Binding, Foiling, Embossing: Embellishment Trends
Sabine Lenz, founder of PaperSpecs, discussed “The Five Hottest Print Design Trends of 2019” during PRINTING United.
It may seem counterintuitive, but younger generations are responding to print. Whether it’s for historical reasons, or the physical touch printed products deliver, the under-30 crowd use print. That’s good news for print providers.
Smyth sewn bookbinding incorporates thread through the binding, and its visual appeal is causing the process to trend, with ongoing updates and embellishments attracting even more attention.
Another trend that is becoming increasingly more available is foiling, both cold- and hot- foiling. For certain verticals, Lenz explains, the competition to stand out is intense, which explains why embellishment techniques, such a hot foil stamping, are a favorite for creative designs.
Especially when it comes to tactile printing, there is no better technique than foiling, according to Lenz. Foil colors are limited, but the gold or silver-based color allows for various colorful metallic sheens on the product.
Beyond foiling, customers crave the sensory appeal of tactile printing. Hot-foil printing creates a slight embossing, but general embossing adds a very particular tactile feel. Digital embossing doesn’t have the same effect as typical embossing; rather than pushing down the material, digital embossing raises the ink. The result, nonetheless, is still that raised surface that fans of tactile printing enjoy.
These trends are constantly changing and evolving, but binding, foiling, and embossing continue to attract the attention of printers everywhere, as they deliver results and help printed pieces stand out among competitive products.
