Differential gloss products and methods of making the same

Abstract

A method of making a differential gloss product which comprises: forming a foamable base resinous plastisol on a substrate; gelling the base resinous plastisol; applying to the base resinous plastisol various printing ink compositions in a predetermined pattern, some portions of which contain a blowing inhibitor and a polymerization temperature-lowering promoter, either in the same or different portions; applying to the printed base resinous plastisol a resinous wear layer containing a polymerizable and/or cross-linkable monomeric material and a free radical polymerization catalyst; gelling the wear layer; mechanically dull mat embossing the entire surface of the wear layer at a temperature below the normal decomposition temperature of the catalyst but which is sufficient to decompose the catalyst in those portions of the wear layer lying directly over the polymerization temperature-lowering promoter present in some portions of the printed pattern, whereby the polymerizable monomeric material polymerizes to become cross-linked in some portions of the wear layer to permanently set the dull mat embossing thereon; and heating to a temperature sufficient to blow the foamable base resinous plastisol and to cause the dull mat embossing to flow into a smooth glossy surface in those other portions where the polymerizable monomeric material is not cross-linked and to decompose the catalyst in such other portions to bring about a cross-linking of the polymerizable monomeric material therein to permanently set the smooth, glossy surface of the wear layer in such other portions, whereby the wear is substantially completely polymerized and substantially completely monomer-free.