Coating adds a protective layer that helps prints resist water, chemicals and abrasion, but heavy knocks, sharp objects and poor handling can still leave their mark. When a customer reports damage, the first job is to work out what has actually been affected: the coating only, or the print beneath it. That decides whether a repair is realistic.
Assessing the damage
Look at the area under good light from several angles. Common situations include:
- Surface marks: a smear or residue sitting on top of the coating, often from hands, packaging or a cleaning product.
- Sheen change: an area that looks duller or shinier than the rest because the coating surface has been rubbed or polished.
- Scratches into the coating: visible lines where the coating is marked but the image underneath is intact.
- Damage through to the print: ink removed, media torn or creased, or a dent in a canvas.
What you can try
Surface marks often come away with gentle cleaning. Follow the approach in our guide to cleaning coated prints: a soft cloth and mild method first, nothing abrasive, and a test on an inconspicuous corner.
Light scuffs and sheen changes in the coating can sometimes be improved by applying a fresh coat over the area or the whole surface. This is a judgement call, and it does not always blend invisibly. If you want to try it, work through these steps:
- Check the coating’s technical data sheet, or ask Landor, whether recoating over a cured layer is suitable for that product.
- Clean the surface so it is free of dust, grease and cleaning residues, and let it dry completely.
- Test the recoat on a coated offcut from the same media and ink if you have one.
- Where appropriate, recoat the whole surface rather than a patch; spot repairs tend to show as a change in sheen.
- Use the same coating and finish as the original, applied thinly, in a ventilated area away from ignition sources.
- Allow it to dry and cure fully before judging the result or returning the piece.
When to reprint
If ink has been removed, the media is torn or creased, or the damage is in a prominent area, reprinting is usually the honest answer. Retouching printed images by hand rarely matches, and it can make a problem more visible. Keeping your print files, colour settings and coating records for each job makes reprints much easier to match. Our page on colour management covers consistency between runs.
Preventing a repeat
Ask how the damage happened. Packing before the coating had cured, cleaning with an unsuitable product, or display in a spot where people brush past are all common causes. A note in your aftercare information, a change to packing, or a more suitable finish for the location can prevent the same problem next time.
If you are not sure whether a coated print can be recoated, ask Landor first on 01252 624 411 or via our contact form.