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The Benefits of UV Printing
I believe that UV printing is the future of commercial printing. There are just too many advantages, including its fast curing speeds, high print qualities, durability and flexibility, for ultraviolet printing not to become the new standard.
Flexibility
With UV printing, you can print on almost any surface, absorbent or not. Here at Lloyd’s of Indiana, we once ran a door through our UV printing machine and it worked great.
That flexibility translates to hundreds of uses at the local print shop level – small retail items, book covers, clings, cards, large banners, the list is almost endless. And with this new found ability to print on traditionally non-porous surfaces like Styrene or hard boards, customers are starting to pay attention.
High Print Qualities
No more double passes through the press, no more re-runs. UV printing allows for high-gloss levels, vibrant colors, an array of coatings and printing that’s crisp and has a nice finished look. That’s because UV inks tend to sit on top of the printed surface, rather than being absorbed into it. The end result is sharper and crisper.
Durability
UV printing is also more resistant to scratches, wear and tear, and sun exposure than its traditional printing counterparts. Customers love that a large promotional piece isn’t going to become tired and sun-worn after a few weeks.
Fast Curing Speeds
With UV printing, the ink is dry the moment it comes off the press. No more waiting for the ink to dry, no more waiting to do proofs, no more ghosting of images on the page above it. Instead, press checks are quick and you can move on to binding and finishing faster. Not only is it faster for your clients, it saves you time too.
UV printing isn’t the little-known secret of the printing world anymore; customers are starting to ask for it by name. They want that speed, durability, high print quality and surface flexibility that ultraviolet printing can offer. Don’t get left behind.
What are the Environmental Benefits of Printing With UV Ink?
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.
Legend 72 UV Curable Printer Demo
Attention sign & print shop owners!
If you live anywhere near Indianapolis, IN, here is your chance to see the top of the line UV curable printing system in action.
On November 20th at x:xxpm, we will demo the entire Legend 72 HUV printing process. Among other things, we will print on a variety of surfaces and go over each feature of the Legend 72 that makes it a cost saver and business expander.
Important: This won’t be a 5 minute demo and a 20 minute sales pitch. We don’t operate that way. The entire session is a demo and Q&A. We want to answer your questions and help you decide if the Legend 72 HUV is a worthy investment for your business.
Give us a call to register your spot and /or ask questions about the demo session.
Register: Lloyd of Indiana 877-626-6848
For more info about the Legend 72 HUV visit wideformatrevolution.com
Tough Times in the Sign Company Industry – What You Should Do Now
I know that times are tough, the economy is down and businesses and organizations aren’t ordering as many signs or print jobs.
But, it’s when a dollar is harder to come by that you have to be innovative and competitive enough to really stay at the forefront of your industry.
The Legend 72 HUV’s Bottom Line
The biggest selling point behind the Legend 72 HUV Wide Format UV Printer, the REAL bottom line…
..it increases production and decreases costs.
In fact, it typically lowers printing cost by between 50 to 80% – imagine how that would boost your margins!
With the Legend 72, you can print directly on the material – meaning you don’t have to pay for the labor needed to affix your graphic to the sign or the overlamination material.
You save on both man-hours and materials.
Trickle Down Efficiency
And while the Legend 72 is a major investment, there’s a definite trickle down effect for your business. That increased production capacity means you can now cut personnel hours during leaner times or amp up production and take on more jobs with employees who can now do twice as much.
You can even transform your business – taking your basic print or vinyl sign shop and turning it into a full-service, hyper-competitive sign and print shop. Take on jobs that you had to turn down before or pitch even bigger projects.
The best part is you can do it all with a printer that’s as simple to use as a basic desktop unit.