Print, paper and printing technology terms, L.

Laminate

A transparent coating applied to printed sheets to give either a shiny (gloss) or neutral (matt) finish.

Usually used on the outer covers of brochures or heavy, single sheet, printed materials. Helps protect the document from moisture and heavy usage, as well as being aesthetically pleasing.

See also: UV coating, varnish

Lithography

Method of printing utilising oil and water to enable the ink to produce a printed image. Image areas are covered with oily ink and non-image areas use water to repel the ink.

In combination with the offset printing technique - offset-litho - this is by far the most popular method of commercial printing.

See also: Offset