Offset Printing - UV/LED Curing

Would you want to buy printing from a printer that didn’t spend the time and effort to print its own promo piece?

To achieve the best outcome possible, dry trapping is the secret to UV printing. But remember, having the correct amount of lamps in place is the, “Solution.”

So if heat affects various plastics in a variety of ways, why use self-adhesive plastic as underlay for your blanket cylinder?

Many printers have not made the total commitment to running UV inks on a full-time basis for one reason or another.

Are printers just as responsible for this business becoming a commodity as the buyers?

While LED lamps are old news on inkjet presses, they are something of a novelty on the sheetfed side.

“LED inks for inkjet [applications] have been available for a couple years now,” says Mike Sajdak, senior R&D chemist for INX (Schaumburg, IL). “They offer less heat generation, a smaller footprint and faster startup times. Offset LED inks are a little newer.”

At Drupa 2008, Ryobi (xpedx) teamed with Toyo Ink to showcase an LED-UV system for a concept demonstration on the 525GX, a 14 × 20-inch press.

It's important to know where the lamps were positioned for the previously printed UV job. There should be no reason to struggle with reproducing a printed piece that you have previously run.

The life expectancy of UV drying systems varies for many reasons. How often the system was actually used? How well was the equipment maintained and serviced?

If you are experiencing issues with supplies or service and they are not being resolved, then sample some other products. You might be surprised when you find the grass could be greener on the other side.

I have given you some ideas on what adding UV printing to your arsenal could offer but, is it the wisest investment for your business? Most of the other equipment in your facility was purchased on an as-needed basis, but UV could be considered more of a “value added option."