Coating Is One of the Lowest-Cost Ways to Increase Print Value

A Small Cost With a Big Business Impact

Printers are always looking for ways to increase job value without adding major cost, complexity, or production time. Specialty papers, inks, and finishing techniques can all improve a piece, but they can also significantly raise the cost of production.

Coating offers a simpler path.

For a fraction of a penny per sheet, coating can improve appearance, protect the printed surface, and make the final product feel more valuable. That makes it one of the most practical ways to strengthen margins while delivering a better result to the customer.

Increase Perceived Value

The way a printed piece looks and feels plays a major role in how it is perceived. Gloss coatings can make colors appear richer and more vibrant. Matte finishes create a refined, premium look. Soft-touch and textured coatings add a tactile quality that helps a piece stand apart. These finishes can transform the customer experience without changing the artwork, printing process, or substrate. The printed sheet stays the same, but the final product feels more intentional and higher value.

For direct mail, packaging, catalogs, book covers, and promotional materials, that difference can directly influence how the piece is received.

Protect the Cost Already in the Job

Every printed piece represents an investment in paper, ink, labor, press time, and finishing. Without protection, that investment is exposed to scuffing, ink rub, fingerprints, moisture, and shipping damage. Coating helps protect the surface during finishing, transportation, distribution, and end use. It can reduce visible wear and help the piece maintain its appearance longer. Avoiding even a small number of reprints, rejected pieces, or customer complaints can deliver value well beyond the cost of the coating itself.

Create an Easy Upsell

Coating gives sales teams a simple way to introduce higher-value options during the quoting process. Customers can be shown a basic protective finish alongside gloss, matte, soft-touch, or specialty coatings. This creates a natural good, better, and best pricing model.

Many customers may not initially request coating, but they often understand its value once they can see and feel the difference. The conversation shifts from added cost to improved performance and presentation. That can increase the average job value while giving the customer a stronger final product.

Support Stronger Margins

The most effective value-added services improve the product without adding excessive labor or production burden.

When coating is integrated efficiently into the workflow, it can be consistent, repeatable, and easy to price. Once the correct coating, anilox engraving, and production settings are established, operators can produce reliable results with minimal disruption.

Because the material cost is low compared to the value delivered, coating can become a profitable addition across a wide range of applications.

Compete on Value, Not Price

Print buyers are investing in presentation, durability, brand perception, and customer response. A coated piece looks better, feels stronger, and holds up longer. Helping customers achieve those results positions the printer as a solutions partner rather than a commodity supplier. That can build loyalty, support repeat business, and make future purchasing decisions less focused on price alone.

Ready to Add Practical Print Value?

Increasing print value does not always require an expensive substrate or a complex finishing process. Coating can improve appearance, durability, and perceived quality at a very low cost per sheet. It creates upsell opportunities, protects the printed product, and supports stronger margins.

For printers focused on productivity and profitability, coating remains one of the simplest ways to increase the value of every job. Let us know how we can help add practical print value to your current production flow.

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