At Urban Ink we like to keep our finishing in house where possible, helping us to achieve tight turnarounds and also regulate and monitor our own quality.
With the recent incorporation of the industry famous 'Shaftesbury Engraving Company' - expert craftsmen who specialise in tradditional print and finishing methods such as die stamping, embossing, debossing, thermography, foil blocking and so much more, we have widened our offering ten fold and are incredibly proud of the beautiful, detailed and precise work our ever growing team produce.
Precision trimming, drilling, mounting, folding, binding, die cutting, creasing, stitching, laminating, varnishing, embossing, foil blocking, die stamping and hand/bench work is all carried out in-house. For further information about our finishing services see below:
Perfect Binding is often used where books have too many pages to saddle stitch and gives similar results to a traditional paperback book.
The makeup of a Perfect Bound book usually consist of two sections; text pages known as the Book Block, combined with a cover made of a heavier stock. The two sections are then glued together at the spine using the Perfect Binding Machine and the Hot Melt glue that the machine applies.
A folded, stitched & trimmed (FST) booklet is also referred to as a saddle stitched booklet. These are booklets printed as paired pages, collated in sets and stapled (stitched) on the spine.
Fold, stitch & trim booklets are quickly becoming the most common binding method for short-run printed books. This is mainly due to cost and time efficiencies. It also consumes fewer resources than other methods of binding which ultimately gives the product a greener feel.
Wire binding is a popular commercial book binding method. With this binding method, we insert punched pages onto a "C" shaped spine and then use a wire closer to squeeze the spine until it is round. Documents that are bound with wire binding will open completely flat on a desk and allow for 360 degree rotation of bound pages.
Die cutting is the process that cuts out non-square shapes from sheets of paper using a cutting forme.
The cutting forme is made from plywood with the cutting template laser cut into it. A metal cutting rule is then bent to the same shape and inserted into the plywood base to create a very stable cutting tool.
Die-cutting gives your printed materials crisp creases and clean cuts.
It is very popular in creating folders, envelopes and windows in report covers. We can also cut intricate and unusual shapes in stationery and invitations using a special process that we have perfected.
Foil blocking is the process of applying metallic or 'foil' effects to a surface. It uses a metal die - like a stamp - onto which the design is chemically etched or crafted by hand from supplied artwork. Foil blocking can be either 'flat' (foil only) or 'combination' (foiling and debossing or embossing - see below for explanation).
The technique produces effects which are impossible to achieve using traditional ink printing. Foils are available in a variety of finishes, including gloss, matt and satin. Along with standard gold and silver, you can choose from many other metallic colours. Some foils do have restricted uses, so please check with us first.
Foil blocking can transform conventionally printed materials and make them shine. Stationery, business cards, greetings cards, certificates, promotional items, invitations, packaging and a whole host of other products can all benefit from its magic touch. It is also possible to foil block on to leather, plastic, and a number of other surfaces. Do chat with us at the concept stage of your project, so that we can advise you on the most appropriate way of achieving your designs.
Spot ultra violet (UV) varnishing is a special effect that applies varnish only on specific areas of a printed piece. You can use spot varnish to make a photograph or text leap off the page. To maximise the contrast, you can matt laminate your printed item before adding the spot varnish. Spot varnishing tends to be used on brochures, special direct mail pieces, envelopes and even on business cards.
Debossing is the process of stamping an image into paper. Embossing is the reverse (creating a raised image from behind). You can either 'blind' emboss/deboss into an unprinted area for a subtle effect or emboss/deboss into a printed or foiled area for more impact.
Die stamping or engraving (also known as copperplate printing) is a printing process that dates back to the 16th century. Similar in it's nature to embossing but with ink placed in the die before stamping and the ability to be applied to incredibly fine areas. This specialist technique is performed only by the most skilled of craftsmen and we are very lucky to have such an artisan working with us here at Urban Ink. Die Stamping is found mostly on high end and traditional Inviations, Christmas Cards, Letterheadings and other stationery.
Thermography is a heat and powder process applied to lithographic printing in order to raise the text and/or images for a 3D effect. It's commonly used on traditional invitations and Christmas Cards.
Gilt edging is the process of adding foil to the edge of a product such as (and not limited to) invitations. Foils are available in a variety of finishes, including gloss, matt and satin. Along with standard gold and silver, you can choose from many other metallic colours. Some foils do have restricted uses, so please check with us first.
Imagine your business cards, books or invitations with coloured edges to match the design! This expert technique sounds simple but the finished result is truly exceptional. Edge painting can be done in practically any colour (including metalic and flourecent) and can be mixed to match specific pantones.
Duplexing, Triplexing or even Quadruplexing is the action of gluing multiple sheets of paper together. This is often used to create extra thick products such as high end invitations, however it can also be used to create eye catching designs with various colour stocks and/or textures. See examples of this below.
Die Cutting
Foiling on Tote Bag
Die Cutting
Die Cut & Saddle Stitched
Triplexing
Foil Debossing
Gilt Edging
Perfect Binding
Die Cutting
Die Stamping
Paper Over Board
Die Cutting
Spot UV & Foil Debossing
Die Stamping
Half Canadian Binding
Die Stamping
Edge Painting
Saddle Stitched
Die Stamping
Die Stamping
Specialist Finishing
Templates
If you're having trouble creating print ready artwork, feel free to try one of our templates.
Guidelines
Our guidlines provide easy to follow steps and tips for setting up your own print ready files.
FileUpload
Upload your files directly to us, using our handy tool.
