
We’ve been tracking this one for a while but were able to confirm just now that the ink on the deal is drying as we speak. However, it pays to walk through and compare the cost of the project with your printer and, as with any print project, allow for enough time if you want a UV coating over conventional inks.Apple has finalized a deal to acquire Workflow today - a tool that lets you hook together apps and functions within apps in strings of commands to automate tasks.
#DESKCONNECT INK JOBS PLUS#
UV inks can help you achieve the look that you have envisioned for a piece, plus it can save time and add extra protection. Plan for extra time and make sure your printer takes the extra time if you want a UV coating over conventional inks. A UV coating also adds an extra layer of protection from abrasion without adding thickness or reducing flexibility. “The effect is slightly duller on top of the image area contrasting with the high gloss of the surrounding area,” he notes. Otherwise, the coating may look uneven because the inks continue to dry under the coat that is applied too soon. He adds that if UV coatings are used over conventional inks, you get the best results if the printer waits a day or two after printing to let the inks dry. Mark Latunski, research chemist and project leader for the Flint Group North America, explains why you might consider using this finishing touch: “UV coating is immediately recognizable for its high-gloss, wet-look finish.” The coating is a clear substance that reacts the way UV inks do when exposed to UV light - it cures very quickly.

You can also have your printer coat an entire sheet or just a portion (a spot) with a UV coating.

If you’re interested in using UV inks, talk to your printer about the cost differences before making your final decision. Sound too good to be true? There naturally is a small “but.” Ink as such is not a big cost in any print job, but with a UV ink job, a printer needs different blankets, rollers, inks, and coating for the press. Since UV inks flash-dry on press, they resist smudging and scrapes more than conventional inks, which remain a bit soft after printing. You want to control the amount of smudging and abrasion.UV inks give you this look on coated stock. You are using coated stock and want a satin (softer, duller) finish.With either conventional or UV inks, the printer must have experience in controlling dot gain on uncoated stocks, so make sure he knows you want a crisp look on the finished piece. Conventional inks sink into uncoated stock, but UV inks are cured within seconds on press, so they don’t have time to settle into the stock. You are using uncoated stock and want a crisp look to the text and graphics.Since UV inks dry so quickly on- or off-press, you can get a faster turnaround on a job than conventional inks. Here’s a checklist to help you decide if a project is right for UV inks: If a printer can eliminate solvent-based inks from the workplace, he can lessen an environmental hazard and in doing so may also comply with local regulations.īesides the upside for the printer, there are several benefits that print buyers and designers can derive from using UV inks. These compounds are considered environmental hazards, and some localities have passed laws to limit the amount of VOC released into the air or the maximum amount of VOCs in products. As conventional inks dry, the solvents evaporate and volatile organic compounds (VOC) are released. Some conventional printing inks contain chemical solvents - in some inks, up to 70 percent. With conventional inks, the printer must allow the sheet to dry completely, which often means overnight, so using UV inks allows the printer to get more work done in less time. Since the UV ink dries as the sheet passes under the light, the sheet is ready for the next production step as soon as it comes off the press. The ink is applied during the printing process on a press, in the same way as conventional ink, but then the ink is dried within seconds by lights mounted on the press. Rather, they are dual-state substances: solids that remain in a liquid form until exposed to UV light.

UV inks aren’t the same kind of inks used in traditional printing. Although these advantages are real, they don’t mean you should start using UV inks on every project. That’s because printers are excited about the considerable benefits that printing with UV inks can afford their company, including faster turnaround time (UV inks take seconds to dry on press) and lower environmental impact (UV inks don’t use solvents and produce lower emissions than conventional inks). If a printer hasn’t mentioned ultraviolet (UV) inks to you yet, it won’t be long.
