Digital UV printing is ringing more bells and whistles these days. So much that it’s hard to ignore it if you care about your business’s relevance. It might have been hard to keep your printing business afloat in the past. Well, that may not happen anymore with UV printing. You want to forget the hassles of working hours and still get a subpar print. There’s so much more!
But before we continue, you want to know where we’re coming from tech-wise. Screen and pad printing have existed for centuries and even up to 2,000 years. The technology has dominated the printing world over time. That’s when folks tried to make a name for themselves and tried to make prints of their own. However, the process was challenging. Many things were subject to blame, including high-end expertise, which became a blockade.
And you’ll agree that grandma’s drinking pot was beautiful back in the day. However, this is the first time anyone ever needs such print, even the boomers today. So, you cannot remain there anymore. Or at least, you must take advantage of digital UV printing even as you retain your screen-printing clients.
Screen printing
It is a rather old screening method, dating back to the late 1800s. The technique involves using a screen of synthetic material, silk, or mesh to print. The screen forms a stencil to decorate the designated areas of the surface. The colors are printed systematically, one at a time. It is, therefore, suitable for low-volume orders, restricting high color count.
This method is widely applied in apparel, fabric, backpacks, signs, and balloons.
Digital UV printing
This method uses ultraviolet (UV) light to cure ink as it is printed. The printhead comes very close to the surface to give peak resolution. Being a high-precision method, the machine jets small dots for image accuracy. The dots are released wet but are instantly dried by the UV light. It reduces the chances of unnecessary spread of the ink.
Software such as Illustrator, Photoshop, etc., come in handy to create graphics or images. After saving the image on your computer, import it to the specialized printing software. To ensure accuracy, you’ll make a few adjustments, like resizing and repositioning. Such printers come in different variations, each suitable for specific scenarios. They mainly include inkjet and flatbed UV printers.
Why you should consider moving to UV printing
There are a whole lot of reasons why digital UV printing is dominating the printing world today:
Higher versatility
The good thing about UV printing is its agility with different materials. Glass, wood, metals, plastics, fabric, name them all. UV printing will meet your client’s needs. You’re no longer operating with old-school machines anymore. Now, you have teched-up software to create the graphics, advanced strategies, and adhesion. That widens the application space, allowing you to make fine print on coroplast and vinyl.
If you need to make bold prints, technology has served the best UV printers. Also, there are UV printers for joint projects. The primary determinant is the print size, quality, and material type. For the latter, coroplast is one of the most popular materials used.
Ink adhesion on plastics has been challenging for screen printing. Unfortunately, developers have yet to find a solution for this. So, many printing businesses prefer UV printing because of the instant ink cure. That makes the prints appealing and highly precise without the ink spreading out.
Higher production rate
We’ve previously mentioned that screen printing requires time to print one surface at a time. However, UV printing is faster and more efficient for bulky projects. Think of printing hundreds of sheets per hour with a large printing surface! That’s what a good UV printer does. UV printing would save the day if you’re looking at timeliness. It is convenient for seasonal or impromptu projects like campaigns or protests.
High-quality prints
No one wants to have less-precision prints anymore. No one wants to spend so much time on simple printing tasks either. This is why folks can’t get over UV digital printing. The technology comes with ramped-up software to curate unique, high-end graphics. The process always ends well, with the software’s ability to transfer the exact graphics onto the sheet or material. The end product is also clean and free from ink spreads.
Final Say
Moving from screen printing to UV printing should be a gradual process. You should still keep your old clients by showing off your new products. If they are pleased with your new move, that’s a win. Consider retaining the loyal ones by continuing with screen printing to keep your business afloat. Also, research the best budget-friendly UV printers to help cut down spending. Here is a good starting point.
