Opinion on Menu Card Finishing

[jpfulton248]

I am printing a beverage card for a restaurant. The card is 4" wide x 8.5" tall (tall and skinny). Full bleed and some kind of protective coating (probably Laminated?). I don't have much experience with lamination so the thing I'm stumped on is whether to do a thin lamination on heavy stock or a thick lamination on less heavy stock. I think the final "stiffness" I want would be a 10pt or 12pt stock. I don't want a gloss finish. Maybe a matte or satin. Basically something protective but subtle.

Any suggestions very much appreciated. Thanks!

 

[pippip]

We have a roll laminator and for what you are doing I would be using a heavy card and light matte lam. Reason is I find the heavy matte lam blurs the text more.

 

[jpfulton248]

Thank you. So do I do a coated stock with matte lam? Do you think like a 1.3 mil on 10pt stock?

 

[pippip]

I'm in Ireland so converting that sounds like same lam as I'd generally use. 10pt stock seems to be 250gsm approx, I'd generally be a bit heavier on this 300gsm/350gsm.

Really depends on the client. Make a proof and show them. Given your menu is tall and skinny when folded 10pt may be fine for it.

 

[jpfulton248]

Thank you... FYI no fold, just 4"x8.5 4/4

 

[rik foerman]

My new goto is Mohawk Synthetics Premium Polyester Paper...durable & warterproof. no resason for lamination. seems to be working good, printed on J75 Digital Press

 

[jpfulton248]

Hey Rik -- Just called Xpedx. He wants to sell me the Veritiv version of it. It's almost $1 per sheet but I'm convinced... only problem is I only need about 25 sheets and it's 250 sheets is the minimum order

 

[Keith]

...no resason for lamination...

Actually, there is one reason- protection from mechanical rub. I do a lot of menus for local restaurants and one regional restaurant and some cleaners and even some sauces can ruin the toner. They like to wipe the menus down occasionally and even some restaurants throw them in the dishwasher! Lol! When I got started with menus, I was sold on the plastic menus idea not needing laminate and being cheaper than laminate. But just as you discovered jpfelton248, at a dollar sheet, it's really not much cheaper than card stock with laminate. Although, I am a big fan of printing on adhesive vinyls and plastics, lamination is the way to go unless they have those menu jackets.

I run a 27" Ledco using a 3mil gloss on 100lb, 14pt, or 16pt. I'll pouch laminate upon request. The menus are printed on a Versant 180P.

 

[PricelineNegotiator]

If you go back to high school chemistry days, "like dissolves like" comes into play when printing on synthetics, or at least from what I have determined it does. Water is a polar molecule and toner is non-polar, therefore putting water on top of toner does not dissolve the toner. When alcohol, a non-polar molecule, interacts with toner, it generally dissolves the toner. I have noticed that it does take a bit of effort or repeat use of the alcohol to have an intense effect on the print, but as a printer I notice it immediately. The best thing you can do is to tell your customer to use water when they clean the menus.

Keith, would you be willing to talk to me about your Ledco machine? I have the same notion you do about the synthetics and how cool it is, but I almost talk my customers out of using it. We're kind of looking to expand into more formal lamination methods than our pouch laminator. I've been approached by Jackie at Ledco a few times and I'm wondering how well your machine serves you.

 

[jpfulton248]

PricelineNegotiator want to hear a slightly relevant story? Once I got my license plate tabs in the mail and went outside to stick them to the cars. Well, I realized that I put the first one on the wrong car so I tried to peel it off. Those things do not peel off. I already had some rubbing alcohol with me so I tried to use it to ease off the adhesive. A little alcohol got on the printed side of the tab so I wiped it off. BOOM. Blank tab. Printing gone. It was like a magic trick. And that is the story of how I wasted $5 in 5 minutes. I realize that isn't toner but it just goes to show you... those tabs will last 12 months+ in standard conditions but they are by no means indestructible.

 

[Keith]

...Keith, would you be willing to talk to me about your Ledco machine? I have the same notion you do about the synthetics and how cool it is, but I almost talk my customers out of using it. We're kind of looking to expand into more formal lamination methods than our pouch laminator. I've been approached by Jackie at Ledco a few times and I'm wondering how well your machine serves you.

PricelineNegotiator, I sent you a PM with my phone number.