Direct printing with UV inks Printing is a digital printing method based on the use of special inks whose drying is carried out thanks to the chemical reaction that occurs when exposed to ultraviolet light.
Choosing the banner as a POS (Point of Sale Advertising) allows brands to stand out, attract attention and stand out from the competition. For its effect to be optimal, the impression of the sail must be neat.
To benefit from a high-quality sail that can attract attention, it is necessary to use bright and contrasting colors that will remain so for a very long time. Thus, the high-definition printing of a banner is essential to maintain the quality of its sail.
UV technology has undeniable technical advantages for all types of printing and format (offset, letterpress, digital printing, flexo, waterless, painting, screen printing, etc.) and very few disadvantages.
Discover in this article the advantages of UV ink printing to achieve high definition print quality.
How is UV ink made?
An easy way to make ultraviolet ink is to use household products like white detergent or even petroleum jelly. Use a brush, wooden toothpick, cotton swab or another utensil that you can dip into the detergent or petroleum jelly and let it write.
Fast drying for increased productivity
The first advantage of UV ink printing is that it cures by instant ultraviolet radiation. This drying speed allows you to rework the printed media without having to wait after printing.
In comparison with solvent-based inks, the gain in productivity is estimated at around 20%, which is not negligible, especially if the printing is carried out in series. Indeed, LED lamps do not require a waiting time to be operational:
- No preheating.
- No delay in opening or closing the valves.
The use of UV inks thus makes it possible to have a better yield per liter.
The advantage of fast-drying also eliminates problems that can arise during the period when the ink is drying, such as the deposit of dust or particles on the still fresh ink.
High definition quality
UV ink also allows printing in very high quality with high gloss and great resistance to physical and chemical attack. The quality of the ink is defined by 6 criteria :
- Drying : the capacity of the ink to be able to dry on small and large formats (objects or paper documents).
- The grip : the adhesion to the substrate after the jet ink.
- Coloring strength : maximum optical density of pigments with minimum color ink load.
- Brightness : the intensity of light reflection.
- Resistance to abrasion or scratching : the ink’s ability to resist friction and basic physical attacks.
- Machine stability : the ability of ink to retain all of its properties during printing.
- Transplanting : the ability of an ink to be able to be reworked (thermal transfer, lamination, laser printing, etc.).
Because printing is done with heat, many substrates and products can warp due to the high temperature of printing with water-based solvents. Thanks to the UV oven, this risk of warping is less than printing with solvent ink.
An ecological impression
Like household light bulbs, the LED lamp system has a much longer lifespan than mercury lamps. LED lamps have 10,000 hours of life compared to only 1000 for mercury lamps. So there is no need to change the lamps for UV printing in Pakistan, as the lamp life is equal to that of the printer.
UV technology is clean energy because it is free from Volatile Organic Compounds (VOCs). This technique thus preserves the environment. In addition, UV dryers consume 10 to 50 times less energy than hot air ovens used for printing with solvent ink.
Finally, the UV process does not require the installation of air control or pollution control systems within the printing plant.
