For many print businesses, protection is something done occasionally on request. Yet it is one of the simplest ways to add value to work you are already producing. A protected print looks better for longer, copes with real-world handling and gives the customer fewer reasons to come back unhappy. Offering it properly can improve both your margins and your reputation.
Why customers value it
- Interior designers want murals and wallpapers that can be wiped clean.
- Retailers need displays that survive busy shop floors and frequent cleaning.
- Photographers and artists want their work to keep its colour and to be framed without glass.
- Sign and branding clients need graphics that cope outdoors.
Getting started
- Review your current work. Which jobs would clearly benefit from protection? Canvas, wallcoverings, retail graphics and outdoor signs are obvious candidates.
- Choose your method. Aerosols such as ClearJet suit occasional small jobs; rollers suit modest volumes; a coating machine suits regular production. A film laminator covers rigid display work.
- Prepare your space. Solvent coatings need ventilation, a clean coating area, space for prints to dry and safe storage. Read the safety data sheets and complete a risk assessment.
- Test your materials. Coat samples of each ink and media combination you use regularly. Solvent coatings do not suit every combination, and it is better to find out before a customer job.
- Train your team. Agree a standard method so results are consistent whoever does the work.
- Build it into your pricing and turnaround. Allow for materials, labour and drying time.
Explaining it to customers
Keep it simple and honest. Explain what the coating protects against: water, chemicals, abrasion and, with UV-inhibiting coatings such as Colourjet, premature fading. Show a coated sample next to an uncoated one and let customers wipe each with a damp cloth. Avoid promising specific lifespans; focus instead on what the protection does and how display conditions matter.
Some businesses offer protection as a standard part of certain products, such as all canvases or all wallpapers, rather than as an optional extra. That can be easier to sell and simpler to manage, because it removes the decision from the customer.
After-sale care
A short care card with each protected print, explaining how to dust and clean it and advising against direct sunlight, reinforces the value and reduces problems. Our cleaning and care guide can be a starting point.
Other products to consider
Alongside protection, products such as Phototex self-adhesive fabric open up removable, reusable wall graphics that do not need specialist installers. See our coatings and equipment for the full range.
Thinking of adding protection to your services? We would be glad to help you plan it. Call 01252 624 411 or tell us about your business.