What is Spot Varnish in UV Printing?

 Key Takeaways

• Spot varnish is a clear UV coating applied only to select areas of a design, rather than the entire print, to create a glossy accent.
• Varnish is a durability feature (not a design choice); print durability depends on substrate, pre-treatment, and ink combination, not on whether varnish is applied.
• Common UV varnish techniques include tone-on-tone, mirror print, and stained glass, each using varnish differently to create texture or gloss effects.

When discussing printing techniques, many times the term ‘spot varnish’ is mentioned especially in reference to UV varnish printing. Spot varnish simply means that the artwork will highlight certain aspects of a design with a varnish layer.

What is varnish?

Varnish is a clear ink printed over the CMYK and W in UV printing. Omitting the varnish will leave the design looking more matte. Adding the varnish will give the artwork the glossy appearance.

Is varnish necessary?

When it comes to the quality or durability of the product, varnish does not make the graphic any more or less resistant to scratching or peeling off. Varnish is simply a design feature that companies may choose to use or not. Rather, durability of the print is reliant on a combination of the proper substrate, pre-treatment and UV ink combination. Some substrates will not require pre-treatment depending on the product and ink or on the adhesion properties set forth by the customer.

But why is it called spot varnish?

The “spot” in spot varnish simply means that only pieces of the graphic will contain varnish. For example, in the image below, a spot varnish was used. As you can see in the artwork rendering, the purple tells the printer which areas are reserved for spot varnish prinitng. It is not printed everywhere, just in certain areas to showcase a new design technique. This leads into the next question: how does my printer identify spot varnish vs. no spot varnish? By prepping your artwork and calling out specific pieces for spot varnish, you are instructing the printing where and where not to add this glossy layer.

Cool design techniques that use a spot varnish in UV printing

In the series UV Cylindrical Inkjet Printer Design Features, we touched upon many features that can be accomplished using a UV printer. Spot varnish can be worked in among those features through UV varnish printing, a process that can take on a few different forms:

• Tone on Tone: Tone on tone printing utilizes the most varnish out of the rest of the design techniques. This feature literally takes varnish only and prints it over a substrate to enhance the substrate’s color or texture. For example, using varnish only on a glass item will make it look embossed. Or, utilizing it on a color will make an etched pattern. All in all, UV varnish printing only without the color can also make a product look classy.

• Mirror Print: Mirror Print uses varnish on the graphic facing outside only. As a reminder, mirror print prints an image in reverse (facing inward) on glassware and then prints the same artwork on top facing outward. Since the reversed artwork will already pick-up the glossiness of the glassware item, spot varnish is not needed.
• Etched and Stained Glass: While etched does not used varnish because it is meant to literally look as if it were etched into the glassware piece, stained glass can sometimes use varnish. Stained glass simply refers to printing color without white so the item is see-through. Using spot varnish on top will make it appear more glossy while no varnish will look more matte.

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 Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Does spot varnish make a print more durable?

A: No. Varnish is a design feature, not a durability feature. Print durability comes from the right combination of substrate, pre-treatment, and UV ink, not from whether varnish is applied.

Q: What’s the difference between spot varnish and full varnish?

A: Spot varnish is applied only to specific areas of a design called out in the artwork file, creating a glossy accent, while full varnish coats the entire print for an overall glossy finish.

Q: Which UV printing techniques commonly use spot varnish?

A: Tone-on-tone, mirror print, and stained glass are common UV cylindrical printing techniques that incorporate varnish, though each uses it differently to achieve embossed, glossy, or see-through effects.