In the past, shirts and clothes were the only items that
were printable but with the changes in tides and times come innovations that
improve several aspects of life, including printing.
Now, almost everything is printable and customized, glass
doors, table tops, fancy phone pouches, and many more. Thanks to technology and
continuous advancement which has seamlessly broadened the printing horizon with
the latest innovation which is digital UV printing.
Since the 1900's the Chinese have implemented the use of
screen-printing technology to create several designs. This technology is
extensively used in making prints on fabrics. In addition, when you view more on the benefits of this print, you
will discover that one of its advantages is that it offers you high flexibility
and color effects with great ink quality on fabrics.
However, the continuous advancements of prints create room
for comparison between modern and traditional printing technologies. To
discover which is worth the investment offers better productivity and lots
more.
How Good is Change?
The downsides of every piece of equipment lead to the
invention of new products to fix and upgrade the equipment. The excessive
drying time among other limitations of the printing processes especially on
fabrics resulted in the development of UV printing. This printing technology
has built-in UV light, faster drying time, and no smearing or blotching.
In addition, UV printing allows the printing of dark and
white pictures on the same surface. Putting the photo quality first as well as
the quantity of printing, technology has made a tremendous impact on the
efficiency level of printing.
What is Screen Printing?
Screen printing is a technology that involves the use of
unique techniques to create a picture or pattern on apparel. This technology
involves pressing ink or metal on a plain surface through special screens of
fine material.
For so many years, this technology is widely used on
fabrics, offering high flexibility to the printing process that makes the
result very impressive and the inks and color effects of high quality.
But a major downside of this technique is that it takes a
huge amount of time which is due to the excess drying time it requires and the
limitation of printing only to fabrics. This disadvantage led to the invention
of digital UV printing.
What is Digital UV Printing?
UV printing is a different digital printing technique that
involves the use of ultraviolet rays “as the name implies“ to dry the printing
ink, adhesives, or coatings. This drying occurs with such a speed that the ink
dries out once it hits the fabric or material.
The speed at which it dries these materials is a huge
benefit to any business as it saves time, enabling the creation of more prints.
5 Differences between UV Printing and Screen Printing
Navigating the differences between these printing
technologies will give a clearer insight into which technology can be a lot
beneficial.
Several parameters differentiate UV printing from Screen
printing. However, the key parameters include:
1. Price
A key factor of consideration when it comes to printing
presses is cost. With insights on the UV digital printing vs screen printing
cost, it is deduced that UV printing does not need setup costs. It is a linear
process despite the quantity it prints and also provides a lower quantity of
production.
On the other hand, screen printing deals with a vast array
of stencils to be created which makes them less suitable for the production of
lower quantities.
2. Printing Products
Although screen printing incorporates an outstanding
technology in all of its operations, it can majorly serve the fabric and
material. However, UV printing can be done on almost every surface, some of
which includes acrylic, aluminium, glass, wood, etc
3. Inks and Environmental Effects
Mainly three different inks are used in screen printing,
they include water-based inks, plastisol, and discharge inks. These inks have
limitations as are their application, drying as well as after-wash quality. But
UV printing utilizes inks that contain photoinitiators. This chemical
(photoinitiators) reacts with UV light which makes it dry up very fast which is
a major benefit of this printing technique.
However, plastisol used in screen printing contains
Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) which is a harmful pollutant. This disadvantage gives
UV printing an edge over screen printing as it is a lot more environmentally
friendly. Especially because it doesn't use heat or toxins in its processes.
4. Quality of Print
Most Screens printed items do not have a good print quality
as many of them can be easily scratched off, are not waterproof, and need air
to get dry which may take a long time. On the other UV printed surfaces are
waterproof, and scratch-and-wear-resistant.
Finally, deciding on a printing technology that you would
like to incorporate depends on the quality of the product, and the quantum of
production which you require.
