Finishing is where a lot of quiet waste happens. Coating left in trays at the end of the day, rollers thrown away after one job, prints spoiled by dust or coated too early and then reprinted. None of it is dramatic on its own, but together it adds up in material, time and disposal. Most of the savings come from habits rather than equipment.
Find out where the waste is
Before changing anything, keep a simple record for a few weeks: rejected prints and why, coating left over after each session, and consumables used. The biggest category is usually obvious once it is written down, and it is often reprints rather than coating.
Fewer reprints
A reprint wastes media, ink, printer time and coating. The common causes in finishing are well known and mostly avoidable:
- Untested combinations. Solvent coatings do not suit every ink and substrate. Testing on an offcut costs far less than losing a full print. See our sample testing guide.
- Coating too soon. Prints that have not dried and outgassed fully can cause clouding or adhesion problems.
- Dust and handling. A clean finishing area and clean gloves prevent many rejects.
- Packing too early. Marks pressed into a coating that has not cured mean the print comes back.
Using less coating
- Group coating jobs into sessions so you prepare and clean down once rather than several times a day.
- Pour only what you need for the session into the tray, keeping the rest sealed in its container.
- Follow the storage advice on the data sheet so opened coating stays usable. Our guide to storing coatings explains why closed containers matter.
- Apply thin, even coats. Heavy application uses more material and is more likely to cause defects.
- Use a border sheet sized to the print rather than coating a large area of waste around it.
- If you coat regularly, consider whether a coating machine would give more consistent application with less leftover material.
Consumables and offcuts
Where the data sheet gives a cleaning method, cleaning rollers and trays promptly can extend their life. Keep media offcuts from each roll in a labelled box: they are ideal for coating tests and save printing dedicated test sheets. For film lamination, plan sheet layouts so several smaller prints share one pass, and use the end of a roll for tests.
Longer-lasting products
There is a wider point too. A print that lasts longer on the wall is replaced less often. Liquid lamination adds durability and lightfastness so prints can handle harsher environments, and reusable media such as Phototex, which can be removed in one piece, repositioned and reused, suit temporary displays that would otherwise be thrown away after one use.
Disposing of what is left
Dispose of unwanted coating, solvent and contaminated rags as the safety data sheet advises. Solvent-soaked rags should go in a closed metal container, not a general bin, as they can present a fire risk.
To discuss ways of making your finishing stage more efficient, ring Landor on 01252 624 411 or get in touch online.