Finishing

Cutting and trimming:

Cutting and trimming are usually done using a guillotine cutter.

Folding:

For, books,… large press sheets need to be folded into signatures. This involves a series of right-angle folds in which the sheet is folded multiple times. Some common types of folds are:

• The half fold
• The accordion fold
• The gatefold
• The French fold
• The letter fold

Binding

There are different ways of binding sheets together. Below are the most commonly used techniques:

• Perfect binding
• Saddle-stitching
• Side-stitching
• Thread sewing
• Comb binding
• Spiral binding
• Loose-leaf binding
• Padding

Embossing:

Embossing is the process of adding a relief image to a book cover or other printed material. Sometimes an ink or foil is used to accent the relief image.

Foil stamping:

Foils can be a real eyecatcher when applied to book or covers. This is especially true for metallic foils which reflect light and add a silvery or golden glow.

Coating:

There are different types of coatings that can be applied to printed matter.

• • Varnishes protect and also have a decorative purpose.
• • Primers are used to improve the ink reception or to facilitate the application of another type of coating.
• • For packaging, barrier coatings improve the resistance to oxygen, water or chemicals.

Laminating:

Laminating refers to bonding a separate material or layer of material to the printed matter.

Die cutting:

Irregularly shaped printed matter such as coasters or labels are cut out of the substrate in a process called diecutting. The die contains knives or creasing rules that have been prepared specifically for a certain shape.

Glueing:

Products like envelopes, stamps or labels need to have a moistenable adhesive applied.

Indexing:

Indexing refers to adding plastic index tabs or index thumb cuts to the edges of printed sheets. These can help readers locate specific information.