The Print Finish Blog
by The Print Finish Blog

What are the Environmental Benefits of Printing With UV Ink?

March 16, 2009 · Filed Under Green Printing, Sales and Marketing, Sign Shop, Small Biz Printing 

Now that green printing is becoming a bigger issue in the printing industry, you should see what ultraviolet (UV) technology is doing.

UV allows green printers to use ink without toxins, unlike solvent-based ink. Because there are no solvents, UV inks can be successfully applied to both flexible and hard surfaces. As a result, more equipment manufacturers are introducing inkjet printers that use UV inks. Finally, because they’re UV inks, they’re actually weather resistant, which makes them ideal for long term outdoor use, unlike some vinyls and laminates.

With UV printing, you don’t have to mess with release liners, solvents, and lamination. Most traditional solvent-based inks have 60 – 70 percent solvents, which contain VOC toxins that have to evaporate off. In other words, 60 – 70 percent of the ink is being “wasted” in the printing process. Needless to say, having these solvents evaporating into the air isn’t good for your employees or the environment.

UV inks are environmentally friendly, because unlike solvent-based inks, 100 percent of the ink is used. UV ink is a two-part acrylic epoxy, the A part is the ink itself with recepters to be activated by the B part which is UV light. The UV rays from a light source quickly activate and start a cure process to harden the ink, rather than bieng evaporated like solvent based ink. UV ink is an instant cure (dry) process, which means no dry time, that means no wasted time. Some forget about that resource.

What about the quality?

In the Lloyds of Indiana shop, we have a wide format (sign) UV printer. It’s basically a giant inkjet printer. They’re great for printing photos and complex graphics to create signs and banners. Realtors can have their photo and large images of the on a sign to visualize the real estate, event organizers can create large outdoor exhibits and tradeshow displays.

Green technology isn’t just for the printing industry. Many business owners and executives are starting to ask themselves how they can make their products and services greener. With new advancements in technology, like UV ink, it’s becoming a question of when, not if, they can make it happen.

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Comments

  • Pingback: THE NU TRENDS IN SUSTAINABLE SIGNAGE «

  • http://www.cheap-laserlabels.co.uk Jane

    Green printing is on a roll, moving beyond small, do-good companies and activist groups to larger corporations and government agencies that have mandates to purchase greener goods and services. As demand for green printing has grown, so too has the number of printers offering such services — or, at least, claiming to.

  • http://www.cheap-laserlabels.co.uk Jane

    Green printing is on a roll, moving beyond small, do-good companies and activist groups to larger corporations and government agencies that have mandates to purchase greener goods and services. As demand for green printing has grown, so too has the number of printers offering such services — or, at least, claiming to.

  • http://www.printhead911.com Bulk Ink

    utilizing inks for printing purposes eliminates the use of toxic chemicals or solvents. Due to this fact, printing may be made possible both in hard and soft surfaces when using this type of printer ink. Additionally, since these inks are weather resistant they can be used for outdoor purposes.

  • http://www.sign-mart.com Sign Printing

    Unlike traditional inks, you will be able to use 100 percent of the UV ink for your printing purposes. This is without sacrificing the quality of the print output. You can also use the ink for a wide array of purposes – whether for business documents or for outdoor purposes.

  • Anonymous

    Traditional printing inks contain around 60 to 70 percent of these solvents. These percentages are put to waste meaning you need to refill or buy printer ink every now and then. You know very well that the more you buy ink, the more you will harm the environment because of the printer cartridges that go to waste.

  • Anonymous

    First, utilizing inks for printing purposes eliminates the use of toxic chemicals or solvents. Due to this fact, printing may be made possible both in hard and soft surfaces when using this type of printer ink. Additionally, since these inks are weather resistant they can be used for outdoor purposes.

  • Anonymous

    First, utilizing inks for printing purposes eliminates the use of toxic chemicals or solvents. Due to this fact, printing may be made possible both in hard and soft surfaces when using this type of printer ink. Additionally, since these inks are weather resistant they can be used for outdoor purposes.

  • Pingback: The ‘Nu’ Trends in Sustainable Signage | Karran Finlay Marketing

  • Agatha Asik

    which country banned for uv printing?