Benefits And Uses Of UV Direct-to-Object Full Color Printing

What is UV Printing?

UV printing, a form of digital printing, uses ultraviolet light to dry and cure ink. The Ultraviolet lamps follow closely behind the printer as it applies ink to a material. They "dry" or cure the ink in a matter of seconds.

This technology allows you to print directly onto virtually any type of media. Ultraviolet printing is a popular choice for packaging companies. The UV ink is read more printed directly onto the substrate, and it gets exposed to UV light, it instantly turns to a solid state from the liquid.

Conventional Printing vs. Ultra-Violet Printing: How it works?

Conventional printing uses inks with special solvents, which evaporate in the air after they are applied to the material. Evaporation of solvents allows for the absorption of ink in the material. Once the solvents have evaporated, ink dries up and leaves a digital image. Different spray powders may be required to speed up drying. Moreover, this printing technique cannot be used on materials such as plastics, acrylics, or foil.

Ultra-Violet (UV) Printing - Procedure

UV printing uses ultraviolet lights to dry the ink as it is printed. The ink is applied to the surface of the material by the printer. The UV lights then follow behind drying the ink immediately. Ultra-violet printing is a trending topic in the printing sector right now and is more sustainable than conventional printing.

This technology allows you to print directly onto virtually any type of 3-D media. It also allows for product customization. The UV ink gets printed directly onto the substrate (material), and when the ink gets exposed to UV light, it turns from liquid to solid state almost instantly. As there is very little evaporation of the solvents and almost no absorption of the ink into the paper, you can print virtually on whatever stuff you want using UV inks.

As UV inks dry immediately and release no VOCs into the environment, UV printing is considered a green technology, safe for the environment, and leaves a negligible amount of carbon footprint.

LED UV Printing

Led-UV Printing is an advanced version of UV Printing. It generates the wavelength at a wavelength of 385-395nm (nanometre). This light is safer that its counterpart. These results are far more efficient than traditional UV printing.

In many ways, printing with led UV is a better option. Firstly, unlike the UV printing technique, led UV doesn't need mercury lamps to cure the inks, so the absence of these makes it safer and cheaper because the light emitted is in the UV-A range and the same is secured than its counterpart. Secondly, the power consumption is lesser than conventional UV printing.

Every luxury business wants to achieve long-lasting quality with LED UV printing. Consumers can have color enhancements applied to final printed products. High-quality finishing ensures that the product lasts. It is a reliable printing technology that can be used in the FMCG and pharmaceutical industries due to its faster drying times.

LED-UV printing can be considered eco-friendly because there is no volatile organic compound (VOC) emissions during the printing process. Companies need to spend less on infrastructure to set up LED printing units. Consumers also get a better product with a glossy, shiny finish.

UV Print Technology in the Food Packaging Industry

Personalization is big business worldwide and digital UV printing can help you meet that demand, increase your product sales, and remain competitive.

Traditional printing methods can be dangerous because food could get contaminated if ink substances are transferred to food items. These inks could not be cured and were always susceptible to contamination. Also, the final packaging of the foods was not up to the mark.

The food packaging industry has seen great success with UV printing. UV inks get cured during the printing process leaving behind no harmful solvents that can contaminate the food inside the packaging. More and more food manufacturers across the globe have started using this technique for food packaging while maintaining high-quality standards when it comes to the customized packaging of food items.

UV Printing in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Not every label is the same. Different applications will require different printing technology. Every label has its own unique aesthetics. A form of security printing, UV printing, is used extensively in the pharmaceutical industry.

Labels for pharmaceuticals include labels for medical and drug products. They can be counterfeited and forgeried more often than any other type of label. In order to prevent such bad practices, UV printing has been widely used in the pharmaceutical sector. This can be further enhanced by serialization.

Pharmaceutical printing uses invisible UV inks. This is one of the best ways to stop counterfeiting in the pharmaceutical sector. These inks can't be seen by the naked eye but can still be seen when UltravioletLEDs are used. Invisible UV inks provide a unique identification for pharmaceutical products and prevent forgery.

UV Printing has Untold Rewards

Undoubtedly, ultra-violet printing is the future of the printing and packaging industry. Grand Prints suggests that it is both economical and environmentally friendly and has many business-generating benefits, such as:

A wider range of print applications: LEDs have a lower heat output and are cooler to the touch. They are therefore able to be used in a wider range of print applications. You can print easily on heat-sensitive substrates, such as thin slides or self-adhesive sheets.

It's faster than traditional printing: UV printing can be done much quicker than conventional printing. The ink doesn't dry in time because it dries during the photochemical process. It's almost instantaneous.

Cost-Effective: You can save lots of money as it offers faster drying time. Because the finished product is able to dry faster, it can be printed more quickly. This technique does not require any aqueous coatings as is the case with conventional inks.

Vibrant Finish: UV printing gives you a brighter finish. The UV lights don't allow ink to soak into paper/material. This technique allows for photo-realistic printing.

The Bottom Line

UV printing is a growing industry trend. UV printing will be a growing industry trend in the future. It will also find more applications in other industries. UV printing is the future of packaging and printing.