Taming a spot UV

The following tutorial showcases the potential of the spot UV printing process. As the name loosely suggests, a clear varnish is applied to chosen spots (or areas) of a printed piece. This has the effect of highlighting and drawing attention to that part of the design, and adding varied textures on a single printed surface.

A one-colour, spot UV can give a really subtle yet bespoke and tactile feel to portfolio boxes or promotional material, which prospective clients or employers will go crazy over. This is why we chose a black matt laminate with a spot UV 'sea-life' themed logo graphic on top, for our new promo packs and business cards.

The printing world can seem jargon-filled and daunting, but the more familiar you are with a variety of printing processes, the more varied and impressive your work will be. Also, a good knowledge of the finer details of printing can halve your work time. Getting work print-ready is always a job in itself - it's often a dull and arduous process, which is likely to run into complications if your mind isn't 100 per cent synchronised with that of your printer. You need to be absolutely sure you know how to supply the artwork to your printer once you've discussed and chosen a particular printing method, so make sure you discuss this with them at an early stage in the project.

Click here to download the support files (791KB)

Click here to download the tutorial for free