Resources/Finishes
Reference · Finishes

Choosing your
finish.

5 min read·5 sections
i
Before you start

Your finish is the layer that goes on top of the printed label — it sets how the label feels and how well it survives being handled. It comes down to two quick decisions, and this guide gets you through both.

Reference · 5 min

Choosing your finish.

5 min·5 sections
i
Before you start

Your finish is the layer that goes on top of the printed label — it sets how the label feels and how well it survives being handled. It comes down to two quick decisions, and this guide gets you through both.

01What a finish actually does

Once your artwork is printed onto your material, a finish is applied over the top. It does two jobs at once: it protects the print from scratches and scuffs, and it gives the label its final look and feel — matte or glossy, smooth or textured, understated or premium.

So choosing a finish is really two decisions: how tough does it need to be, and how do you want it to look and feel. Settle those two and you're done.

02Laminate vs varnish — how tough it needs to be

This is the durability decision, and it's the one worth getting right.

Laminates

add a thin extra film layer over your label. That film gives excellent scratch resistance and a premium feel — it's the more robust choice, and it's what you want for labels that get handled a lot, packed into cases, or sit in ice and condensation.

Varnishes

are a lighter coating applied directly to the print. They're a more economical finish and look great, but they're more prone to scratching than a laminate.

The simple rule
If your label is going to take a beating — chilled, cased, handled — lean laminate. If it lives a gentler life, a varnish does the job for less.

03Matte, gloss, and texture — the look and feel

This is the second decision: the character of the surface.

  • Gloss is shiny and makes colours pop — saturated, punchy, eye-catching on a shelf.
  • Matte is understated and modern, with low glare and a clean, premium restraint.
  • Sand is a rough, grainy, tactile coating — unusual and memorable in the hand.
  • Soft Touch is a velvety, soft-to-the-touch laminate — quietly the most premium feel of the lot.

Here's every standard finish at a glance:

Matte Laminate
Look & feel
Smooth, understated, low glare
Durability
High — film layer
Glossy Laminate
Look & feel
Glossy, saturated colour
Durability
High — film layer
Soft Touch Laminate
Look & feel
Velvety, soft, premium
Durability
High — film layer
Matte Varnish
Look & feel
Matte with a slight texture
Durability
Lighter — can scratch
Glossy Varnish
Look & feel
Smooth and shiny
Durability
Lighter — can scratch
Sand Varnish
Look & feel
Rough, grainy, tactile
Durability
Lighter — can scratch

All six are standard finishes, priced instantly in the portal — pick one in the setup wizard and you're set.

04Going further: bespoke finishes

When a label deserves something extra, two bespoke finishes add real standout:

3D Foiling

Raised, real metallic foil in gold, silver, or copper. It catches the light and gives genuine shelf presence; the natural choice for a flagship or a limited release.

3D Varnish

A raised, glossy varnish applied to specific elements, like a logo or a pattern, for a tactile spot-gloss effect against the rest of the label.

Both sit outside the instant menu and are quoted individually — see Bespoke vs. standard labels for how that works. They're worth it on the products you want to feel special and will reorder.

05Not sure? Feel them in person

Finish is genuinely hard to judge on a screen — matte, gloss, Sand, and Soft Touch all feel completely different in the hand, and that difference is the whole point. Order a sample kit and you can feel each one on a real label before you commit. Or tell us about your product and we'll point you to the finish that suits it.

A quick steer to finish on:

Colour to pop, taking knocksGlossy Laminate
Clean and modern, taking knocksMatte Laminate
The most premium feelSoft Touch Laminate
Something tactile and differentSand Varnish
Best value, gentler handlingMatte or Glossy Varnish
A flagship that needs to shineBespoke 3D Foiling
Resources/Finishes
Reference · Finishes

Choosing your
finish.

5 min read·5 sections
i
Before you start

Your finish is the layer that goes on top of the printed label — it sets how the label feels and how well it survives being handled. It comes down to two quick decisions, and this guide gets you through both.

Reference · 5 min

Choosing your finish.

5 min·5 sections
i
Before you start

Your finish is the layer that goes on top of the printed label — it sets how the label feels and how well it survives being handled. It comes down to two quick decisions, and this guide gets you through both.

01What a finish actually does

Once your artwork is printed onto your material, a finish is applied over the top. It does two jobs at once: it protects the print from scratches and scuffs, and it gives the label its final look and feel — matte or glossy, smooth or textured, understated or premium.

So choosing a finish is really two decisions: how tough does it need to be, and how do you want it to look and feel. Settle those two and you're done.

02Laminate vs varnish — how tough it needs to be

This is the durability decision, and it's the one worth getting right.

Laminates

add a thin extra film layer over your label. That film gives excellent scratch resistance and a premium feel — it's the more robust choice, and it's what you want for labels that get handled a lot, packed into cases, or sit in ice and condensation.

Varnishes

are a lighter coating applied directly to the print. They're a more economical finish and look great, but they're more prone to scratching than a laminate.

The simple rule
If your label is going to take a beating — chilled, cased, handled — lean laminate. If it lives a gentler life, a varnish does the job for less.

03Matte, gloss, and texture — the look and feel

This is the second decision: the character of the surface.

  • Gloss is shiny and makes colours pop — saturated, punchy, eye-catching on a shelf.
  • Matte is understated and modern, with low glare and a clean, premium restraint.
  • Sand is a rough, grainy, tactile coating — unusual and memorable in the hand.
  • Soft Touch is a velvety, soft-to-the-touch laminate — quietly the most premium feel of the lot.

Here's every standard finish at a glance:

Matte Laminate
Look & feel
Smooth, understated, low glare
Durability
High — film layer
Glossy Laminate
Look & feel
Glossy, saturated colour
Durability
High — film layer
Soft Touch Laminate
Look & feel
Velvety, soft, premium
Durability
High — film layer
Matte Varnish
Look & feel
Matte with a slight texture
Durability
Lighter — can scratch
Glossy Varnish
Look & feel
Smooth and shiny
Durability
Lighter — can scratch
Sand Varnish
Look & feel
Rough, grainy, tactile
Durability
Lighter — can scratch

All six are standard finishes, priced instantly in the portal — pick one in the setup wizard and you're set.

04Going further: bespoke finishes

When a label deserves something extra, two bespoke finishes add real standout:

3D Foiling

Raised, real metallic foil in gold, silver, or copper. It catches the light and gives genuine shelf presence; the natural choice for a flagship or a limited release.

3D Varnish

A raised, glossy varnish applied to specific elements, like a logo or a pattern, for a tactile spot-gloss effect against the rest of the label.

Both sit outside the instant menu and are quoted individually — see Bespoke vs. standard labels for how that works. They're worth it on the products you want to feel special and will reorder.

05Not sure? Feel them in person

Finish is genuinely hard to judge on a screen — matte, gloss, Sand, and Soft Touch all feel completely different in the hand, and that difference is the whole point. Order a sample kit and you can feel each one on a real label before you commit. Or tell us about your product and we'll point you to the finish that suits it.

A quick steer to finish on:

Colour to pop, taking knocksGlossy Laminate
Clean and modern, taking knocksMatte Laminate
The most premium feelSoft Touch Laminate
Something tactile and differentSand Varnish
Best value, gentler handlingMatte or Glossy Varnish
A flagship that needs to shineBespoke 3D Foiling

Hard to judge on screen

Order a sample kit and feel every finish on a real label before you choose.