Premium print used to come with a premium barrier to entry.
Adding foil, raised varnish, tactile laminates, or holographic effects often meant specialized equipment, extensive setup, high minimum quantities, or a continuing reliance on outside trade finishers.
For many independent and mid-sized print shops, the opportunity was clear—but the path to offering it profitably wasn’t.
Digital finishing is changing that.
Today, shops can build an embellishment workflow around their customers, their production volume, and their budget. Instead of making one large leap, they can begin with the finishing effects they can sell now and add capabilities as demand grows.
Why customers value embellished print
Most printed pieces compete for only a few seconds of attention.
Embellishment gives people another reason to pause. Foil reflects light. Soft-touch laminate changes how a piece feels. Spot varnish creates contrast. Raised UV introduces a physical detail that can’t be reproduced on a screen.
These effects don’t simply decorate a printed product. They can help reinforce a brand, highlight important design elements, and make the finished piece feel more valuable.
That creates opportunities for printers to:
- Upgrade work they already produce.
- Offer premium options at the quoting stage.
- Compete on more than price.
- Bring selected outsourced work in-house.
- Build stronger relationships with designers and brand owners.
There’s more than one way to enter embellishment
Not every shop needs to begin with the same equipment.
LAMpro Cheetah S15
For some, specialty lamination and digital foil provide the most practical starting point. The LAMpro Cheetah S15 supports fast lamination and decorative finishing workflows, allowing shops to produce effects such as soft-touch finishes, foil accents, spot varnish, and holographic details.
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FINISHpro 3D 1623
Other shops may be ready to add raised embellishment. The FINISHpro 3D 1623 applies flat spot coatings and dimensional varnish to sheets up to 16×23 inches. At a price below $70,000, it lowers a cost barrier that has traditionally kept raised UV equipment out of reach for many smaller operations
Request a QuoteUsed together, these technologies give printers a modular path toward a broader embellishment offering.
Build around the work, not the equipment.
The right question isn’t necessarily, “Which machine should we buy?”
A better place to begin is:
- Which finishing work are we outsourcing?
- Which premium requests are we turning down?
- Which effects could our sales team offer immediately?
- What run lengths do our customers typically order?
- Which applications produce the strongest margins?
- How much production space and operator time do we have?
The answers help define the workflow your shop needs today and what it may need next.
See the workflow at ACP’s Commercial Print Summit
Skandacor will join the 3rd Annual Commercial Print Summit on Thursday, July 16, 2026, at All Copy Products headquarters in Denver.
At the event, you can watch the LAMpro Cheetah S15 run live through a decorative-finishing workflow that combines soft-touch lamination, Canon imagePRESS overprinting, and foil finishing.
Skandacor will also have FINISHpro 3D 1623 samples available, giving you the opportunity to see and feel dimensional raised-UV effects and discuss how the technology could fit into your production environment. Skandacor’s event promotion confirms that the Cheetah will be demonstrated live, while FINISHpro 3D samples will be available to attendees.
The summit will also include a keynote from Kevin Abergel of Taktiful, technical and production sessions, hands-on demonstrations, and networking opportunities
Take the next practical step!
Embellishment no longer has to be an all-or-nothing investment. You can begin with one marketable capability, build demand, and expand your workflow when the opportunity supports it.
Join Skandacor in Denver to explore the possibilities.
Visit Skandacor online or call 1.888.820.9020.