So are the advantages of UV coating.
According to Fetherman, the quality, speed and safety of UV machines have
increased recently, while prices have decreased. Erich Midlik, vice president of
sales at equipment supplier Prime UV Systems, Carol Stream, Ill., points out
another advantage: the Environmental Protection Agency declared UV technologies
are Best Available Control Technology, a designation for technology that reduces
the most emissions compared with similar equipment. UV differs from heatset
equipment, which often releases organic compounds that manufacturers must
capture and burn. "[UV coating] is a liquid that, when exposed to the UV light,
polymerizes and hardens," he says. "There are zero emissions with UV inks and
coatings." As a result, UV machines also cost less to run.
In addition, UV coatings bring about creative opportunities. "Because you don't have to heat up the substrate to burn off solvents...you can use [UV coatings] on a variety of substrates," Midlik says. Distributors can select from coated and uncoated papers, unsupported films such as polyethelene and polypropylene, thick plastics, and more. Manufacturers can change UV coatings' finish (such as matte, pearl or gloss), tint (such as green, blue or yellow), or even their scent.
Midlik and Fetherman offer eight ideas for UV coating applications:
1. Security documents. Manufacturers can floodcoat important documents to protect them from rubbing or fading. With flood varnish, manufacturers allow for a few seconds of "dwell time" so that the coating smoothes out across the page before it's cured. Fetherman says when there isn't enough dwell time, floodcoated pages exhibit the "orange-peel effect"--they appear to have a texture similar to an orange's surface.
2. Direct mail. Once, Fetherman says, an end user actually wanted a textured effect for the logo on its direct mail. Instead of allowing for dwell time, the manufacturer used Prime UV equipment on a Muller Martini press to instantly cure the direct mail pieces. "We had to put the UV lamps within 3 inches of the applicator head," Fetherman says. "It was challenging, but it worked well."
3. Magazine covers. UV coatings can give magazine covers a shinier, more durable, high-quality appearance. According to Midlik, manufacturers even can change UV coatings' scent. One of his business partners handles covers for Sports Illustrated, which sometimes includes UV coating with a vanilla-scented additive.
4. Lottery tickets and coupons. On top of the 4-color printing and below the scratch-off surface of many lottery tickets is a layer of UV coating called a "release coat," Fetherman says. The release coat allows recipients to scratch off the surface without blurring the lottery number printed underneath.
5. Promotional products. According to Midlik, UV printing often is used on plastic cups, glass products and furniture.
6. Packaging. UV coating can be applied to toiletry bottles, dog food bags and liners for corrugated boxes. At press time, Midlik was running trials of UV coating on Anheuser-Busch packaging. UV coatings can make boxes appear more glossy and scuff-resistant. UV coatings on boxes can be textured so they're less likely to slide off each other when stacked, he says.
7. Marketing collateral. Spot varnish can make one part of a page stand out from the rest. For example, a manufacturer recently used Muller Martini equipment to spot varnish the image of a lightning bolt on the cover of a promotional booklet and the image of footprints on a beach on the inside page of the booklet. "It adds value to the printed products by making them unique and more eye-catching," Fetherman says.
8. Bags. "There are a variety of finishes you can get to alter the appearance [of bags]," Midlik says. "For example, Saks Fifth Avenue used red ink [on its bag] and then put stripes on it with high-gloss UV coating. The UV coatings can be custom-designed or manufactured to have a variety of characteristics to best suit the end user or the application."
--Rita Tiefert
Thinking of Inks
Using UV ink without UV coating might seem comparable to having bread without butter, but according to Erich Midlik, it's becoming more popular. Midlik, vice president of sales at Carol Stream, Ill., equipment supplier Prime UV Systems, says the quality of UV inks has improved. For example, technology provider NCR Corp. wanted to add coupons and promotional messages to the back of ATM rolls. Because the paper was thin and not very porous, conventional inks smeared on it. Instead, NCR used UV inks, which harden quickly.
Ink selection usually is dictated by manufacturers' capabilities. For example, Muller Martini, a supplier based in Hauppauge, N.Y., offers a press configured with nine units. The ninth tower can apply spot color or UV varnish. Manufacturers can use the press to finish products inline and deliver them as sheets, rolls or signatures. Andy Fetherman, manager of Muller's digital finishing division, says manufacturers can place UV coating over conventional inks--but the inks must dry thoroughly first, lengthening turnaround times. By using UV inks instead, manufacturers can complete the process in one pass.
