Clear gloss, you can feel.
Thick clear varnish rises above matte or soft-touch laminate. It catches light and your fingertip without adding another ink colour.
Start with the finish
See what raised spot uv does with your own brief.
Free · about two minutes
How it is made
The printed sheet is laminated before the clear raised varnish is applied and UV-cured. A sealed matte ground keeps the varnish above the surface and gives the gloss contrast.
For a tone-on-tone black design, print rich black beneath the UV shape and a slightly lighter black around it. The surrounding matte and raised gloss read differently as the light moves. Never apply this finish to cotton or raw uncoated stock; use clear foil there.
What the screen cannot show
A photograph cannot convey height, friction or edge quality. Order the sample kit to compare finishes in your hand.
Hold the finish in your hand: order the sample kit →What it runs on
| Substrate | Verdict | Why |
|---|---|---|
| Uncoated & 100% cotton | No | Use clear foil on cotton and raw uncoated stock; spot UV needs matte or soft-touch laminate. |
| Colour-through (dyed) stock | No | Raw dyed paper absorbs varnish; use clear foil instead. |
| Coated silk & matte stock | Good, tested | Add matte or soft-touch laminate before spot UV. |
| Matte-laminated stock | Excellent | Matte laminate keeps the raised clear varnish above the sheet and gives it contrast. |
| Soft-touch laminated stock | Excellent | A smooth soft-touch ground contrasts with the tactile gloss. |
| Gloss-laminated stock | No | Use matte or soft-touch laminate; gloss on gloss loses contrast. |
| Recycled, kraft & inclusion stock | No | Raw fibre absorbs varnish; use clear foil instead. |
| Thick board, duplex & triplex | Good, tested | Only over a matte or soft-touch laminated outer face, never raw cotton. |
| Stainless & brass | No | Not offered on metal. |
| Clear & frosted plastic | No | This finish is specified over laminated paper. |
| Solid wood | No | Open grain cannot hold a clean level varnish film. |
Minimums and specs
- Ground
- Matte or soft-touch laminate
- Cotton / uncoated
- No
- Use clear foil instead
- Artwork
- Separate solid vector
- Tonal black
- Rich black under UV
- Slightly lighter black around it
Choose the process by the outcome
Pairs well with
Soft-touch laminate
Soft touch is a thin, uniform laminate bonded over a printed sheet. The drag is tactile, but the surface stays visually smooth: never fuzzy, flocked or textile-like.
Spot UV, and clear foil on uncoated stock
Spot UV is a clear varnish cured over selected artwork. It needs a sealed surface; on raw cotton or uncoated paper it soaks in and the contrast dies.
Seen in
Common questions
- What is the difference between flat and raised spot UV?
- Both are selective clear varnishes over laminate. Raised spot UV builds a thickness you can feel; flat spot UV is primarily a change in reflection.
- How does black-on-black raised UV work?
- Print rich black under the clear UV shape and a slightly lighter black around it. Matte laminate around the raised gloss gives both tonal and tactile contrast.