Don’t Fix, Prevent! How to Avoid Faded Printing, Scratches, & Water Damage

Summary:

The best way to prevent faded inks, scratches, and water damage on prints is to choose the best material for the job in the first place. Durable substrates like PVC, coroplast, and polypropylene offer built-in moisture and UV resistance. Gloss and matte coatings, lamination, and specialty films improve scratch resistance and can help paper withstand handling. It’s also important to handle prints carefully and store them in a clean, dry place away from humidity when they aren’t in use.

Time to Read	7–9 minutes
What You’ll Learn	How to prevent fading, scratches, and water damage on prints The durability of PVC, BOPP, paper, and other materials Which substrates are naturally UV or water-resistant When to use coatings, lamination, and other treatments How to clean, store, and maintain prints so they last
Next Steps	Compare substrates and finishes Message Little Rock™ for help picking the right material Order professional prints from Little Rock™

Don’t Fix, Prevent! How to Avoid Faded Printing, Scratches, & Water Damage

Professional prints can help you land clients, promote events, build brand awareness, or just have a little fun, but they’re also a big investment. It’s a serious drag when they end up faded, scratched, ripped, or full of fingerprints and water stains just from everyday use!

Trying to fix problems like this after the fact can be really challenging or even impossible. It’s smarter and more cost-effective to choose a durable material with the right finish for the job.

Below, you’ll learn how Little Rock™’s most popular substrates and finishes hold up to everyday wear and tear, plus how to clean, maintain, and store them so they last.

Print Essentials

Banners, Posters and Signs

Little Rock™’s Most Popular Substrates and Finishes Side-By-Side

The first step in preventing damage is understanding the different substrates (that’s the material you’re printing on) and finishes available in our print shop. Some are naturally UV or water-resistant right out of the box. Others aren’t or need to be finished first. Compare them side-by-side in this chart.

Product	Substrate	Water Resistance	UV Resistance	Available Finishes
Banners	13oz Scrim Banner	High	High	None
Banner Stands	Super Smooth Banner Material	High	High	Gloss Matte
Roll Labels (BOPP)	2.4 mil Polypropylene	High	Low	Gloss Matte
Booklets, Flyers, Brochures	70#-100# Uncoated Text, 8PT-13PT Cover	None	None	Gloss Matte Lamination (some)
Business Cards	13PT-22PT Cover	None	None	Gloss Matte Lamination
Posters	3mm White Poster Boards	High	Moderate	Lamination
Notepads	60–100# Uncoated	None	None	None
Calendars	8PT-13PT Cover	None	None	None
Coroplast Signs	4mm Coroplast Boards	Yes	Moderate	None
Life Size Cutouts	4mm Coroplast Boards	Yes	Moderate	None

Other Protective Coatings and Finishes

Sometimes standard finishes or basic lamination aren’t enough, or they don’t play nicely with a specific type of printer. Alternatives are available, but not every print shop will offer them and they aren’t always cost-effective for every print run.

The three most common examples are:

• Aqueous coating, a water-based, post-press solution mainly used on offset equipment.
• UV varnish, a light-cured liquid applied on offset or specialty coating machines.
• Specialty lamination films that offer targeted benefits, like bacteria, graffiti, scratch and smudge resistance or decorative effects

If you’re curious whether we can help you with more specialized options like these, send us a message and we’ll do our best to help.

When to Choose Each Coating

Finishes aren’t like designer brands. Going straight to the thickest, fanciest, most expensive coating with all the bells and whistles can even introduce unintended side effects. For example, gloss coatings can make the surface of your paper harder to write on. Find your best fit in the next few sections!

Gloss Coating

Best Use Cases: Business Cards, Postcards, Rack Cards, Tent Cards, Counter Cards, Posters, Photo Prints, Catalogues, Brochures, Flyers With Heavy Colour.

How It Works:

1. The manufacturer applies a glossy clay or polymer coating to the paper during production.
2. Printed ink sits on top of the glossy coating instead of soaking down into the fibres.
3. The glossy finish reflects light and UV rays, improves appearance, and adds scratch resistance.

Matte Coating

Best Use Cases: Booklets, Brochures, Flyers, Catalogues, Instruction Sheets, Text-Heavy Documents, Art Prints, Matte Photo Prints.

How It Works:

1. The manufacturer applies a smooth, mattified clay or polymer coating during production.
2. Printed ink stays closer to the surface and doesn’t absorb into the substrate as much.
3. The matte finish reduces glare and adds light scratch and smudge resistance.

Basic Lamination (Including Soft Touch Lamination*)

Best Use Cases: Restaurant Menus, Instruction Sheets, Training Documents, Reusable Signage, Price Sheets, Wipeable Reference Materials.

How It Works:

1. A tech loads the printed material and a gloss, matte, or soft touch film into the laminator.
2. The laminator uses heat and pressure to bond the film to the surface of the print.
3. The newly laminated surface is visibly thicker, wipeable, and water-resistant.

*This is different from a soft-touch coating.

Specialty Lamination

Best Use Cases: Coroplast Signs, Life Size Cutouts, Lawn Signs, Big Head Cutouts, Counter Cards, Waterproof Posters, Banner Stands, X-Banner Stands, Banners.

How It Works:

1. A tech loads a pre-selected specialty film into the laminator alongside your print.
2. The laminator uses heat and pressure to bond the film to the surface of the print.
3. The newly laminated surface is visibly thicker with additional benefits according to your needs.

Aqueous Coating

Best Use Cases: Offset-Printed Brochures, Catalogues, Magazine Covers, High-Volume Postcards, or Marketing Materials.

How It Works:

1. An aqueous coating machine lays down a water-based coating to the sheet right after it’s printed.
2. Heat and air movement dry the coating down instantly into a thin film over the piece.
3. The print feels smoother, more durable, and noticeably glossier than aqueous coating.

UV Varnish

Best Use Cases: Offset-Printed Postcards, Brochures, Catalogues, Presentation Sheets, Premium Marketing Pieces.

How It Works:

1. A tech applies a UV-curable varnish to the surface of the print before it leaves the press.
2. The varnish cures instantly under strong UV lamps that permanently seal it into place.
3. The cured surface becomes smoother, more durable, and noticeably glossy.

When Choosing the Right Material is Enough

Some materials don’t need a coating at all because they hold up perfectly well on their own without one, even when exposed to water or the sun. It’s still technically possible, but it isn’t usually necessary unless you want to add special decorative effects.

For example:

• Coroplast signs are waterproof, UV-stable, and incredibly difficult to rip or tear
• PVC banners and signs naturally resist sunlight, moisture, handling, and even the weather
• Polypropylene (BOPP) labels resist water, smudges, and handling very well
• Heavier cardstocks are harder to scratch, tear, rip, and bend compared to regular paper

These are our most durable materials, but plain, uncoated paper does still have its place. It’s the most sustainable, budget-friendly option for prints that have a short lifecycle, like office documents.

How to Properly Store and Handle Your Prints

A little care goes a long way when it comes to keeping your prints in great shape between uses and when you take them out of the package. Find the product you’re interested in in the chart below to get quick and easy storage and handling tips that help you get more life out of them.

ProTip: Use the links in the left column to jump to step-by-step guides, tips, or how-tos. They’re there to help you find information quickly so you can start designing professional prints with zero experience.

Product	Storage Guidelines	Handling Guidelines
Banners (13oz Scrim Banner)	Store rolled (not folded) in a cool, dry place. Keep it away from high heat to prevent softening or melting.	Unroll it slowly to avoid creases, avoid bending it sharply, and clean it with mild soap and water.
Banner Stands, X-Banners, Waterproof Posters	Store rolled in the carrying tube they come in. Avoid laying heavy items on top of the tube.	Handle the edges gently and avoid creases. Wipe down gently with a soft microfiber cloth.
Roll Labels (BOPP), Clear Stickers, Vinyl Stickers	Store them indoors in a clean, dry place. Don’t remove the packaging until you’re ready to use them.	Hold the roll by the core whenever possible. Wipe gently with a microfiber cloth to remove fingerprints.
Booklets, Flyers, Brochures, Event Tickets	Store them flat in a clean, dry, dark space until you need them.	Handle stacks gently with clean, dry hands to avoid rips, tears, stains, or broken binding.
Calendars	Store them flat in a clean, dry place away from light when not in use.	Flip pages gently. Hang them by the rivet or hole instead of pushing a thumbtack through the paper.
Business Cards	Store them in boxes and only take them out when you need them. Avoid direct exposure to sunlight.	Handle matte or soft-touch coatings by the edges when possible. Avoid rubber bands, as they can rub away the finish.
Notepads	Store flat in the package in a clean, dry place away from sunlight.	Avoid bending, twisting, or folding pages. Coil binding helps ensure pages only come off when you want them to.
Poster Boards	Store covered and flat in a clean, dry place when not in use.	Handle the edges gently to avoid wear. Spot-clean with a soft, dry microfiber cloth.
Waterproof Posters	Store them flat or in the tube they came in until they’re ready for use.	Handle the edges gently to avoid dog ears. Spot clean with a mild soap and microfiber cloth.
Lawn Signs	Store them flat or upright with support in a clean, dry place away from any heat sources.	Insert H-stakes gently and avoid bending the edges of the sign during transport.
Coroplast Signs	Store them flat or upright with support in a clean, dry place.	Never fold or bend coroplast or stack heavy materials on top of it. Spot clean with a mild soap and microfiber cloth.
Life-Size Cutouts, Big Head Cutouts	Store them flat or upright with support in a clean, dry place.	Never fold or bend coroplast or stack heavy materials on top of it. Spot clean with a mild soap and microfiber cloth.

Answers to Your Most Pressing Print Problems

Already having a problem with your print? We’d love to help! Take a look through the most common issues we’ve helped customers solve in the past or contact us directly for support instead.

1. Problem: Help! My PVC banner has creases or wrinkles!

Unroll it and let it rest at room temperature on a flat surface for at least a few hours first. If they’re really stubborn, leverage the power of gravity by hanging it up for a day or two. Never use heat guns, hair dryers, or any other heated tool, as it may melt and burn you in the process.

2. Problem: How do I get rid of fingerprints on matte or soft-touch prints?

Use a clean, dry microfiber cloth (the kind that comes with eyewear or camera lenses) and feather-light touches to softly polish them away. It’s really important to be gentle here, because too much pressure can actually create shiny spots or microabrasions that make it look worse.

3. Problem: My coroplast sign looks dirty or scuffed.

It’s safe to wash it with lukewarm water and a drop or two of mild soap (like dish detergent). Use a clean microfiber cloth to spot clean it, then dry it off well. Don’t use abrasive pads, sponges, or harsh cleaners as they can degrade the surface and negatively affect the colour.

4. Problem: My poster board is warped/twisted/folding in on itself.

Sometimes, this is caused by exposure to moisture, but it can also happen if there’s any pressure around the edges and sides. Bring it back to level by laying it flat on a table or a clean area of the floor with books or other flat, heavy objects stacked evenly on top of it for a few hours.

If you consistently have an issue with poster boards warping like this, it may be better to move to a thicker or sturdier material or waterproof posters on your next run.

5. Problem: My BOPP labels got wet or sticky

If the roll itself is wet, blot the exterior gently with a soft cloth and put it somewhere where it can air dry safely before you try to unroll it. BOPP labels are water-resistant, but the paper they come on can absorb moisture and stick together like the pages of a book. 

If it’s the labels themselves that feel sticky or if it feels like the adhesive is melting, move them to a cool, dry spot for an hour or two. It should firm up and become usable again.

6. Problem: My paper prints are curling or bending

This can be related to heavy handling or moisture. Set them under a light, even weight overnight and let the sheet relax on its own. Don’t attempt to “reverse curl” them in the other direction because it won’t work and may even make the problem worse.

7. Problem: My laminated menus look cloudy

Wipe the surface with mild soap and warm water, then dry it completely with a microfiber cloth. This usually clears up any cloudiness related to cleaner buildup or residue.

If the cloudiness is trapped under the lamination or the paper inside looks like it’s warping, there’s no real way to fix it. Toss it and take out a new one.

Get Long-Lasting Professional Prints With Little Rock™

Wear and tear doesn’t have to be an inevitability for your prints. The difference between materials that fade in weeks and ones that stay sharp for months comes down to choosing the right substrate, finish, and care routine from the start.

At Little Rock™, we want every order to impress you for as long as possible. The info in this guide should help, but we’re always happy to walk you through your options. Contact us anytime!