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Which is better, UV or sublimation?

2024-08-06

With the current increasing demand for customized products dramatically, more and more people are looking for ways to differentiate themselves from conventional printing methods that can lead to greater yields and more streamlined processes. For example, those who were using traditional sublimation printing methods now are turning to digital inkjet UV printing, but is UV printing really better than sublimation printing?

Sublimation printing

Sublimation printing is a traditional printing method, it’s to print the design on a transfer paper first, then transfer the pattern from the paper to another material by heating and pressing. In this way, water-insoluble pigments are dried and cured. Heat and pressure convert these solid pigments into gases, which are then released from the transfer paper then penetrate the materials needed to be printed.

UV Printing

UV Printing, unlike sublimation or other traditional printing methods such as conventional pigment, solvent inkjet, and commercial offset, UV inks are cured in a completely different way. UV inks are dried by photoinitiators in the inks and cured by ultraviolet light. When exposed to UV energy, the ink changes from a liquid or paste to a solid. In this way, UV inks can achieve special printing effect(3D embossed effect) that sublimation cannot do.

The most significant difference between UV and sublimation printing is in the field of application in addition to the working principle. Due to the requirements of the printing materials, sublimation printing can only be applied to textile materials and certain hard materials that are resistant to high temperatures and pressures. UV printing, on the other hand, has a much wider range of applications and can be used on almost any type of flat and hard materials. What’s more, automatic digital UV printers also bring simpler printing procedures and less labor costs, no wonder that UV printing is becoming more and more popular in the market!