Colors are passion, emotions and personality. At Siegwerk, inks and coatings are our specialty and we use color to bring the packaging and products of our customers to life.
Tactile Effect Lacquers- Part 1
Relief, paper-touch, soft-, silk- and rubber-touch lacquers – they all feature functions that deliver product differentiation and customer loyalty.
Brand owners especially are looking for this tactile appeal, which aims at promoting positive emotions about product content. That’s because the more the consumer believes the packaging has a premium-quality feel to it, and they associate a positive feeling with that, the likelier the consumer is to buy the product. Tactile effects can therefore effectively reinforce the impact of each brand promise as well as the perceived quality of the promoted product.
1. Relief Lacquers
Impact:
• Provide tactile experience
• Raised coatings display high gloss levels
Technical Background:
• Acts as a UV-curing, raised-coating lacquer to produce surface textures
• Applies defined textures
• Feasible in combination with high-gloss lacquer to achieve as high a degree of print-motif plasticity as possible
• Alternative to conventional blind embossing
Example:
• 3D-textures on exclusive tobacco and cosmetics packaging
• Not suitable for subtle fonts, bleeds or within groove lines
2. Rubber-Touch Lacquers
Impact:
• Rubber-like, slip-resistant feel
• Specific matt effects, “aha experience”, because usually unexpected
Technical Background:
• Soft, elastic microtextures on the surface produce this unique feel
• Rubber-touch lacquers are generally slightly opaque
• Print images can be partially refined (details, fonts, screens)
Example:
• Tobacco packaging and products designed to feature a masculine touch
3. Silk- or Soft-Touch Lacquers
Impact:
• Soft, pleasant feel
• Premium matt effect and silky surface (“silk feel”)
Technical Background:
• Silk and velvet can be simulated by very fine particles in the matt lacquer in combination with the coatings
on PP and PET films
Example:
• Packaging for beauty and luxury products
4. Paper-Touch Lacquers
Impact:
• Conveys natural, paper-like feel
• Intensive matt effects and rough surface
Technical Background:
• Kraft paper, parchment, wood surfaces or sand can be simulated by very coarse texturing agents in the
matt lacquer in combination with the coatings on synthetic films
• For surface printing on synthetic packaging
Example:
• Packaging for “natural foods” like granola, dried fruits, nuts etc.
