The Heart of Needs Beyond Medicine

Hope comes in many forms, and for cancer patients facing financial strain during treatment, Needs Beyond Medicine’s Relief Program provides a vital lifeline. With a one-time grant of up to $575 per year, they help cover living expenses so patients can focus on what matters most: recovery.

Needs Beyond Medicine partnered with all major cancer centers and clinics in Utah, ensuring those in need have access to their program.

Beyond financial support, they work tirelessly with universities and community organizations to educate people about the early signs and symptoms of cancer.

Finding an Ally in Print

With print marketing, nonprofits, volunteer groups, and foundations can raise awareness and spread their message more effectively. 

“Printed materials play a vital role in our outreach and awareness efforts. While digital communication is prevalent, printed materials ensure that critical information is readily available for those who may not have immediate online access,” said Phil Brown, Needs Beyond Medicine’s founder & CEO.

When it comes to raising awareness and educating their audience, Needs Beyond Medicine trusts the power of brochures — a beacon of hope that fits in your hand. To this day, brochures continue to serve as trusted messengers, finding their way into cancer centers, clinics, and outreach events where they connect patients with life-changing support.

In addition to brochures, they count table throws, banners, flyers, and invitations as print product must-haves especially for events and information campaigns.

“For public events, branded materials like table throws enhance visibility and recognition. Additionally, banners are particularly valuable at our fundraisers and community events, providing a strong visual presence. These materials collectively help us engage audiences, share our mission, and increase awareness of our service.”

From Referral to Reliance

The best collaborations often start with a referral, just like how Needs Beyond Medicine discovered Signs.com.

A trusted partner of Needs Beyond Medicine recommended Signs.com’s sister company, and when Signs.com became the primary provider, they continued to rely on Signs.com’s services.

“The quick turnaround, especially with products coming from the Salt Lake City facility, has been invaluable for our time-sensitive projects.  Thanks to the professionalism and high-quality work of Signs.com, we look forward to continuing our partnership for future printing needs and annual events.”

Much like their print products and passion for the community, Needs Beyond Medicine stands as a beacon of hope during challenging times. From brochures to banners, and everything in between, high quality print products help reach a wider audience and garner support.

For your signs and banner needs, visit Signs.com and let us help you create a positive impact through print.

Print With Purpose: Meet Needs Beyond Medicine and How They Foster Hope

By adding a UV coating, you can enhance not only the look of a printed piece, but also bolster its durability under a variety of conditions. The coating can be applied to just about any paper-based substrate – from business cards and door hangers to hang tags, post cards, and more.

Here, we’ll provide you with some of the basics when it comes to UV coating, including the process and its benefits.

What is UV Coating?

UV coating (the “UV” is short for ultraviolet) is a clear compound that can be applied to plain or printed paper – or other substrates, including plastic, glass, wood, and even some metals (but we’ll only refer to paper here for simplicity’s sake).

Liquid-based, the UV coating is usually composed of calcium carbonate, polyethylene, and kaolinite (a clay mineral). It’s then mixed with a viscosifier, which is the stuff that helps it stick to the paper.

The UV coating can be applied to the paper while on the press (aka “inline”) or with a roller or UV coating machine once the paper has left the press (“offline”). We’ll get back to its actual application in a bit.

Here’s where UV comes into the picture: Once the coating has been applied, it’s then cured by UV light (in a process called photopolymerization) and the compound hardens to its final finish. It goes without saying that the inks as well as the paper substrate itself must be able to withstand the UV light that’s used to cure the coating – otherwise, the paper will deteriorate and the coating will end up having nothing to adhere to.  

UV coating is often used to add a glossy or “slick” finish to a paper product, and this is likely what most people are familiar with. The use of the gloss finish helps the finished product stand out in a crowd and gives it a very professional look. However, other finishes are available, including matte – which offers a soft, luxurious tactile look and feel.

Flooding vs. Spot

You sometimes also have options when it comes to how the UV coating is applied (I told you we’d get back to this topic). Two options are available: The coating can be added to a full sheet of paper (what’s called “flooding”), or, alternately, you can choose to apply UV coating to just a specific detail (“spot” application). 

Let’s first address flooding your marketing piece with UV coating – giving it the “full” UV coating treatment, so to speak. Doing so will give the entire piece the finish you select – if glossy, for instance, then the full piece will be enhanced with a gleaming, lustrous look. On the other hand, flood the piece with a matte UV coating and your piece will, for all intents and purposes, look and feel softer.

Beyond the added aesthetic benefits, flooding a piece with UV coating will also boost its durability. UV coating is the most durable coating available, and the coating that achieves the highest level of gloss (aqueous coatings and varnish are other options, by the way, which we’ll address in a future post here).

So, let’s say your marketing project includes 1,000 door hangers to champion your county commissioner up for a vote in this fall’s election. By flooding the door hangers with a UV coating, you’ll not only be supplying them with additional dimensional stability but also providing moisture protection from the elements. The bottom line: UV coating will serve to enhance and protect a printed or plain substrate.

Why would you choose to spot coat something? Think about it this way: Perhaps you want one specific element to really stand out or “jump” from the two-dimensional surface – a spot coat will give that detail some extra pop.

You could, for instance, choose to spot coat your website URL on the front of your business card. Or, spot coat one area of artwork on your card – some detail you especially want to emphasize. You get the idea: It’s somewhat like using a glossy highlighter. But keep in mind that, just as with a highlighter, you don’t want to over-do it; if you end up “highlighting” too many areas or items, then they could draw attention away from each other (instead of to each other).

How Best to Utilize UV Coatings

There are two possible downsides to take into consideration when making the decision on whether or not to add UV coating to a project.

The first is that UV coating doesn’t work well for paper that needs to be written on. So, for instance, if you like to write on your business card, you might want to skip the UV coating (at least on one side). Keep in mind that UV coating repels pen and even permanent marker.

The second consideration is that although UV coating certainly adds to durability when it comes to abrasion-resistance and general toughness, it might be susceptible to cracking if folded (depending upon the specific finish and application). So if your project is going to played with by a bunch of first-graders, you might want to skip the UV coating.

Here are some additional notes about UV coating to keep in mind:

• The texture of a business card (or other product) can be the result of a UV coating; but it also might simply be due to the texture of the paper itself. For instance, here at Signs.com, we offer business cards with UV coating (glossy or matte), but textures such as linen, silk, and pearl are the result of the business card’s paper stock having that finish.
• Beyond UV coatings, textures are also sometimes added by utilizing aqueous (water-based) coatings, varnishes, and laminates (which can be liquid or sheet-based). Our business cards with suede finish, for example, are the result of a laminate. Our brochures, meanwhile, achieve their glossy or matte finish due to an aqueous coating.
• Adding a UV coating (whether flood or spot), offering various coating textures, and which specific products offer the coating can be dependent upon the printer’s machinery as well as the demand for a certain coating or product.

With this last bullet point in mind, it’s a good time to let you know that Signs.com will soon be adding additional UV coating technology to our own technology toolbox. We can’t divulge too many of the cool details yet, but we think you’ll be pleasantly surprised at the various coating options we’ll be able to provide – for small-format marketing pieces as well as larger signage! We’ll provide more details once everything is in place.

Meanwhile, our team at Signs.com can help you decide if UV coating will work well for your project – and, if so, how best to utilize it. We’d also be happy to help answer any further questions you have on UV coating – and if you’re seeking a specific UV coating texture for a product you don’t see on our site, don’t hesitate to ask us!

And, don’t forget: You can work one-on-one with a Signs.com designer free of charge via our free design services page.

UV Coating: Signage 101

14pt Cardstock

First, let’s look at 14pt cardstock. 14pt cardstock is the more common option due to the fact that it is cheaper than 16pt cardstock. Although it is not as stiff as 16pt, it still has a rigid feel to it and will not flop/bend on its own. 14pt also has the same printing quality as 16pt. Because it is more cost-effective, 14pt is a great option if you are looking to do large quantities. 

Products that use 14pt Cardstock

• Business Cards
• Table Tents

16pt Cardstock

The second option is 16pt cardstock. 16pt cardstock is thicker than 14pt, and as a result, has a higher quality feel. The added thickness also makes it more durable and longer lasting than 14pt. This is a better option for business cards if you are going to carry them with you in your wallet or purse, as they are less likely to bend, crease or get damaged corners.

Products that use 16pt Cardstock

• Rack Cards
• Hang Tags

100lb Glossbook

The third and final option is 100lb gloss book paper (sometimes written as 100# paper). 100lb paper is more commonly used for things like brochures and flyers–things that will be handed out in large quantities. It is both thinner and cheaper than 14pt and 16pt cardstock. 100lb glossbook paper has a similar feel to regular printing paper, but is slightly thicker. It is very flexible. It can be bent and folded, making it a great option for folded brochures like bifolds, trifolds, and z-folds. 

Products that use 100lb Glossbook

• Door Hangers
• Brochures
• Business Flyers

14pt Vs 16pt 

14pt and 16pt are the most common thicknesses for business cards. Visually, there isn’t much of a difference between the two. 14pt cardstock and 16pt cardstock look very similar side-by-side, but when multiple are stacked together, the difference becomes more apparent:

Although they may look similar, the real difference is in the feel: 16pt cardstock is noticeably stiffer than 14pt cardstock.

Best Thickness for Business Cards

The best thickness for your business cards largely depends on their intended use. If you’re going to be handing a lot of business cards out, for example, leaving a bunch in a restaurant or handing them out at a booth at a trade show, you probably want to choose 14pt. They are cheaper and still maintain a high quality look and feel. If you are planning on carrying a few with you at a time and handing them out to people you meet, you probably want to choose 16pt. Overall, we recommend 16pt cardstock. It feels nicer and is more durable than 14pt. The cost difference is minimal for the added benefit. 

If you really want a high quality and impressive business card, check out our 32pt business cards–double the thickness of 16pt!

GSM

In reference to paper, GSM stands for grams per square meter. GSM is a common measurement used to better understand the quality of paper: the higher the GSM, the heavier the paper. See the table below for a GSM comparison:

Thickness

14pt cardstock and 16pt cardstock both get their names from their thickness. Each ‘point’ is equal to .001 of an inch. For example, a 10pt cardstock would be .01 inches thick. 14pt cardstock is .014 inches thick, 16pt cardstock is .016 inches thick, and so on.

Still have questions? Feel free to contact our customer service team by calling 888-222-4929.

14pt vs 16pt