UV Printing: Can You Afford To Ignore It?
Since UV inks are dried or cured with ultraviolet lights, drying time is eliminated. Unlike conventional oil-based inks, UV dries instantly, as soon as the sheet passes under the light. At that time it turns from a liquid state to a solid. UV inks are not absorbed into the stocks, which also means that the ink film remains on top of the sheet. This translates to more vibrant print and visual effects. Conventional inks not only have to dry with evaporation, they will loose up to 50 percent of the initial ink film applied through evaporation and absorption. You cannot match the quality of UV inks on an offset sheet using the conventional process.
- Companies:
- Heidelberg
Darren has worked in the printing industry for 30 years and spent more than 12 years at two of the nation's leading high-end commercial printers: Bradley Printing in Des Plaines, IL, and Williamson Printing Corp. in Dallas, TX. During that time, he operated conventional and UV 40˝ sheetfed presses and also successfully managed a $15-million pressroom equipment transition. Darren also was Lead Press Instructor for Heidelberg, where he directed specialty equipment startups and was involved in all aspects of the printing process by teaching both instructor and pressroom employees.
In addition, he served as a troubleshooter for various printing companies in the U.S., Canada and Mexico. As operations manager for a start-up specialty folding carton company, he played a key role in achieving more than $6 million in sales within two years. Currently Darren is president of D.G. Print Solutions, a consulting firm that supports printing companies of all sizes. He specializes in growth development planning, pressroom color management and pressroom training through specialty print applications.
