Spot UV and Foil Mask Maker
Beta
Shiny here, matte there. I love a little drama.
Set it up
Free, runs in your browserEverything darker than the threshold gets varnish. Right for black type and a dark logo.
A press does not varnish a colour picture. It varnishes a separate one-colour plate, and that plate is a black and white mask at the same size as your artwork: black where the varnish lands, white where the card stays bare. This makes that mask from the art you already have.
Spreading the edge by a pixel or two gives the press room to register the varnish over the ink. Do not varnish small text: a raised 6pt line looks like a mistake, and registration on something that fine is not reliable.
The mask
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Spot UV Business CardsFrom $76.884.9·109 reviewsShop now About the spot uv and foil mask maker
A press varnishes a separate one-colour plate, not your artwork. Upload the art and get that plate.
Free blank templatesWhat a varnish file actually is
Spot UV and foil are not colours mixed into your artwork. They are a separate pass, and that pass is driven by a one-colour plate: solid black where the finish lands, nothing where it does not. Send a colour design and ask for the logo shiny and a prepress operator has to guess which part you meant.
This makes the plate from the art you already have, at the same size, so the two line up exactly.
Spot UV works by contrast
The effect comes from the difference between the matte card and the glossy patch. Varnish most of the card and there is nothing for it to contrast against, so the tool tells you the coverage and warns you past about half.
Do not varnish small type. Registration on a 6pt line is not reliable and a raised sliver of gloss on the wrong side of a letter looks like a fault.
Common questions
Questions about spot uv and foil mask maker
What file does a printer need for spot UV?
A one-colour mask at the same size as the artwork: solid black where the varnish goes, white where it does not. That is what this makes.
Can I use this for foil stamping?
Yes. A foil die is driven by the same kind of one-colour mask.
How much of the card should be varnished?
Less than you think. The effect is the contrast with the matte card, so a logo and a headline beat a full flood. The tool warns you past about half.
Can I varnish small text?
It is not advised. Registration at that size is not reliable and the result usually reads as a mistake.