UV Printing Services

UV printing is a type of digital printing where the UV-curable ink used dries immediately once an item is printed. UV printers use special ink known as UV ink and have a UV LED lamp that dries or cures the ink instantly. For this reason, the ink does not smear or smudge before drying. Therefore, UV printers print in high resolution and produce prints that are very sharp, clear and vibrant.

UV printing is used to print on all kinds of materials including acrylic, glass, wood, stone, leather, PVC plastics, Vinyl and paper. Therefore, you can make use of a UV printer to print all kinds of items including promotional items like diaries, water bottles, pens, phone cases, key rings, signage for both indoor and outdoor use, art as well as printing of labels on machinery and other industrial parts before assembly.

Due to its versatility, UV printing has become a very popular form of printing across many industries.

Advantages of UV printing over other methods of Printing

1. Once cured, UV ink is very tough and highly resistant to scratching and other damage inclusive fading from excessive sun and rain damage. Therefore, UV printing is an ideal method of printing for products that need to last a long time and outdoor signage that is exposed to everyday weather elements.
2. Because UV ink cures instantly, production speed is speeded up saving on time as compared to other printing types like large format where the prints need to be left to dry before they are applied to the substrate or material.
3. Instant drying of UV prints means that the resulting prints are high quality and vibrant as there is very little chance of the ink smudging and running before it dries.
4. UV printers add a clear coat of vanish creating an embossed and premium look to printed items. Also, because of this additional clear coat, UV printed items do not have to be laminated like items printed with other print methods. Hence, you save on material and labor costs associated with lamination.
5. UV printing is perfect for printing small colored logos for use on plaques and other external signage that needs to be fade-resistant. Vinyl-cut decals and logos can achieve the same fade-resistant effect but it’s not possible to cut small logos.
6. Best for printing superior high-value items both in quality and appearance.
7. UV printed items are waterproof and resistant to many water based cleaning agents making it an ideal method of printing for items that require frequent washing or cleaning.
8. UV printing allows for printing on unique items like wood, glass, stone, metal and fabric, items that are traditionally difficult to print on, allowing for more customization.

9. UV printing is direct to object printing allowing for printing and branding on finished products without the need for stickers and decals which results in a high-end factory-finished look.
10. UV inks are also more eco-friendly than other types of printing inks like eco solvent inks thus more environmentally friendly.

What are the Types of UV printers?

The main types of UV printers are UV-flatbed, roll to roll, Rotary UV printer, hybrid as well as UV dtf printers.

UV Flatbed printers are UV printers with a metal bed where the material or item to be printed is laid down for printing. The print head then travels along the bed printing the items or materials while the UV light does the instant drying.

UV flatbed printers can print on materials and items of varying thickness and shape allowing you to print on many kinds of thick materials and even finished products.

All flat promotional items like diaries and notebooks are printed using this method. All flat materials like glass, acrylic, plastic, paper, stone, metals etc also utilize this method of UV printing.

Roll to roll UV printers are best for flexible materials like stickers and banners that come in rolls.

Hybrid UV printers are flatbed printers than can be converted temporarily to print rounded- shape items like pens, water bottles or thermos flasks. A rolling mechanism is added on the UV bed to allow the bottles to roll while being printed.

UV dtf printers are used to print UV stickers or UV transfer labels which are special stickers printed on Self Adhesive Film and are easily transferred to the item by hand. You just peel the lining of the sticker and press the decal onto your item then remove the carrier sheet. They are a popular method of branding items that cannot be fitted onto the UV machine for various reasons. They may be too big or unavailable on location for branding.

Rotary UV printers are UV printers used to print round shape items like thermos flask, water bottles etc. It has a rolling mechanism where the round item is placed and it rolls while being printed.