PLASTIC PRINTING AND MARKING

Plastic is such a versatile material which allows for customisation and even printing. However, the actual printing process can be tricky when it comes to plastics. Printing onto plastic materials allows companies to create a number of unique and branded materials, from folders and ring binders to pens and signage. It can be difficult to know which plastic printing method will work best for your application. Here are some of the most common ways to print on plastic for you to explore what might be best for you: Digital Ink Jet Printing Digital inkjet printing is one of the best methods to ensure high-quality images that can be printed onto several different plastics. Minimal setup is required for this, although the inks are expensive since they evaporate dry, leaving their mark behind rather than soaking into the material as regular paper ink does. This can make long production runs rather expensive, so this type of printing is more suited to one-off prints, like if you’re running a competition to win a personalised item, or short production runs, for example, if you wish to utilise limited edition products and print this line! Digital inkjet printing is suitable for a range of plastics, right from the thin material of self-adhesive vinyl right to large plastic items. Screen Printing This is best if you’re looking to retain a boldness of colour on your plastic. Screen printing uses blocking stencils on a fine silk mesh; ink is then squeezed through to transfer this stencil design onto the desired material. It is the dried under a UV light to lock in the colour. Although colours can still be bold and bright, image quality isn’t known to be the best with screen printing. This can be combated using vector graphics, which reproduce and transfer better. Flexo Printing Flexography printing, often shortened to flexo, uses a flexible relief plate which is essentially the modern version of the classic letterpress. This can be used to print on almost any type of plastic. However, it is best suited for printing on thinner plastics like plastic bags and cellophane as it isn’t capable of creating as high-quality images as some of the other methods. As it’s developed from a classic method, it is a cost-effective, fast and easy process to undertake. UV Litho Printing This is the printing method capable of producing arguably the highest definition and highest quality images in a wide variety of colours, making it one of the more versatile methods of printing. The downside of this is that UV Litho printing can be costly in the initial stages as setup can take some time, but because of the quality you’re likely to see it become cost-effective for longer production processes. The process is completed by using a drying unit that effectively bakes the ink onto the surface of the plastic. Pad Printing The simplest and most widely used printing method, in which an image is etched onto a silicone plate which is then flooded with ink and wiped clean, leaving the ink in the etched area only. The ink becomes tacky, causing it to cling to the pad and sealing that side of the ink film, the pad is pressed onto the plastic, leaving the image behind. While single colour printing works best, multiple colours can be used using this method, and it’s a great way of printing a 2-D image directly onto a 3-D object, such as golf balls, rulers and bottles. Laser Printing The standard office laser printer can be used to print onto certain plastics. This is not recommended though, as the fuser unit inside a laser printer gets very hot and plastic sheets melting inside your printer can cause a big problem, so unless you’re sure your plastic is laser compatible we don’t suggest using this! Which printing method is better for what you need? We can provide you with plastics to any specification needed to suit these methods – get in contact today.

For more information on PLASTIC PRINTING AND MARKING talk to Rayda Plastics Ltd