A UV varnish is a special varnish layer, screenprinted and dried with a special ultraviolet machine. A gloss lamination is a glass-like cellophane which is applied to the printed board using a high temperature.  

UV varnish is slightly cheaper than gloss laminate but despite that, we advise you to opt for gloss laminate. Gloss lamination protects your print work a lot better and adds to its quality. It is less sensitive to scratches or stains like fingerprints than UV varnish. On top of that, UV Varnish can sometimes crack on the creased edges of the sleeve when folding. Having said all of the above, please note that marking and scuffing is more noticeable with dark printed colours. So a very dark sleeve is more sensitive to scuffs and marks with both UV and gloss laminate.

There are more options than gloss laminate or gloss UV. You could also consider a matt soft touch laminate or a laminate with a leather or sand structure. Gloss UV is very suitable to be used for a glossy high light, called Spot UV. A spot UV can also be applied on top of laminate.

Please call (+31235511115) or email orders@recordindustry.com us if you would like to know more about the unlimited possibilities with laminate or UV varnish.