A printer who specialises in UV printing on foils and plastics
That then begs the question what is the UV printing process?
I found this information on www.piworld.com
In UV printing, specially formulated inks are exposed to ultra- violet radiation, which causes them to harden instantly on top of the substrate. The result produces high levels of gloss or dull coating, vivid color and vibrant detail with superior rub resistance and no post-cure dryback--even on soft, uncoated sheets--making UV the technique of choice for applications like luxury cosmetics and chic wine labels.
Assuming they have the right viscosity and density, and will perform well with very little water in the fountain solution, UV inks cure quickly, meaning that products can be finished more rapidly, enabling higher throughput and fast turnaround, even on two-sided jobs. In-line UV printing is notable for the superior results it can achieve on difficult substrates, from uncoated paper and board to foil and especially plastic, including synthetic papers, static cling vinyl and lenticular. The ability to "lay down" layers of opaque white or metallic, and then print over it in a single pass, merely hints at the versatility of the UV process.Is it expensive? Yes. A UV press costs substantially more than a conventional press. Inks can be twice as expensive. Ditto working with different coatings and chemistry. UV blankets cost about the same as conventional, although they tend to wear out fast under heavy usage. Plastic substrates are more expensive, often $2 or more per sheet. However, practitioners insist the extra cost is worth it in customer satisfaction, repeat business and margins that tend to be higher than with conventional, largely because having UV capability simply excludes a lot of the competition.
Assuming they have the right viscosity and density, and will perform well with very little water in the fountain solution, UV inks cure quickly, meaning that products can be finished more rapidly, enabling higher throughput and fast turnaround, even on two-sided jobs. In-line UV printing is notable for the superior results it can achieve on difficult substrates, from uncoated paper and board to foil and especially plastic, including synthetic papers, static cling vinyl and lenticular. The ability to "lay down" layers of opaque white or metallic, and then print over it in a single pass, merely hints at the versatility of the UV process.Is it expensive? Yes. A UV press costs substantially more than a conventional press. Inks can be twice as expensive. Ditto working with different coatings and chemistry. UV blankets cost about the same as conventional, although they tend to wear out fast under heavy usage. Plastic substrates are more expensive, often $2 or more per sheet. However, practitioners insist the extra cost is worth it in customer satisfaction, repeat business and margins that tend to be higher than with conventional, largely because having UV capability simply excludes a lot of the competition.
Within the constraints of time and budget, in-line UV capability can serve as a launch pad for flights of creative fancy, enabling printers to execute what designers previously could only imagine: unique or complex layered effects that take advantage of gloss, matte, gloss-dull, metallic, pearlescent, textured, micro-encapsulated coatings and more--all of which add value to print jobs without going outside or off-line.
Because good results depend on communication among the designer and printer, as well as press and consumables vendors, UV projects also tend to be collaborative, enabling the printer to advise his customer as specifications for the job are being developed. Involving the printer early is essential to keep expectations realistic and reduce the need for costly rework.
Because good results depend on communication among the designer and printer, as well as press and consumables vendors, UV projects also tend to be collaborative, enabling the printer to advise his customer as specifications for the job are being developed. Involving the printer early is essential to keep expectations realistic and reduce the need for costly rework.
Polypropylene is ENVIRONMENTALLY FRIENDLY
A really informative plastic printing website
This company also offer Lenticular printing
Lenticulars provide additional impact in items such as wobblers, shelf takers, direct mailers, posters, book/magazine covers, point of sale displays, post cards, credit cards, mouse mats, coasters and packaging.
Lenticular production is neither as cost nor time prohibitive as you may think, both have decreased over recent years due to production processes and new technologies.
Lenticular production costs are primarily determined by: finished size, quantity, lens specification, thickness, and finally mounting/assembly requirements. Lenticulars have become increasingly popular in the media world and costs have significantly decreased making them an attractive and affordable proposition.
In general, a lenticular project takes slightly longer than a traditional print project, due to the initial interlacing/proofing stage, but it’s certainly not the prohibitive factor it may formerly have been. Once the material has been sourced, a standard lenticular project can be produced in around 7 to 10 working days, inclusive of interlacing, printing and finishing (depending on the complexity of finishing).
Lenticular effects that can be produced are Flip, 3D, Motion or Animation, Morph and Zoom
As a general rule, less is generally more with a flip, this is because there is limited space to print images to lenses. If each image is ‘on’ over a wider viewing angle, there is less opportunity for ‘ghosting’.
In small format hand-held lenticular print, 2, 3 or even 4 flip frames may work well as the lenticules are arranged horizontally, and able to present same image to both eyes simultaneously.
Flip posters however are almost always designed for ‘walk-by’ viewing (vertical lenticules) as an up and down activation is impractical. 3 or 4 flip lenticulars are less likely to be successful in this instance.
3D
Just imagine 3-dimensional depth without having to wear special glasses or perform ocular gymnastics.
Lenticular allows for this spectacular illusion due to the lens sheet projecting slightly different images to each eye. The brain then fuses these together into one image with incredible depth in a phenomena known as parallax.
The most natural 3D effects are achieved by photographing a dynamic scene with a multiple camera array or a static scene from multiple viewing positions with a camera mounted on a track.
The best results are often accomplished using images that contain items of varying distance from the camera, as with the sample where bottles are pictured at different depths.
Ideally, most of the visible image will be a template used in all frames, with the objects which appear to be moving printed at different positions.
As the angle of viewing the print through the lens changes, different frames of the animation are seen.
The animated rugby players in this lenticular were filmed on a blue screen, the photography of the background stadium was then inserted as a constant afterwards. Because of the larger number of frames, there is more likelihood for ghosting, though due to the nature of this style of animation, this can enhance the animation effect.
This effect is great for demonstrating the action of a product or mechanism; it is best used with a smooth, predictable operation.
Environmentally friendly packaging
Some recycled materials this company uses:
sugarcane bagasse
Recycled papers
Bioplastic
This section on Branding services is interesting as they state that the Sugarcane Bagasse products cannot be printed on as water based inks do not dry on the sugarcane material..
Bagasse is fully compostable.
Another new printing production method is provided by Leach Colour called Framelesslite. A tension fabric graphic display system. Graphics are printed onto a very fine grade of lightweight polyester fabric. This makes the graphics glare-proof and ensures a very even diffusion of light through thefabric, even if one of your lights is out.
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