UV Printing — Horse of a Different Color

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.