Do you have a uv coating machine and the right uv coating fluid?
Back in October, we highlighted some of the important trends in the printing industry. According to the Graph Expo Executive Summary, one of the opportunities for growth is direct mail. Direct mail today gives marketers the ability to produce creative, snappy post cards or other material at a reasonable cost.
A primary reason they can do it is using a uv coating machine and having the right uv coating fluid. At .03 a document, finishing a direct mail piece with uv coating fluid makes direct mail more cost effective today than even email. With the US Postal Service EDDM service, the cost to do direct mail comes down even more.
The biggest challenge is finding the right machine. The cheap machines are built in China and other off-shore markets. You have to be careful because the uv coating machine is a tricky device. If it is not maintained properly, you can find yourself in a world of hurt with service calls and parts fees. On one machine, a roller replacement for the part can be up to $500 alone.
The 3 most popular brands in the market today include:
It is recommended to stick to one of these brands for your machine. Make sure you have one of their in-production models. Don’t take a prototype or special machine off a trade-show floor. You may save a couple of bucks in the short-run, but you can spend more for it in the long run. The primary reason is parts. If it breaks, chances are, they may not have parts. So, always consider both your upfront investment and your ongoing costs in running a machine.
The most important choice for your uv coating machine is your uv coating fluid. UV coating fluids are formulated for the different digital printing formats out there. It is important that you use the right uv coating fluid not only for your machine, but your finish.
We recommend using REVO Coatings. REVO Coatings are a low odor uv coating that no customer has ever sent back or complained to us. We carry multiple formulas to accomodate a variety of printing inks including:
- Konica Minolta
- HP Indigo
- Xerox IGen
- Off-set Presses
- Others
Why is your uv coating fluid so important? It is the difference between a stunning direct mail piece and a poor piece. The machine plays one role in the application, but the fluid is what is the finished product. If you are using a cheap smelly product, it not only lays unevenly on the document, it can give off a really bad smell.
So, if you are looking for new revenue opportunities for 2015, having a uv coating machine and the right uv coating fluid can help your customers get creative with their marketing budgets, while hitting their marketing goals for the year.
We carry machines and fluid at our uv coating store.
