How can the quality of UV printing be further improved? Ink thickness adjustment is essential!

The adjustment of ink thickness plays a crucial role in the printing quality during UV printing. How to precisely regulate ink thickness to improve printing quality? Let‘s take a look together!

Adjust ink thickness based on material properties

1. Soft or large gap substrate

This type of material is prone to ink penetration and diffusion, requiring an increase of 20% to 40% in ink volume to ensure clear images. For example, when printing on soft porous materials such as canvas, if there is insufficient ink, the image will become blurry due to ink absorption.

2. Dark background material

Dark substrates are prone to masking ink colors, so it is necessary to increase the amount of ink to make the image colors bright and not obscured by the background color. For example, printing white patterns on a dark blue plastic board can make the white more prominent by increasing the amount of ink.

3. Leather and other special materials

If a good hand feel or relief effect needs to be achieved on leather, the ink thickness should be appropriately reduced to prevent cracking or poor hand feel caused by excessive thickness. Generally, the ink thickness can be reduced to one-third to one-half of the conventional thickness.

Adjust ink thickness according to image color requirements

1. Dark or high saturation image

Images with deep colors and high saturation require an increase in ink thickness to enhance color expression and layering. When printing large oil paintings, thick ink can make dark areas more vibrant and transition naturally.

2. Colorful Images

For brightly colored images, increasing the ink thickness appropriately can ensure rich colors and strong visual impact. Printing colorful patterns such as flowers, sufficient ink can make the petals more vivid in color.

3. Gradient Effect Image

Progressive ink can be used to achieve natural color transitions by adjusting the ink thickness. When printing a gradient from blue to white in the sky, controlling the ink thickness reasonably can make the gradient area have no obvious color levels.

Adjust ink thickness based on special effect requirements

For example, to achieve a 3D relief effect, it is necessary to significantly increase the ink thickness, usually controlled between 3-5mm, as excessive thickness can cause cracking. UV printers outline lines by stacking white ink and then perform color printing. Adjusting the amount of white ink can control the thickness, and the larger the value, the more ink output.

Specific adjustment methods

1. Inkjet Volume Percentage Setting

In the printing software, set the percentage of inkjet volume. Increasing this ratio can increase ink thickness and improve image quality. Generally, it can be adjusted gradually by 10% to 20%.

2. Printing frequency setting

Increasing the number of prints can stack ink, achieve thicker effects, and save ink. If printed once as usual, it can be increased to 2-3 times, but attention should be paid to the overall time cost.

3. Feather percentage setting

The feathering function can enhance the delicacy and color richness of patterns, with a value range of 0% to 200%. The larger the value, the better the effect, but the production speed will decrease. The appropriate feathering percentage can be selected between 50% to 150% according to the fineness and time requirements of the pattern.

4. Physical adjustment

Adjust the adjustable screws under the printer base to control the printing thickness. When the medium is thin, raise the support feet and thicken the printing layer. It is recommended to control the adjustment range between 0.1~0.2mm each time.

5. Medium thickness setting

When setting the medium thickness in the printing software, if the medium thickness increases, the nozzle height needs to be adjusted accordingly. For example, for media with a thickness of 1-2mm, the nozzle height can be adjusted to 3-5mm.

Precautions

1. Reasonable ink thickness

The thicker the ink, the better. Improper settings can lead to blurry images and uneven colors. For example, excessive ink accumulation on smooth glass can cause ink to flow and damage the image outline.

2. Environmental factors

The temperature and humidity of the printing environment affect the drying and curing effect of ink. The suitable temperature is 20-25 ℃ and the humidity is 40% -60%. Overheating, overcooling, over wetting, or over drying may all cause a decrease in ink performance.

3. Ink type

The thickness of spot ink cannot be adjusted by oneself, otherwise it may clog the nozzle and cause scrap. The manufacturer‘s specified model and viscosity of spot ink should be used.

4. Resolution Setting

Printing resolution is a key parameter, and it is recommended to use 600dpix2400dpi or 635dpix2400dpi. High resolution may exceed the performance of the printer and actually affect the effect.

UV printer ink thickness adjustment is a process that comprehensively considers material properties, image requirements, and special effects. Only through reasonable and precise adjustments can the advantages of UV printers be fully utilized to present high-quality and personalized printed works, meeting the needs of different customers in various application scenarios!

Shenzhen Gold Sun Color Printing Factory is a China based book manufacturer, very good at printing hardcover book, photo book, story book, photo album, Printing paper, coloring book, packaging & printing services,  Labels, printing stickers, anti-water labels, vinyl label, custom label book , softcover book, custom book printing hardcover, mini book, photobook printing, hardcover book, , board books, color sticker books, sticker books, packaging boxes for small business, custom book, children board books, kids book, journals, notebooks, Agenda, Customs Calendar, magazines, color books, cookbooks, etc. With ISO-2001 and CE certificate, Gold Sun offers very good price and outstanding service.

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