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UV-LED printing is a digital printing technology that uses ultraviolet (UV) light-emitting diodes (LEDs) to cure specially-formulated inks directly on a surface. As the printer applies the ink, UV light instantly dries and hardens it, creating vibrant, durable, and scratch-resistant prints. This process allows for printing on a wide variety of materials including glass, metal, plastic, wood, and more, making it ideal for signage, promotional products, and personalized items. Check out our buyer’s guide to learn how to get started with UV-LED printing.

Follow the maintenance procedures in the user’s manual weekly, or for heavy users, daily, to clean the ink from the print head and prevent ink buildup in the print head. Leave printer powered on so it can performance routine maintenance procedures. Consult your machines manual for routine maintenance and suggested replacement parts.

As UV printing technology continues to grow in popularity and affordability, so does the need for UV printable materials! However, because UV printing is so versatile, the answer to “what is the best substrate for UV printing” is “it depends.”

Overall, the best materials for UV printing are products or materials that can fit on the printer bed and underneath the print head and have strong ink adhesion. An example of this type of material is Rowmark ADA Alternative sheet. The substrate is an extruded modified impact acrylic that exhibits great adhesion quality with most UV printer ink chemistries on the market.

Other types of substrates, such as non-flat applications, can include drinkware and tumblers. Often, powder coated tumblers can have a high degree of adhesion capability on most UV ink chemistries.

Methods for improving ink adhesion on products that aren’t already ink-receptive include using an adhesion promoter or primer. If an adhesion promoter is used, it should first be tested to make sure that it will not react with or affect the coating negatively before running production

In conclusion, the “best” substrate for UV printing will always depend on the type of product or project that requires UV printing embellishing, and whether the ink will adhere to the substrate surface strongly enough for the intended use or application of the item.

For any questions regarding UV-LED ink adhesion, adhesion testing or advice on best substrates, please contact the JPPlus Advanced Support Team at 800-869-7800 or schedule an appointment here.

Printing on flat surfaces is the best approach when first learning the practices and techniques of UV printing. To achieve vibrant color and crisp edges when UV printing on flat surfaces, there are a few factors to keep in mind, including keeping your printhead in focus and the distance range the print head can be from the substrate surface. Once you’ve mastered UV prints on a flat surface, the next step is to print on a curved surface!

Best practices for printing on curved surfaces can be tricky, as curvatures can vary widely, but don’t be discouraged; we’re here to help!

With a curved item, focusing the printhead closer to the item or material surface to compensate for the lower elevation on the curvature of the item isn’t an option because you risk a printhead collision during printing.

However, some newer UV printer models include a “distance” printing mode for printing on curved surface or when the space that needs printed is lower in elevation than the highest point of the object or item. Distance modes normally slow the movement of the printhead passes and will pulse the printhead nozzles harder to force the ink droplets to travel farther and still land accurately onto the object’s surface. On average, the distance print modes double the normal focus range. Depending on the adhesion strength of the ink on the item surface, when using distance modes, the ink may need slightly longer cure time, or possibly an additional “UV only” pass of the printhead to ensure that the ink is cured enough to be handled. When the printhead is set further away from the item surface, in some cases the extra distance can also affect the intensity of the UV lamp.

For continuously curved items, like drinkware, a UV printer that is equipped with a rotary attachment is often the best choice. Most rotary attachments will have the ability to handle tapered drinkware and similar items. When printing on cylindrical items, your artwork will need to be adjusted to compensate for the curvature and/or taper. Often the artwork will need to be stretched and/or skewed before printing, so that the final image will appear normal on the curved item.

If you’re printing an item that is curved and has a shiny, reflective, or glossy finish, there are additional considerations because the UV lamp light can be easily reflected or refracted back up onto the printhead surface when passing over a curved surface. If this occurs, the UV ink could easily be cured to the printhead as it passes over the item during printing and cause damage to your machine. If there is any risk of UV light reflection/refraction, an opaque tape or masking can sometimes be applied in areas that will not have ink deposited but may present a high risk of reflection/refraction. If reflection/refraction can’t be prevented, it may be best not to print on the item directly to avoid damage to the printhead.

In situations where a curved item cannot be printed on due to the shape/size of the item, or risk of UV light reflection/refraction, a direct-to-film (DTF) may be a great alternative option. DTF film rated for UV printing allows the adhesive of the film to be UV printed directly on a flat printer bed. After printing, the image can be easily transferred onto the item.

For more help and information about UV printing onto curved items, please contact the JPPlus Advanced Support Team at 800-869-7800 or schedule and appointment here.

There are many variations and types of UV inks on the market today. Printer manufacturers may choose to use different types of ink for a number of reasons such as performance in their printers, cost, adhesion to products and materials, color quality, etc.

Universally, all UV ink types have some of the same basic components in them. The main components of UV ink include monomers, oligomers, pigments, and photo initiators among some other additives. Varying the types and amounts of monomers/oligomers and photo initiators will make the ink behave in different ways. Some inks may be more sensitive to UV light radiation and have faster curing times, while others may be less sensitive to UV light and have slower curing times. Some inks may be more viscous and others may be less viscous and be more “watery”, allowing easier flow through printheads.

There are benefits and drawbacks to all factors that make up UV inks. From the standpoint of the UV printer user or consumer, here are important points to note regarding the differences in UV ink types:

• Ink versions: Hard or flexible?
  • Hard inks, when cured, will be hard and rigid. They are able to be flexed a small amount before the ink cracks. Bets used on rigid applications.
  • Flexible inks, when cured, will be soft and bendable. While they still can break, they are able to withstand an extreme amount of flex before they crack or are damaged. Best used on applications when flexibility is needed.
• Color inks: contain all ingredients needed for the curing process to work, but each have different color pigments to create the needed process color- Cyan (C), Magenta (M), Yellow (Y), Black (K).
• Clear varnish: Chemically the same as the color inks, only clear ink lacks pigments.
  • Used most for matte and glossy varnish applications.
• White inks: Contains the same ingredients as other inks, then also has an opaque additive to create the white colorant. Normally this additive is titanium dioxide (TiO2).
• CMYK inks are translucent. If color only is printed (without white), light can still pass through the inks.
• White ink is the only opaque ink. Unless the printed surface is already white, the white ink is needed to make the colors on top of it show the true color of the print as well as help make a print light blocking.

For more information on UV inks and differences between them, please contact the JPPlus Advanced Support Team at 800-869-7800 or schedule and appointment here.

Learn how to get started with UV printing using the Roland BD-8 UV-LED desktop printer. The compact printer makes professional UV prints accessible with a compact A5 print bed size that’s perfect for short run and custom one-offs. Plus, its built-in air filtration system makes it a great fit for office or retail environments. Using advanced UV-LED technology, the BD-8 cures ink directly to the surface of hard substrates using a UV lamp with no drying time required.

Take a tour of the BD-8’s features along with a step-by-step demo of how to print on products like golf balls, promotional items, and small gifts. The video also showcases a range of printed samples, demonstrating just how versatile UV LED printing can be for personalization, retail packaging, corporate gifts, and more.

A UV-DTF decal is created using a specialized printing process that involves UV light to cure the ink. This results in a waterproof, scratch-resistant, and long-lasting decal, ideal for a wide range of hard surface applications.

UV-DTF utilizes a direct-to-film printing method. It’s a special two-part film system (A and B film). The design is printed on the A film, and then the B film is laminated on top. The printing process uses UV inks, which are instantly dried and hardened when exposed to UV light creating a durable, transferable decal.

Unlike traditional DTF transfers, UV-DTF decals do not require a heat press for application.

Key Features of UV Decals:

• Durability: The UV curing process makes the decals highly durable, resistant to scratches, fading, and water damage.
• Vibrancy: UV printing allows for sharp and vibrant designs, even with detailed graphics.
• Versatility: UV-DTF decals can be applied to a wide variety of hard surfaces, including cups, tumblers, plastic cases and more.

Interested in knowing more about UV-decals? Check out these UV decal films available from Johnson Plastics Plus!

The ability to instantly cure ink is one of the defining features of UV-LED print technology! The instant-cure feature of UV-LED printing expands your substrate options, and the question shifts from “Can I print on this?” to “How well does the ink adhere to this?”

Regarding UV ink adhesion, adhesion promoters may be used to increase the bond of the ink to the material surface. If a promoter is used, but offering marginal results, the next step is to evaluate the type of promoter you’re using, followed by reviewing the best practices for curing UV ink.

UV inks contain several different chemicals and components that allow the ink to function properly. The main components of UV ink include monomers, oligomers, pigments, and photo initiators among some other additives. In the context of UV curing best practices, the monomers, oligomers and photo initiators play a crucial role in the inks ability to cure.

Photo initiators absorb UV light radiation and trigger the monomers and oligomers into a polymerization process that results in a solid polymer. The entire polymerization process takes fractions of a second to initiate and complete. The type and/or concentration of monomers, oligomers and photo initiators used in ink chemistry control the ink curing speed. Faster curing speed has benefits and drawbacks, the same way slower curing speed also has its own benefits and drawbacks. For example, a slower curing speed may help enhance ink adhesion on some material surfaces, while a faster curing speed may help with more accurate structural integrity of layered prints, such as when printing texture or raised elements.

Sometimes curing speed of the UV inks can be influenced by adjusting the UV lamp intensity higher or lower. Many small format UV-LED printers have a fixed UV lamp intensity setting, while others give the ability to vary the intensity of the light if needed. Also, many UV printers feature the ability to run a “UV only” pass over the print job in case additional ink curing is needed.

For the most part, most UV-LED printers on the market today have optimal UV curing settings inherently built into the firmware of the printer, so that the printer operator does not have to concern themselves with variables like UV lamp intensity. If the printer can print special effects, such as gloss varnish, the printer will automatically adjust or compensate to the required UV lamp functions or intensity for that print mode.

All UV prints are cured to touch at the end of the print job. This means that the prints can be handled without the risk of damaging or smearing the printed ink. However, the inks are not “fully cured” at this stage. Another best practice for UV ink curing is to allow the print to sit for up to 24 hours before the ink can be considered fully cured. Some UV ink chemistries may only require 8-12 hours. The thicker the printed ink layers are, the longer the full cure may take. It is only after the ink has fully cured that the maximum adhesion strength of the ink can be realized.

Adopting effective UV ink curing practices will help ensure successful UV printing results the first time. For more information on UV printing practices, tips and tricks, please visit JPPlus.com.

Clear ink does not provide additional UV durability.

UV printing technology has changed the embellishment and personalization markets in a big way, creating the ability to add full color imagery to nearly any surface or item. The process of printing an image onto an item or material is usually a straight-forward procedure. The item or material is placed onto the printer bed. Then the printhead is focused on the material surface. The print job is sent and out comes a full color image on top of the item or material surface. As simple as the printing process may be, the task of ensuring the image is adhered strongly to the surface of the item or material can be the tricky part. Depending on the material type, the chemistry of some UV inks may be such that they mesh very well and may create a strong bond between the ink layers and the material surface without the need for any further intervention.

Ink chemistry can vary from one ink type to another. Some chemistries may be more conducive to adherence compared to others. As stated before, the type of material that is being printed on also makes a substantial difference in how well the ink will adhere. The different ink colors (process colors- CMYK, clear varnish, and white) also tend to have different adhesion qualities. Often printing color by itself (CMYK colors only) can adhere stronger to an item than printing white + color. In most cases, print testing is recommended to ensure that strong adhesion can be accomplished on the item or material before running production.

In cases where adhesion is difficult to achieve, normally the best and most cost-effective method to increase the bond of the ink to the material surface is using an adhesion promoter. An adhesion promoter is a chemical that can be applied to the material surface before printing that will increase the surface energy of the material so that the UV ink will form a stronger bond to the surface. The chemicals of an adhesion promoter chemically “break” the molecules of a material surface apart, so that they are “open” and wanting to bond again to another set of molecules (such as ink molecules). Scientifically speaking, this process increases the dyne level (or surface energy) of the material surface so that it is higher than the dyne level of the UV ink. When the UV ink molecules encounter the material surface, the ink molecules grab hold and form a tighter bond to the higher surface energy material. Normally, the molecules of the promoted material surface will maintain their high surface energy for a few minutes, up to a few hours before returning to normal surface energy levels. When applying an adhesion promoter to a material surface, it is usually best to print on the surface as soon as possible for best results.

There are many types of adhesion promoters on the market today. Some are rated for a single specific material such as plastics, metals, glass, etc. while others are rated for multiple materials. If possible, it is usually best to test with a few different promoters to find the one that works best with the materials being printed on as well as the chemistry of the inks used in your specific printer.

Depending on the material type, some promoters may react with the surface of the material. If reaction occurs, it is usually instantaneous. When the promoter is applied and reacts with the material, the material surface will often form a haze or cloudiness, and streaks and smears may be seen. Sometimes the cloth used to apply the promoter will stick to the material surface. If a reaction occurs, the promoter should not be used on that material. Promoter used on a surface where a reaction occurred will decrease the ink’s ability to adhere.

A UV printed image will always be cured to touch as soon as the printer is done running. However, it is important to note that while the print is “dried” or cured to touch, most UV ink chemistries must have at least 12-24 hours after printing to be considered fully cured. After the 24-hour window, this is also when full adhesion strength should be realized on the material whether adhesion promoter is used or not.

One of the quickest and easiest ways to test adhesion strength on an item or material surface is to try scratching the edges of the printed image with your fingernail to see if any of the ink will chip off or detach. The fingernail scratch test can be done immediately after printing as well as after the 24-hour window has passed. If the ink chips off right away after printing, it is possible that the surface energy of the item or material is too low for allowing strong adhesion. In some cases, the use of adhesion promoter may not be enough to increase the surface energy to the point that the UV ink will adhere strongly.

To be sure of strong adhesion, it is recommended that the print should sit for a full 24 hours and then the fingernails scratch test can be done again. If the ink does not chip off after 24 hours, this usually means that the ink has adhered properly and will retain a strong bond. In some rare cases however, ink adhesion may still eventually fail on some material types over the course of 2-4 weeks.

More industrial adhesion enhancements include processes such as corona or plasma treatments. These processes produce the best possible enhancement to adhesion of inks and paints on material surfaces; however, the process involves expensive equipment that is usually not practical for most UV printer users.

When working with UV-LED print technology, testing for ink adhesion will always be a high priority for providing successful, long-lasting print results on any products or items. For any questions regarding UV-LED ink adhesion, adhesion testing, or recommendations on adhesion promoters, please contact the JPPlus Advanced Support Team at 800-869-7800 or schedule and appointment here.

UV-LED printing technology is becoming more popular in the signage and personalization industries as it is becoming less expensive and more accessible. In most cases, as long as the item or material you want to print on can fit on the printer bed and underneath the printhead, the item or material can be printed on. The question is usually not whether an item or material can be printed on, it is how well the ink adheres to the item or material.

Ink adhesion is the most important aspect of UV-LED printed products. Customers expect the image on their item or material to be strong and not chip off or break away from the object or material surface. Therefore, when UV-LED printing onto an item or material, it becomes very important to be able to test the adhesion of the printed ink.

A UV-LED printed image will always be cured to the touch as soon as the printer is done running. This allows the material or item to be handled freely as soon as the print process ends and is a major benefit of the technology that attracts users to it. However, it is important to note that while the print is “dried” or cured to the touch, most UV-LED ink chemistries must have at least 12-24 hours after printing to be considered fully cured. After the 24-hour window, this is also when full adhesion strength should be realized on the material or item.

One of the quickest ways to test adhesion strength on an item or material surface is to try scratching the edges of the printed image with your fingernail to see if any of the ink will chip off or detach. The fingernail scratch test can be done immediately after printing as well as after the 24-hour window has passed. If the ink chips off right away after printing, it is possible that the surface energy of the item or material is too low for allowing strong adhesion. To be sure, it is recommended that the print should sit for a full 24 hours and then the fingernails scratch test can be done again. If the ink does not chip off after 24 hours, this usually means that the ink has adhered properly and will retain a strong bond. In some rare cases however, ink adhesion may eventually still fail on some material types over the course of 2-4 weeks.

A more advanced method to test UV-LED ink adhesion involves using a standardized test methodology, such as an ASTM test procedure. A common ASTM test method for testing adhesion is the ASTM-3359B test. This method involves using a “crosshatch test kit” along with an approved ASTM tape. The test involves scratching an “X” or cross pattern into the printed ink, then dust away any debris left from the scratch and applying a piece of the ASTM tape to the crosshatch pattern. The tape should be squeegeed on tightly and then left to sit for a period of 1-1.5 minutes. After this time, the tape can be carefully pulled off at a 90-degree angle, pulling at a speed of approximately 1”/sec. The tape piece should then be closely examined to see if any of the ink was pulled off by the tape within the crosshatch pattern, and if so, how much was pulled off. The results should then be compared to an ASTM results chart (normally included with the instructions of a crosshatch scratch test kit) to assign the results a pass/fail rating.

The ASTM test used to test items and materials provided by JPPlus ranges from a “0B” to a “5B” rating. 0B represents a total adhesion failure, where most if not all of the ink was removed from the material surface by the test tape. 5B represents a perfect adhesion score, where no ink was lifted from the tape during the test. A 3B-5B rating is considered a passing rating for adhesion on items and materials tested by JPPlus. A 0B-2B rating is considered a failing rating.

There can be many contributing factors to why a UVLED print adhesion may fail. Different ink chemistries can react differently with material types, both in a positive or negative way. One UVELD ink from a printer company may work well overall with most materials and items, while another ink type from a different printer company may struggle with adhesion on some materials. Whether or not the surface of the material is clean of oils, greases, or other types of dirt can also affect adhesion.

In many cases, adhesion strength can be greatly enhanced on difficult items or materials using a surface treatment such as an adhesion promoter. There are many types of promoters on the market for many types of materials. Some are designed to be used with a wider variety of material types, while others are designed for specific types of materials only. When considering an adhesion promoter, it is always best to research thoroughly the type of promoter being considered and what kinds of materials it is best used on.

More industrial adhesion enhancements include processes such as corona or plasma treatments. These processes produce the best possible enhancement to adhesion of inks and paints on material surfaces; however, the process involves expensive equipment that is usually not practical for most UVLED print users.

When working with UVLED print technology, testing for ink adhesion will always be a high priority for providing successful, long-lasting print results on any products or items. For any questions regarding UVLED ink adhesion or adhesion testing, please contact the JPPlus Advanced Support Team at 800-869-7800 or schedule and appointment here.

Yes, it is possible to print ADA signs and braille with a UV-LED printer. Within the last several years, the signage and personalization industries have seen UV-LED printing technology become more compact and more affordable with many desktop models hitting the market. As ink formulations continue to adapt and improve, so do the printing techniques (printing modes)! These printing modes include gloss, varnish, textured, and raised printing. Of these, the most exciting is raised and textured printing for both creative and entrepreneurial UV-LED printers. For example, the ability to create raised/textured UV-LED prints, creates opportunity to print ADA braille signage.

The ability to UV-LED print ADA braille was once reserved to a very few select UV-LED printer models. Recently this technology has become more available to a wider variety of printers on the market, including the smaller desktop-sized printers. It’s now opening a huge opportunity for small-scale sign makers and shops to enter the world of ADA sign making!

To best understand how to effectively create an ADA sign, it is best to first understand what an ADA sign is, how they differ from other types of signage, and be familiar with the regulations required for ADA signage in your area. This guide outlines the ADA requirements.

ADA signs are signs that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) guidelines to improve access and safety for people with disabilities, featuring tactile text (braille) and high-contrast visual characters. The signs are typically informational or wayfinding in nature and tend to exhibit a very simple design with only two contrasting colors.

While ADA signs can be more complex and visually exciting, the “ADA compliant” part of the sign should remain simple, non-reflective, with contrasting colors, and visually separated from any other embellishments, according to the ADA guidelines.

ADA signage differs from other types of informational or wayfinding signage in that they must comply with the guidelines of the ADA standards put forth by the Americans with Disabilities Act. While the ADA guidelines outline specific parameters that the signs must comply with, there is still a lot of room for creativity and style in their design.

Some ADA regulations can vary from one state to another or one region to another. To ensure that ADA signs are following the proper guidelines, check the regulations for the area in which the signs are being created.

Printing ADA signs is still a relatively new concept in the sign making industry. An increasing number of printers are coming into the market that include raised and/or braille printing settings built into their software. When printing ADA signage and specifically ADA braille, there are a few requirements and recommendations that should be followed:

• Raised braille dots that are printed must be domed in nature.
• Raised braille dots must be within the required height range of 0.027-0.035”.
• Printed braille dots and characters should have strong adhesion to the surface they are printed onto. Adhesion testing may be needed to determine the adhesion strength of the printed raised and braille elements.
• Printed braille can be clear in color, or in a contrasting color to the background of the sign.
• All other ADA guidelines should be followed when creating ADA signage with a UVLED printer, as with any other braille technology.

UV-LED printing is an “additive” process, in that the printhead must deposit many lines of ink to build the entire finished image or graphic. When raised elements are printed on a UV-LED printer, even more layers of ink must be built to achieve the height needed for ADA compliance. Because of this, ADA printing tends to take a considerable amount of time to complete. This longer print time factor may be prohibitive for some shops that output high volume signage and require quick turn-around times for ADA work.

In comparison, traditional means of creating ADA signage (such as with the Accent Braille System) tend to be much faster. However, as UV-LED printing technology continues to improve over time, the ratio of print time to number of ADA signs printed should continue to decrease.

UV-LED braille printing is absolutely a technology that is up-and-coming. Sign shops and creators should continue to watch the progression of UV-LED braille printing technology so that they may be ready to enter the ADA signage market when it makes the most sense for their business to do so.

For more information and/or troubleshooting UV-LED printing and UV-LED printing ADA signage, visit JPPlus.com or contact the JPPlus Advanced Support Team at 800-869-7800 or schedule and appointment here.