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  Brilliant!
 

MetalFX® revolutionizes the CMYK process

Research shows that color can increase readership by 45%, and while we are all accustomed to digital advancements in premedia, no revolutionary changes have occurred to the actual CMYK process. Now MetalFX® gives publishers, catalogers, advertisers and their creative teams the ultimate in metallic color options.

Called "high definition for print" by some in the printing and publishing industries, MetalFX® provides the type of sophisticated color today’s consumers increasingly expect.

How MetalFX® works

MetalFX® technology prints standard CMYK inks on top of specially modified silver ink. The transparent CMYK colors allow the silver to show through and create the illusion of metallic colors. Special design software enables the creation of up to 104 million metallic colors to enhance magazine covers, articles, images and artwork, safe in the knowledge that they can be accurately produced on a five-color press.


  

 

MetalFX® adds metallic luster to catalogs

Previously limited to high-end pieces like corporate identity brochures and annual reports printed on sheetfed presses, MetalFX® technology is now available for web presses and is quickly catching the attention of catalog marketers.

MetalFX® provides an additional tool, allowing catalogers to:

  • Create printed pieces that jump off the mail stack with covers that practically light up
  • Build their brand with brilliant color imagery
  • Make their products – especially metallic products – more realistic. Categories ranging from tools to jewelry, kitchen accessories and technology products can benefit from this new color dimension
  • Build a unique brand experience by adding an extra dimension through SpecialFX™ treatments to high-end brands such as perfume, fashion, beauty

MetalFX® is budget-friendly

Budget-minded professionals know that a little extra ink has always been one of the most inexpensive ways to add impact to print. MetalFX® technology now takes a fifth color to new heights by enabling the integration of metallic colors into photographic images. There is a small upcharge, but it’s much lower than most upgrades, especially paper, and provides significant appeal to both readers and advertisers.

Where to start

Not every print provider offers MetalFX®, especially on web offset presses. Using the process requires a printer that has received special training and is licensed and approved to print MetalFX®. Transcontinental Printing is fully certified for both sheet fed and web offset presses. In fact, we are the first Canadian printer and second printer in North America to be certified for web offset.

Although the process is fairly simple and the cost similar to an additional fifth color, your design team should plan ahead and collaborate freely with the Transcontinental MetalFX® print specialists. The design process requires working within the layers of the file to make the silver show through. Designers can adjust the intensity of the silver and other layers depending on the desired result.

Exciting SpecialFX™ treatments are also possible that extend MetalFX®’s potential and include LiteFX™, HoloFX™, SecurityFX™ and Metallic Panels.

Read more information on these unique treatments as well as useful design tips.
Request our Transcontinental MetalFX® brochure and see for yourself the impact you can get by using MetalFX®.