How the development of UV inks is changing the face of print procurement

The print industry is very used to 'change'.

In the last twenty years technology has had a huge image on commercial print production to such an extent that a modern print operation is a very high tech environment - a world away from the print production techniques employed as little as twenty years ago.

And change continues unabated. The most recent 'game changer' has been the development of UV Ink technology. UV ink and UV printers are nothing new - but historically this type of printing has been the remit of specialists. Now the benefits of UV printing are now being transferred to the commercial printing market - with devastating effect.

So what are the benefits of UV inks and UV printing?

• Faster turnaround times: jobs are ready for 'finishing' the moment they are printed. In this respect they behave like digitally printed jobs - but without any of the quality compromises that can be the downside of this type of printing.
• Better pricing: having printed sheets that are immediately dry has a significant benefit in terms of production efficiencies. They can be 'backed up' immediately. The sheet has no spray powder contamination. The sheets can be immediately processed in the finishing department. All in all our experience has demonstrated a 30% increase in production efficiency for most jobs.
• Improved quality: instantly dry sheets eliminates problems such as 'dryback' and, because UV inks dry without absorbing into the paper, create much sharper and vivid images when printing on uncoated papers.

I believe that for print buyers this technology is a game changer and makes a positive contribution to the argument for printed media playing a key role in an organisations marketing mix.

For more information on H-UV printing and its benefits please contact Greenhouse Graphics or see how new UV Printing technology contributes to sustainable printing.