UV Printing at Seymour.Ink
UV printing is a direct‑to‑surface printing method that uses ultraviolet light to cure ink instantly. It allows us to print full‑color graphics on a wide variety of materials with proper surface treatment. UV inks cure into a solid, stable polymer with low VOC emissions. Once cured, the ink is durable and more resistant to fading than many traditional inks. Instant curing also improves surface adhesion and allows for immediate handling without extra drying time or space.
How It Works
Items are placed on the flatbed of the printer and aligned with the print area. The bed height is adjusted to create a coin‑thickness gap between the print heads and the surface. Ink output can be controlled in several ways depending on the print head arrangement and available color channels. White ink can be used as an underlayer to keep colors consistent on dark materials. Without the white layer, the color inks remain slightly translucent and can be printed on clear items to create a stained‑glass effect. Individual color flow can be adjusted to control depth, and multiple passes can be used to build raised or embossed textures. A clear varnish layer can also be applied when needed.
How durable is it?
These machines are still relatively new, but in our own testing we’ve seen very good adhesion on most materials. Glass has been the most challenging because it’s extremely hard and smooth, so proper pretreating makes a noticeable difference. Some users report better results with certain ink formulations, and we’re continuing to test, but for now we avoid glass on items that will be handled regularly. Acrylics have performed very well, and we’ve placed outdoor test samples to see how they hold up without protection. They made it through a rough Seymour winter, and we’ll see how they handle the southern Indiana sun this summer. Overall, adhesion has been very good on most other materials. If removal is needed, the ink can be intentionally scraped off harder non‑porous surfaces where it can’t penetrate, though even then we’ve seen some light staining remain.