Should Your Printing Operation Switch to UV Inks?

When thinking about the answer to this question, one has to begin with their objectives. What’s the deliverable and on what substrate? Once you have the answer to that question and by the way, UV offers a higher level of versatility regarding substrates than any other ink type, you may now weigh the pros and cons of switching.

If you have to laminate your finished water-based product for outdoor usage, you’re obviously wasting time and money doing so. With UV as the choice, you just need to print and place outdoors and that’s it. Using UV Inks on outdoor materials provide longevity to the print for up to two years without fading in most climates so no extra hoops to jump through.

If you want accurate color, especially for a brand or logo, UV inks are the choice because they are easier to control as they cure instantaneously, locking in the color and all its pigment. Solvent and water-based inks take time to dry. During the drying process non-UV cured inks are exposed to different levels of humidity and environmental elements, creating the risk of color alteration. The number of unknown variables non-UV inks could be exposed to during the drying process makes it extremely difficult to guarantee how the color will turn out, resulting in variations of color and appearance. Utilizing UV inks eliminates this risk.

Did someone mention “environmentally friendly”? If this an important feature for your organization look no further. Generally, printing inks consist of the following groups of ingredients:

Binders (resins, or in UV inks: monomers)

Pigments

Auxiliaries (e. g. photo initiators in UV inks)

Solvents (not in UV inks)

UV curable inks were created as an alternative to solvent-based products. Conventional heat and air-drying inks work by oxidation and evaporation of solvents into the air. In UV curing inks there are no solvents to evaporate.

Some advantages of using UV inks verses other ink types:

· Less input of ink necessary

· Curing within seconds, no subsequent drying necessary

· Faster processing in general due to immediate processing

· Suitable for quick double-sided printing

· Long service life of the UV lamps

· High mechanical durability of the print

· High quality printing results

· Suitable for substrates that are sensitive to heat, like films

· No solvent (VOC) or mineral oil containing inks

· Less printer waste

· UV printing is suitable for many type of paper and PE as well as PP film.

STS UV Compatible Inks

 

 

 

 

LUS120 - LUS175

STS ultra-premium UV Curable Inks offer:

• stunning color gamut
• high-performance
• accurate color reproduction
• the ability to print on a wide range of media
• 1L with chip

 

 

 

 

LH100 / LF140 / LF200

• STS LED-UV provides instant drying
• very low odor level
• no clogging and/or deflection
• super; sharp print quality
• resists fading when exposed to outdoor conditions
• water resistant

 

 

 

 

VUTEK EFI

• High print density
• Extremely wide color gamut
• Quick drying with excellent substrate adhesion
• Superior scratch resistance,
• Outdoor durability without lamination similar to OEM, 
• 1L, 3L, 5L

 

 

 

 

FB250

• The HP250 is a virtual match of the original

• it’s Plug & Print 

• exceptional durability and media compatibility

• 5L box with chip