These are special finishing you can apply to specific areas on your print to make it shinier. For example, you can apply the UV varnish to your logo, or some specific text to make it pop. The overall idea is to create a contrast between the paper stock being used and the extreme glossiness or vividness of the varnish.

Spot UV is applied after the actual design has been printed in the regular fashion. UV gloss has a special kit that locates the exact position for the varnish and applies it before bombarding the varnish with UV rays to finish the process. The result is a very special printed product.

You don’t need to do anything special to your design when anticipating the use of UV varnish. It is a matter of specifying exactly which sections of print work are to be covered. Technology takes care of the rest.

Flex printing and Vinyl printing are the most commonly used for banners for events, exhibitions, and conferences. Large banners of roads and highways are also called hoardings. Hoardings are large in size like 20 ft x 20 ft, 20 ft x 40 ft, and others.

Cloth Banner: Cloth banners are employed in Tier 1 and Tier 2 cities but it is being fast replaced by flex as flex printing machines are not that costly. The cost depends upon per sq meter cloth rates and about Rs. 5 to Rs. 15 charged per sq meter for printing or by the painter.

Flex Printing

Flex Banners: Flex banner is relatively cheaper as compared to another medium of printing. Flex material comes in roles with fix width of a minimum of 3 ft size. The cost depends upon the order size and varies between Rs. 10 to Rs 15 per sq ft with graded original ink printing.

Star Flex Banners: If your design has a background color, text color, logo, picture, and images, then you need to choose star flex instead of normal flex as star flex prints color better than normal flex. The cost varies as per the size of the banner and quantity required. Prices range from Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 per sq ft for better quality star flex.

Vinyl Printing

Vinyl material comes in few varieties like eco solvent vinyl which can be with or without lamination. Inkjet vinyl is also a preferred choice as it stands out when compared to normal vinyl, star vinyl, or eco-solvent vinyl.

Vinyl Banners: Vinyl is also known as PVC. Vinyl is a sticker. It is non-stretchable and of better quality material as compared to flex material. It can be used both indoors and outdoors for different banner printing. Vinyl banner normally costs between Rs. 20 to Rs. 30 per sq ft with rates coming down for higher quantity.

Eco-solvent material: Eco solvent vinyl is used for indoor shop banners, at hotels for indoor events and exhibition and are pasted on the foam surface, plastic frame, or wooden frame. Eco vinyl is a high-quality sticker. Eco-solvent material comes with and without lamination, laminated eco-solvent banner costs around Rs. 75 to Rs. 90 per sq ft and without lamination it costs Rs. 60 to Rs 75 per sq ft.

Vinyl is of better quality as compared to flex. Apart from banner printing cost, there are charges for wooden board mounting and pasting of eco solvent vinyl which may depend again on quantity, location, and other factors.

Envelopes are widely used for different purposes. Many companies use them for official communication in the standard size of 9.5'' x 4.5'' which is also referred to as cheque size envelopes. For brochures, newsletters, magazines, and other A4 size documents, envelopes size used is 10'' x 12''.

Envelopes are generally printed on 80 gsm to 100 gsm paper. Different types of the paper include alabaster paper, royal executive bond paper, sunshine paper, creme paper, and others as well. To get a premium envelope, you can even consider them printing on art paper, like for folders and brochures envelopes which are also printed on 150 gsm art paper.

Envelopes are also used for wedding and invitation cards. Wedding cards are different in size and design. Techniques used in printing are screen, embossing, engraving, foiling, stamping. Invitation cards and greeting cards are mostly in A5 size with a single fold, single leaf front, and back printing, therefore you will easily get 9'' x 6'' white envelopes which are available.

There is no minimum number of circulations which you should print for the magazines. It depends upon the number of subscribers from your magazines. Initially, the number of subscribers to a magazine can be less thereby increasing the per-unit cost of the magazine.

Factors on which cost of printing depends

• Total print run (also called total prints per circulation)

• Number of circulations in a year

• The paper of the magazine - thin glossy web offset machine paper or art paper 70 / 80 / 90 / 100 gsm or more

• Printing machine

Number of circulations for magazines

There is no minimum number of circulations which you should print for the magazines. It depends upon the number of subscribers of your magazines. Initially, the number of subscribers to a magazine can be less thereby increasing the per-unit cost of the magazine.

If you have a circulation run of less than 2000 copies for a magazine, then the cost per unit will be high, making the whole idea of printing magazines challenging.