17
Oct
Author: Michael | Category:
screen printing

Many businesses will tell you that tradeshows are very important. They get your name and your face out there for a lot of people to see, and they help to build your business and boost your profit margin – if you do them right. If you do them wrong, you just become the laughingstock of your selected trade.
One of the ways to help your trade show is to print some foam. You can get a lot of different thicknesses of foam, and the rigid, PVC foam board is lightweight and durable. It works very well for all kinds of applications, and more people are using it for their trade shows because they see how well it works and that a lot can be done with it, unlike some of the substrates used in the past.
You can either mount graphics on it, or you can screen print directly to it. You can drill through it without a problem, and it supports both lamination and heat bending. In short, it’s extremely versatile and can do almost anything where your display is concerned, which makes it a good choice.
16
Oct
Author: Michael | Category:
screen printing

Metal coatings are usually in two categories – thermoset or thermoplastic. It’s important to know which one you’re dealing with before you start printing metals, or you could end up with an expensive and upsetting mess instead of the beautifully-printed items that you were expecting.
When you have a metal with a thermoplastic coating, that coating isn’t resistant to very high heat sources. If you use an ink that has to be heat cured, the coating can re-melt during the drying process, ruining the look of the finished item. This kind of coating can also be seriously damaged by harsh solvents that are often used during the screen printing process.
To avoid these kinds of problems, get a metal with a thermoset coating, which is cured much differently and can withstand both high heat and harsh solvents. This makes a better choice for inks that have to be heat cured. As long as you pay attention to which coating you have and the properties that it possesses, you can use either one with good results.
15
Oct
Author: Michael | Category:
screen printing

When it comes to printing metals, you need to understand the different inks that are used. They aren’t the same inks that are used for other types of applications, and knowing a little about them can make your printing much more successful.
There are a lot of common coatings that are used on metals today, and they can all affect your printing results, so you’ll need to be aware of what the metal is treated with before you start printing. The most commonly used inks for metals are solvent-based, although UV-based inks are sometimes used if they are deemed more appropriate for the type of metal and the type of coating that you’ll be working with.
The solvent-based inks are further divided into whether they have to be heat cured, or whether they can just be allowed to air dry. Before you buy any ink, find out what kind it is and how it dries. Then make sure it’s the right kind of ink for the metal and the coating that you’re using. You’ll save yourself a lot of headaches in the future.
14
Oct
Author: Michael | Category:
printing news

If you want to print plastic, you have to be precise, but it’s a very difficult thing to do. Plastic cards used to be an innovative novelty item, but now they are seen in all aspects of modern society. They can be used in so many types of applications that their possible uses are really almost endless.
These plastic cards are used so often and for so many things; it’s crucial that they are made by a good provider who knows the right way to make plastic cards. They have to be even, they have to be smooth, and they have to be correct. It’s not always easy to get them this way, but it’s a requirement of a plastic card printing company that wants to stay ahead of the game.
Because these cards are so important to a lot of companies, it’s best not to take a risk on a card printing company that you’re not sure about. You want a company that knows what it’s doing and that has been in business for some time. Your business might depend on it.
13
Oct
Author: Michael | Category:
custom printing

Woodblock printing is used widely throughout East Asia. Text, pictures, or patterns can be printed this way. While it originated in China, it’s used throughout the world now.
In Europe the technique was called a woodcut, and still remains popular in some areas. The areas that are to be white are cut away, and the areas that are designed to be dark are left on the surface of the woodblock. The block was then brought into firm contact with the ink that would be used on it. After that, the block could be used as a stamp for clock or paper or any other type of surface that would take the ink. If text was used it presented a problem because it would appear backward and therefore had to be carved into the block backward to be produced correctly.
Woodblocks can also be rubbed onto cloth, but the technique is somewhat more difficult than stamping, and is not used as often. More recently, printing in a press has been used in Asia, but stamping remains the most common method for woodblock printing.