All industries will gradually move toward the adoption of technologies that promise and successfully deliver such benefits. In the digital wide-format printing sector, the arrival of UV curable inks has been greeted as such a revolutionary technology. But has it really been happening?

  Separating the marketing buzz from the cold commercial reality is difficult, especially when the results are often visually dazzling, but it is nevertheless required in order to assess whether this new technology has succeeded in fulfilling the expected results.

 
  Good for Whom?

  Let me state here at the beginning that UV cured inks offer the inkjet sector many advantages and that for the rigid substrate printing market, Scitex Vision offers its own UV cured solution, the Scitex Vision VEEjet+.

  Digital printing with UV curable inks affords varied print quality benefits, as well as better adhesion to many substrates, quick dot fixation, and elimination of spreading of dots, or bleeding between dots. Printing with increased ink density is possible, and there is the advantage that UV curable inks are well-known in the screen market.

  Another notable feature of the UV curable ink is the lack of volatile organic compounds (VOCs). This means the printing process is more environmentally friendly, reducing worker exposure to hazardous substances and environmental pollution.

  Since UV inks don't dry on the print head, they can eliminate some of the disturbing problems associated with cleaning and purging the head to remove insoluble material. Theoretically, greater print production rates can be achieved with UV ink because you don't have to wait on drying solvents or integrate huge dryers.

  Having said all that, there are still a number of aspects of UV ink use that need careful consideration by wide-format printers before an investment commitment is made.

  These disadvantages cover most stages of the production cycle and require special provisions to be made by printers in order to achieve optimum results. Areas where possible difficulties can arise range from shipment and storage, to ventilation and lighting conditions (within the printing facility), to issues with print head performance, ink adhesion, clean up and cost.

  Furthermore, UV inks have limited transparent and translucent colors, are less flexible and, in an abrasive environment, will erode more quickly.

  The major challenge of UV curable inkjet printing - and these are not insurmountable obstacles - arises from the current market and pricing structure.

  Calculating the Benefits

  Comparing like with like, as much as possible, the bottom line clearly demonstrates that with the present cost of UV curable ink being around $120 per liter, the process is still more expensive than screen-printing. To get an economic advantage of 50 cents per square meter as a minimum, ink price should be at a more realistic $60 to $70 per liter. More reasonable profit expectations, taking into account the current limitations, require even lower ink prices for digital UV curable inks.

  The Bottom Line

  Investing in new technology always has its risks. The fundamental question is, "Do the potential returns justify the risks?" In the case of using UV curable ink for roll-to-roll systems, the answer is: "Not under existing market conditions."

  Even with the known drawbacks of solvent-based ink, and the benefits of UV curable ink, the return on investment (ROI) is not as favourable. End users are not prepared to pay more for UV cured prints. Without the benefit of charging a premium for UV cured products, printers are faced with having to sell and print 40 - 60% more to achieve the same ROI figures delivered by solvent ink systems.

  The real market for UV curable products is currently in the rigid substrate area, where there is no competing solvent solution. A whole new world of applications is opening in this sector by printers that are willing to invest in and push the technology and their businesses forward. And as we showed before, even in this market one should look very carefully into the economics of the solution and shop around for different options, before making a decision. Beware of being dazzled by the opportunities that UV technology is opening in the rigid printing market and reaching wrong conclusions in other segments of the market.

  In the flexible media super-wide format market, there is a huge - and increasing - installed base of systems using solvent-based inks. These printers are better placed to withstand price pressures as the super-wide format sector evolves into a commodity market.