Oh Say Can UV?

Heat—a byproduct of exposing ink, coating and substrates to ultraviolet energy—needs to be removed efficiently from the press. Too-high temperatures will produce distortion in paper and plastic that can cause a job to go off-register. Under cure a job and it won't dry properly. Over cure it and the substrate becomes brittle. Some plastic substrates can discolor when exposed to excessive heat. If the surface tension of a plastic substrate is lower than the surface tension of the ink, the ink won't stick. Printers should work with their ink and coating suppliers to ensure their post press equipment can handle these substrates.