The 4 Different Types of Clear Ink Uses

Add some flair to any of your digital prints with a clear ink emboss, or a gloss/matte varnish

Clear ink is an amazing tool to make sure your prints stand out!

The ability to print clear ink gives us the ability to do some super cool stuff!

We are able to run clear using 3 different methods:

Emboss:

Embossing using clear ink is essentially using a multi-layer ink design to build the ink up and make it raised. This can be done for spot detailing, text, symbols, and watermarks.

Gloss Varnish:

Gloss varnish is great for flooding prints with clear ink, it has a tendency to spread more than embossing making it not preferable for watermarks or other detailed sections, but perfect for flooding. Printing a gloss varnish on a print not only give it a great shine, but also helps protect from scratching.

Matte Varnish:

Matte varnish is pretty much the same as a gloss varnish, except it adds a dull/luster finish instead of a glossy one. It is perfect for flooding prints that you don’t want to be glossy or reflect light as much.

Types of Clear Ink Uses:

Spot Detailing

Spot detailing is when you grab a specific part of a print to cover. This can be an object, symbol, section of a picture, etc.

You can use glossy clear ink in your print if you would like a section appear shiny or raised. This is often done to add effects to things like: liquid, glass, chrome, light, etc.

This can also be done with matte clear ink overlays to achieve the opposite effect. Adding matte to certain objects in your print can make them blend more, or help them become background objects.

Doing spot detailing is much easier when using vector art, but it can be done with any artfile, all you have to do is select what you want detailed, create a new layer/object over the top of it. We will change it to the clear ink color and print it!

Flooding

Flooding is when you cover an entire image/print. You can add a gloss or matte clear ink coat over the top to give it a shiny or dull finish.

Besides changing the sheen of the print, a flooded clear ink overlay also helps protect your print from scratching and rubbing.

To do flooding, all you need to do is create an object/layer that is the same size as your entire image/print, we will change that to the clear ink color and print it!

Text

Covering text with clear ink can make your message stand out even more!

Add a gloss overlay to make your text pop, add an embossed overlay to give your text a feel, or add a matte overlay to tone down your text.

To add a clear overlay to your text, either duplicate your text layer or trace your text; and we’ll change it to the clear color and print it!

Watermark

Watermarking is adding your logo, name, info, etc. on the image/print or all over it.

Clear ink is perfect for adding watermarks because it doesn't disrupt the image and it can't be removed. This will ensure that your image/print will stay yours.