareasby two differ-

The degradewa s

negative. Froma press

theover-spray. Examine

to see ho wat th e

graduallythe

it

a w ork. The highshadow effectswere achieved

t any manipulationor do t etchand without any spe

All was donethe camera. What is

remarkable about thisis its "dimensional

the gradual trans itionto light, dull to

The tw o varnishescon

of the image.how it was done: First a black and wh itefilm negative was made

from the original colortransparency. This n ega

tive was then used tomake a plate for the glossvarnish which overprintsthe highlight areas.

P pNext, a black and whitefilm positive was madefrom the film negative...and used to m ake a

second plate to overprintthe shadows with dullvarnish.

47


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ADVAN CED DESIGN EFFECTSThis combination of dulland gloss over the figureproduces a strong effect.Notice that peak glossoccurs in the highlights andgradually diminishes intothe shadows. It's anotherexample of the tonal technique...here used to accentuate roundness anddefinition.

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ADVAN CED DESIGN EFFECTS

Everything you sethis page has

printed in tvarnish...not ink. In

case you get the clara conventional imagwith the subtlety off

only by var

0


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is the theme.An illusion of lookingthrough a frame (thechain linkfence) atamass of objects is

is further enhanced bylinkgloss/dullvarnish degrade.Thenhe lumber piledistance between itand the fence.


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ADVANCED DESIGN EFFECTSPositively radiant! Tonvarnish over the "halocauses you to look twicin deciding whether ornot there's an ac tualglow.

Dimensionality that youcould almost pick up andthrow. The top surfaceand highlights are printedin gloss varnish ; groovesand shadows in dull.Thesoft, graduated transitionfrom highlight to shadow...again,the tonal technique. ..comes about asclose to reality as ispossible in print.


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C O N T E N T SBACKGROUND1 . The i m p o r t a n c e of p l a n n i n g 55

2 . The c h e m i s t r y of v a r n i s h 56

3 . Ge n e ra l ch a ra c te r i s t i cs of v a r n i s h 56

4. D i f f e r e n t v a r n i s h t y p e s m e e t d i f f e r e n t r u n n i n g n e e d s 57

5 . S p e c i f i c e n d - u s e f e a t u r e s 57

6 . How d o e s v a r n i s h b e h a v e on p r e s s ? 58

7. Drying 58

8. Which to choose...in-line or off-l ine varnishing? 59

9 . We b or s h e e t - f e d ? 59

COMMON PROBLEMS 60EXTRA PROTECTION 62

>

54


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B A C K G R O U N D1. THE IMPORTANCE OF PLANNING

Varnishing effects are not difficult toproduce. Most of those dem onstrated in thisbooklet should be fam iliar to any experienced, quality-oriented printer.However, because varnish does add an additional elem ent to the printing p rocess, it mustbe considered an integral part of a job andtaken into account during the earliest stagesof planning. When problems do occur, they'reusually the result of introducing varnish as anafterthou ght, particularly as a corrective foroversights or comp lications in paper choice orpresswork.Remember that varnishes differ considerablyfrom one to another and that a varnish whichwo rks w ell wit h a specific paper and set of inksmay be unsuited to others.Follow the se guidelines and the potential forvarnishing problems w ill be greatly reduced :

A. Be sure that designer, produ ction manager, and printer allunderstand and are in agreement on specifications. Like anyvariable in a job, varnish m ust be carefully chosen .B. Make sure that varnish is compatible both with your press anddrying m ethod and wit h your inks and paper stock.C. Make sure that it is formu lated to fit tack sequenceD. Make sure that it will meet youend-use requirements (see page

to fit tack sequence. \\Ar predetermined v\\\v\NV^ *

* i> \

X

55


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BACKGROUND2 . CHEMISTRY O F VARNISH

Varnishes contain various combinations of resins (providingstre ng th, body, and gloss), wh ich are dissolved in drying oi ls (such ast ung , l inseed, or an alkyd) . Also inc luded are solvents, wa xes , andsomet imes p igments .Al tho ugh f inal select ion of a res in/oi l com binat ion d epen ds onend-use re quirem ents, the pr imary object ive in formu lat ing a glossvarnish is to achieve high gloss with good rub resistance.Resins with tung or l inseed oi l give the best gloss but have a tendency to yel low w i th t im e. This combinat ion is used mainly incommerc ia l pr int ing. . .brochures, reports , catalogs, and other non-imprintable jobs (see page 57). Resins with selected aklyds yielda non-tox ic , non-yel lowing varnish but wi t h less gloss and hardne ss.This is used mainly in food packaging.To reduce gloss in the fo rm ulat io n o f a dul l varn ish, an agen t is addedthat contains platelet-l ike part ic les which migrate to the surface and" s t a n d " upright wh en the varnish has dr ied, scat ter ing l ight and,thus, reducing gloss.

3. GENERAL CHARACTERISTICS OF VARNISHVarnish is actual ly a type of ink. Althou ghso m etim es t inte d, it is usually clear. On pressand wh i le dry ing, varnish behaves very mu chlike any other ink.The characterist ics of varnish have beengreat ly improved over the past twenty years.Today's varnishes set and dry faster, harder,and glossier (or dul ler) ; and most of themprovide mul t ip le features.For exam ple, a s ingle varnish may com binehigh gloss wi t h fast dry ing and good rubres is tance. . .whereas in the past, varnisheswere l imi ted to one or two features each.Select ing any part icular varnish usually meanthaving to accept certain compromises.

Q r s k i n

56


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4. DIFFERENT VARNISH TYPES MEET DIFFERENT R UNNIN G NEEDSVarnishes can be form ulated for a varietyof uses. For sheet-fed offset, there areboth gloss and dul l varnishes, som eapplied in-line, othe rs off- l ine. The in-linevarnishes have low tack for good trapand are fast set t ing to minimiz eabsorpt ion. Off-l ine varnishing ( trapping over a dry ink f i lm) produceshigher gloss because a thicker f i lmcan be applied.Gloss and du l l varnishe s are avai lablefor we b o f fset , too. The m ajor di f ference betwe en these and sheet - fedvarnishes is in their drying systems.Al l varnishes formulate d for w eb aredesigned to release solvents by theheatset (or oven drying) process.

5. SPECIFIC END-USE FEATURESVarnishes can be mad e ei ther " imp rint -ab le " (which is wax-free so that dist r ibutors ' na mes and addresses can beimprinted on catalog covers, for exam ple) or "non-imprintable" ( thereforemo re scuf f -res is tant ) .Varnishes can be form ulated w i thvirtual ly any tack value (and thus becom pat ible wi th any set of inks) .They can be "non-y e l low ing" (animpo rtant feature in posters, point -of-purchase and other i tems exposed tol ight over long periods of t ime) and be" l ow -od or " and "non- t ox i c " (for foodpackaging).They can have " low-s l ip" propert ies ( reducing the tendency ofpr inted pieces to s lide wh en stacked or pressed togeth er) . And theycan have "hig h rub res is ta nce" (good protect ive qual i ties so nei thervarnish nor ink is likely to rub off).

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BACKGROUND6. HOW DOES VARNISH BEHAVE O N PRESS?

Altho ugh the running character is tics of varnish are almo st ident icalw i th tho se of ink, a fe w except ions sho uld be kept in mind .An average f i lm thickness is usually suff ic ient to achieve desiredef fects . W ith m ore varnish, ef fects can be enh anc ed; however, toothick a f i lm, part icularly at high press speeds, can cause "m is t in g " orblocking. Con versely, if a f i lm is too th in, varnish drains into the paperand i ts effect is lost. Thin f i lms a lso have higher tack (again b ecau seof fast drainage) that ma y beco me contam inated b y the underly ingwet inks .

7. DRYINGDrying t im e for varnish is abo ut the sa me as for ink and is influencedby a com binat ion of factors: typ e of varnish, type of ink overp r inted,percen tage of ink coverage, paper character is t ics , fountain solut ion,humid i ty and temperature.M os t varnishes dry mainly by ox idat ion aug me nted by absorpt ionand evaporat ion. These varnishes are som ew ha t s low in hardening(or polymeriz ing) and may require ant i -setoff p ow de r to pre ventsheets f rom st ick ing together. But powder reduces glossand gives a "s an dy " feel to the shee t if toomuch is used.

I n r skin i r r i t a t i o n -


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8. WHICH TO CHOOSE...IN-UNE OR OFF-LINE VARNISHING?Al l the dem ons t ra t ions in th is book le t we re do ne in- line w i th theexcept ion of those on pages 3 , 6 , 7 , 1 0 , 1 1 , 34 , 35 , 38 , 39 , 48 ,52 , the wal l paper on pg. 49, and the aerosol can and and i tsspray on pg. 46.

Some of these demons t ra t ions could a lso have beenproduced in- l ine and were done of f - l ine for reasonsunrelated to varnishing, such as pract ical press sheetimpos i t ion.We chose to concentrate on in- l ine varnishing to underscore the fact that varnishing isn' t just for annualreports and "exc lus ive" projects . Vi r tual ly any qual i typ iece can benef i t f rom the advantages of varn ish w i th ou tyour having to incur the expense of an of f - l ine operat ion.

W ould any of these in- line dem ons t ra t ions have looked bet terif produced of f- line? Wi th many of them , the d i f ference wo uld besl ight . In- l ine varnishing technology has improved to thepoint w he re i t is a succ essfu l proce ss.However, most pr inters agree that day in and dayout...all th ings being equal...even bet ter resul ts canbe ach ieved of f- l ine. Whe n c i rcumstan ces andbudg et pe rmi t a cho ice, off-line...with i ts greaterth ickness and greater "h o ld -ou t " over an inkfilm...is probably the method to go w i t h .The watch es on th is page we re varn ished d i ffer ent ly . Do ei ther of them appear superior to youreye? Can you determine which was c reated in l ine and which of f - l ine? Turn to the next page tosee which is which.

9 . WEB OR SHEET-FED?M os t varnishing today is done by sheet- fed of fset . Thisis because we b inks are formula ted to set by heat ,wh ich dr ives of f solvent , mel ts the res in, and prod ucesbette r level ing. Thus w e b inks dry to a glossier f i lm thansheet- fed inks.W he n a w e b job is varn ished , i t is usually for dul l or adva ncedeffe cts a nd i t is done in-line. Ad ding a separa te off- l ine opera t ion wo uld s eem to negate all the speed and econ om y gained bychoosing w eb in the f i rs t place.

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roblem:ailure to specify

imprintability

COMMON PROBLEMS\

This is one of the m ost co m mo n and easily avoided varnishing probl ems. I t occurs becau se a cl ient fai ls to info rm th e printer tha t one ormore areas of a gloss varnished piece wil l be imprinted at a futuredate. Or, in the case of folde rs, i t's not sp ecif ied tha t glue w il l later beappl ied to tabs or other "s t ru ctu ral" features.Without this information, the printer wil l natural ly select one of theglossier, mo re du rable variet ies in his sho p; and apply i t overal l . This,unfortunately , wi l l ma ke the piece non-imprintable. W ith hard w axe sproviding high "s l i p " at the surfa ce, there is no textu re for add it ionalinks or glue to adh ere to.

Solution:Plan ahead.

ty betweenvarnishIncom patibi l i ty is no longer a f requent problem since inks and varnishes are usually suppl ied by the sam e m anufacturer and for m ulated to work together, However, when special condit ions arise andproducts f ro m di f ferent sources mu st be use d, pick ing, ret iculat ion,s low dry ing, and other pro blems can occur.

Solution:Plan ahead.If problems do occur,consult ink and varnissuppliers.

ng or polishing This condit ion occurs with dul l varnish when dul l ing part ic les are f lattened by scraping or when the spaces between them are moistenedby oil f ro m f ing ers du ring han dling. In both cases, a sm oo the r surface is the result , wh ich appears glossy in the a ffected areas.

Solution:Order the hardest dulvarnish available.Design so that dullvarnished areas haveleast wear.

ge of pressge of varnish

The result here is surprisingly long drying t im es . If , for exa mp le, i t'snecessa ry to change a foun tain so lut ion, there may also be a corresponding change in the formulat ion of the varnish.

Solution:Never change onevariable w ithoutconsidering its effecton all the others.

This con dit ion is man ifest by a chalky, sandy, or gri t ty feel to thepaper, the s urface of wh ich is the n susc eptible to f laking. It is causedby using large amounts of ant i-offset powder.Solution:Specify a varnishwith minimum sprayrequirement. Also runminimum varnish filmthickness and smallerlifts, which will requirless spray.

The ans wer : Ima ge on left , producedin-l ine; on right, off-l ine.


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An a t tem pt to apply too heavy a f i lm m ay resul t in mist ing , in w hic hairborne part ic les of varnish fall errat ically on the she et and on pressequipm ent wh ere they m ay in ter fere w i th proper func t ion ing.Solution:Run only as muchvarnish as is absolutelynecessary to achievedesired results.

Varnish ghosts are faint si lhouette images, usually milky white andidentical in shape to wh atev er backs the m up on the reverse s ideof a sheet .Such ghosts are created by ink solvent vapors breaking through thevarnish f i lm. The se vapors had been se aled in by the ink as it set.When varnish is applied, i t re-wets the ink surface and releasest h e m . The vapors then escap e throug h the varnish, leaving behindvent ho les, wh ich c reate the "g ho s t ly " image.The problem might be avoided altogether by varnishing in-l ine or bywait ing unt i l the ink f i lm is completely solvent free.When ghosts do occur, an addit ional layer of varnish may be appliedto f i ll in the ven t ho les and create a uniform gloss (or dull ) level. Experience has shown that the varnish original ly used rarely works in thisrole and finding on e that does may require nu me rous t r ia ls .If ghosts are not iced b efore the en t i re job has been varnished,shee ts can be blanked throug h a press equipped w i th an inf ra-redheater. W he n su ch a press is not available, sim ply blanking thesheets on a regular press can add enough oxygen to accelerate inkdry ing.

Solution:Varnish in-line orwaituntil the inkfilm iscompletely solventfree. When ghosts dooccur, run additionalvarnish; or, if the problem is noticed beforethe job is finished,blankthe remainingsheets through thepress.

W he n a pr int has less gloss af ter varnishing than be fore or w he na gloss varnish produces dul l effects the problem is usuallycrystal l izat ion.In a crystal l ized state , varnish be ads up ( l ike wat er on a freshlywaxed automobile) and scatters l ight instead of ref lect ing i t .There are two causes for this condi t ion: excess ant i-offset spray andink that has acc identally been o verheated dur ing m anufa cture. In thef i rs t case, the spray repels varnish; in the se cond , the me l ted wa xseals the ink surface, making i t impe rv ious to we t t ing by thevarnish.W he n overheated wa x is the suspec ted prob lem , immed iate ly contact your ink supplier. The remedy may be either 1) heating the ink tobreak up the wa x p lates or 2 ) adding to the varnish a solut ion ofbee swa x dissolved in Buty l Carbi tol Aceta te (BCA). W he n mixedw ith varnish, the BCA sof tens the wax plates, al lowing the bee swa xto pe netrate the dry ink f i lm and form a bond .

Solution:Minimize anti-offsetspray. If ink isoverheated, reheat theink or add beeswaxdissolved in BCA.

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EXTRA PROTECTIONWhen protection rather than aesthetic e ffects is your primary objective, particularly w ith jobs other than the booklets, brochures, andmailers that we'v e concentrated on here, there are several alternatives to ove rprint varnish that you may wish to consider.This is a clear plastic film bonded to printed surfaces w ith solvent ora wate r-based adhes ive. It is usually a finishing process reserved forrecord jackets and textbook covers, but can also be used for specialvery high gloss effects.These provide the durability of liquid laminate but can be applied bylithographers "in house." They are used mainly in packaging onboard or heavy paper stock.

V varnishes Although the y are inexpensive alternatives to lamination, UV varnishes are still expensive whe n com pared to conventional ove rprintvarnish. Dried by ultraviolet radiation, they provide exceptional glossand rub resistance.


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IDEA EXCHANGEThe S.D.Warren Idea Exchangemaintains a large Library ofPrinted Sam ples. Approxim ately15,000 different comm erciallyprinted samples are filed in morethan 150 industry and graphic categories. One of the categories isVarnishing. If you wou ld like "varnishing idea s," write to the IdeaExchange & Promotional Services,S.D.Warren Company, A Subsidiary of Scott Paper Company,22 5 Franklin Street, Boston,Massachusetts 021 01 . Or, call617-423-7300. 1 9 8 6 , S . D . Warren Company,aSubsidiary of Scott Paper Company, 22 5 Franklin Street, B oston,MA. 02101Printed in U.S.A. on Lustro GlossCover 100 lb., Lustra Gloss 100 lb.,Lustro Dull 100 lb., Lustro DullCream 100 lb.86-22

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WARREN COMPANY, A SUBSIDIARY OF SCOTT PAPER COMPANY, BO STON, MASSACHUSETTS 02

sd warren bulletin varnish techniques

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