Substrate Options —‘Paper or Plastic?’

For one thing, UV printing generates considerable infrared (IR) energy needed to dry the ink. IR energy also has the potential to distort the plastic. "If you need a certain amount of UV energy to cure the ink, heat will be your nemesis," Barkley explains. "When you heat paper to a couple hundred degrees, it just gets hot. At 450 degrees, it burns. Get a piece of plastic to 200 degrees, and it's going to melt."