The lamination process and the polishing process both belong to the category of post-press surface finishing of printed products. Their functions are very similar, and they can both play a certain role in finishing and protecting the surface of printed products. However, there are differences between the two:

decorative finishing

Surface finishing refers to the appropriate processing of the surface of printed materials to improve their light resistance, water resistance, heat resistance, folding resistance, wear resistance, and chemical resistance; Increase the gloss and artistic feel of printed materials; Plays a role in protecting and beautifying printed materials, enhancing their value. Common methods for surface finishing of printed materials include polishing, laminating, foil stamping, die-cutting, indentation, or other processing treatments.

1. Different meanings

Film lamination is a post-press processing technique that covers the surface of printed materials with a plastic film coated with adhesive, and through heating and pressure treatment, tightly combines the printed materials with the plastic film, becoming a paper plastic integrated product. The lamination process belongs to the paper plastic composite process in composite technology, and is a dry composite process.

Glazing is a processing technology that applies (or sprays, prints) a layer of colorless transparent coating on the surface of printed materials, and after leveling and drying (pressing), forms a thin and uniform transparent layer on the surface of printed materials. The process is the process of coating (commonly known as polishing oil, including film-forming resins, solvents, and additives) on the surface of printed materials to level and dry.

2. Different functions

Covering the surface of printed materials with a layer of plastic film (lamination) or applying a layer of gloss coating (gloss) can make the printed materials have functions such as friction resistance, moisture resistance, waterproofing, and anti fouling. Not only does it protect the printed materials, extend their service life, but it also improves the surface brightness of the printed materials, enhances their aesthetics, makes the printed images and texts bright in color, and has a strong visual effect, thereby improving the product grade and increasing added value. For example, the cover of books and magazines is covered with film, and the surface of cosmetic packaging boxes is polished.

Therefore, laminating and polishing are one of the main processing techniques for surface finishing of printed products after printing. They not only make the surface of printed products "bright" and attract consumers‘ attention, but also protect printed products and improve their performance. They are now widely used for surface finishing of books, magazines, brochures, various documents, advertising manuals, and various paper packaging products.

3. Different processes

Film coating process

The lamination process can be divided into instant coating lamination process and pre coating lamination process according to the different raw materials and equipment used.

A) Instant coating film

The instant coating process first uses a roller coating device to evenly coat the adhesive on the surface of the plastic film. After passing through the drying device, the solvent in the adhesive is evaporated. Then, the printed material is pulled onto the hot pressing composite device, where the plastic film and the printed material are pressed together to complete the composite, and at the same time, the rewinding is completed, which is then stored for shaping and cutting. This method is currently widely adopted in China. From the perspective of the adhesive materials used for instant coating, it can be divided into solvent based adhesive coating and water-based adhesive coating.

B) Pre coated lamination

The pre coating and laminating process is carried out by professional manufacturers to apply adhesive evenly and quantitatively on plastic films, which are then dried, rolled, and packaged into products for sale. The processing enterprise then performs hot pressing on the laminating equipment of the adhesive free coating device to complete the laminating process of printed products.

The pre coating and laminating process greatly simplifies the laminating process because the laminating equipment does not require an adhesive heating and drying system, and the operation is very convenient. At the same time, there is no solvent evaporation, no environmental pollution, and the working environment is improved; More importantly, it completely avoids the occurrence of film quality faults such as bubbles and delamination. The transparency of the film coating product is extremely high, and compared to the instant coating process, it has a relatively broad application prospect.

Glazing process

According to the different types of gloss coatings, the gloss process can mainly be divided into solvent based gloss, water-based gloss, UV gloss, etc.

A) Solvent based polishing

Solvent based polishing refers to the polishing process using benzene, esters, and alcohols as solvents and thermoplastic resins as film-forming resins. During the polishing process, the solvent evaporates and the resin undergoes polymerization or cross-linking reactions to form a film. The characteristic is low equipment investment and low cost, but solvent volatilization and residue on printed materials can cause environmental pollution and pose a threat to human health.

B) Water-based polishing

Water based polishing is a polishing method that uses water-soluble resins or different types of water dispersible resins as film-forming substances. Water based polishing coatings use water as a solvent and there are no organic solvent volatiles during the coating and drying process. The characteristic is that the polishing process has no irritating odor, no pollution to the environment, and is harmless to the human body. It is widely used in packaging of tobacco, drugs, food, cosmetics and other commodities.

C) UV polishing

UV polishing, also known as UV radiation drying polishing, is a process that utilizes the instantaneous exposure of UV radiation to the varnish to trigger a rapid photochemical reaction, forming a bright coating with a network like chemical structure on the surface of printed materials. Its UV curing process is the same as the drying process of UV ink, characterized by good gloss, strong heat resistance and wear resistance, fast drying, safety and environmental protection, and has broad market development prospects. Like water-based polishing, it is mainly used for product packaging in the fields of medicine, food, etc.

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