façonnage

Façonnage, from the French verb façonner meaning to shape or form, denotes a set of operations that give a product its final form, dimensions, and surface appearance. The term is used across several industries to describe finishing processes that occur after the initial production stage.

In baking and pastry making, façonnage refers to shaping dough and dough portions into expected forms before baking, such as loaves, rolls, or pastries. In the printing and packaging industries, façonnage is the post-press finishing stage, including cutting to size, folding, scoring, perforating, binding, laminating, gluing, foil stamping, and varnishing. In other manufacturing sectors, façonnage can denote final machining, forming, or assembling steps that finalize a product’s dimensions and features.

The process is typically automated or semi-automated, with equipment such as die-cutting presses, guillotines, folder-gluers, binding lines, or folding and cutting machines. Standards and specifications for façonnage aim to ensure consistent dimensions, quality, and efficient production. The term is often used synonymously with finishing or post-press operations in industry contexts.