Soft Touch
'Subtle, matte look with silky soft feel'
Velvety texture
Most print effects appeal to the visual. Soft touch, on the other hand, primarily appeals to the touch. Soft touch's velvety texture stimulates the curiosity of touch. The matte look creates a luxurious look and leaves a lasting impression on those who touch it. In addition to texture, Soft touch also offers extra protection against scratches and fingerprints to your packaging or label.
How do we print the Soft touch effect?
Velvety textures such as the Soft touch effect are created by the lacquering printing technique. With lacquering, a wafer-thin layer of lacquer is applied to the print and depending on the type of lacquer, a certain effect develops.
How many different Soft touch effects and colours can be printed?
The lacquer that prints the Soft touch effect is transparent. The Soft touch colour therefore depends on the background colour of the paper or cardboard used. The Soft touch colour can also depend on the colours printed on the paper or cardboard before lacquering. Often, the printed colours come from the offset or sheet-fed gravure printing machine.
Can Soft touch be printed on paper and cardboard?
Yes, we can print Soft touch effects on paper and cardboard.
Is Soft touch printing durable?
Various lacquers are available. Examples of sustainable lacquers are water-based lacquers and biodegradable lacquers. We try to use sustainable lacquers as much as possible and, together with our suppliers, we continuously carry out tests to use more environmentally friendly raw materials. Depending on the desired lacquer effect, we will offer a suitable lacquer.
Is the Soft touch effect suitable for labels and packaging?
Yes, Soft touch is suitable for almost all labels and packaging. Whether used all-over or in details in the design, it will add value to the label or packaging. Not only the texture appeals to consumers, also the matte look (whether or not combined with (high) gloss) can give a packaging or label that extra distinctive effect.
Does Soft touch combine well with other print effects?
Yes, Soft touch combines very well with other print effects. Especially because, with Soft touch, the emphasis is on texture, while with other print effects, the focus is often on the visual effect. By combining different printing effects, it is possible to create a unique look. Examples of popular printing effect combinations include Soft touch with embossing, Soft touch with gravure printing or Soft touch with foil printing.
Design tips
- Soft touch is a transparent lacquer
- Provides a velvety texture
- Can be applied all-over or locally (as a detail)
- Ideal for making texts and logos on packaging stand out
- Adds a luxurious look to the print
- Is fingerprint resistant
