Why Digital Printing Opacity is Awesome

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Why digital printing opacity is awesome

Of all the inks available for large format digital printing: Solvent, Eco-Solvent, and Latex none have the opacity that the UV ink delivers.

Why digital printing opacity is awesome

What is opacity? Opacity is the lack of transparency or translucence. For signs and graphic printing, opacity means the potential of the ink to cover the color of the substrate. To illustrate this better if you have a yellow substrate and you apply a red ink to it the color of you print will look green, since ink is not opaque enough to completely cover the yellow of the substrate thus you’ll end up having a graphic resulting in the mix of red + yellow.

In the print world at large “color” is defined as the sum of 2 basic elements: the color of the media and + the color of the ink itself… This is why every time you use a substrate you must “profile” it to have a predictable color. Solvent, eco-solvent and Latex (acuose) inks penetrate the substrate and blend hues with it, UV ink not much. UV ink penetrates very little into the substrate, in fact, the chemical reactions involve in the drying-curing process of the UV ink are about converting the liquid ink in a solid polymer so most of the UV ink remains on top of the substrate surface creating an extra layer thus increasing opacity. As a matter of fact, most of the composition of the liquid UV ink is pigments and a cocktail of photoinitiators, but most pigments..

UV ink once cured is basically a polymer… You can actually feel the UV curable ink.

If you want to print over Red piece of plastic, Not a problem! UV ink offers you the greatest opacity available to ensure excellent color reproduction. However print modes and file composition are sometimes necessary to make adjustments for color accuracy. A very common cure for opacity issues is applying a white mask underneath the print. A white mask is a white layer of ink between the substrate and the ink.

At Hello Printing, we tap on UV curing technology for most of our flatbeds prints.  We also run jobs in our UV printers when the customer application demands an extreme opacity or when we desire a dot gain close to zero for extremely detailed prints.

Hello Printing Ideas we have an array of solutions for virtually any print need! Ingenuity, Work and Service

Happy Printing!

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Car Wraps “the Cheapest CPM” and the Fastest Return of four Money

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Carwraps

Not only a money saver but a popular tool for local advertising. An innovative way to create a moving billboard for any business. Car wraps provide a three-dimensional form of advertisement that is dynamic and cost effective. If you own a business across the board car wraps offer an effective CPM even cheaper than TV, radio, PPC, direct mail, etc.  Car wraps create a top of mind effect which cannot be surpassed by another form of marketing.

Not only is car wrapping extremely affordable in caparison to traditional advertisement but in a medium-sized city a moving car can offer you a whopping 30,000 to 70,000 views per day!  Not to mention that unlike billboards that require you to pay for the billboard and monthly fees, car wraps is a one-time investment that brings you returns day in and day out. Cars wraps can last you up to 5 years. The plus side; if you have an older car or need to repaint. Vinyl wraps protect, renew and transform any car!

Want a 30% increase in local customers? Wrap your delivery vehicles and park them outside of your venue.

Exclusivity is key when wrapping your car. Since you are the owner of the vehicle the advertisement you choose for wrapping your car is proprietary to you alone. Not to mention that you can swap out as little or as often as you’d like. The flexibility that car wraps offer to customize and interchange the advertisement is unseen in other forms of traditional advertisement. Even in digital spaces the over-saturation of ads has cause people to no longer pay attention or be drowned out by the clutter.

Wraps are essentially OOH media that is paired with the additional component of motion. Be mindful, remember fellow drivers do not have a lot of time to read your message. Keep it simple and make sure your design and text are laser focused on your brand.

At Hello Printing Ideas we recognize how important your business is and how you are presented to the world matters, also we focus on returns and a wrap is an investment that brings you a fast return.

Just in case you’re not convinced

  • Depending on the color and the size of the vehicle, paint jobs can cost you anywhere from $500 to $3,000
  • Car wraps can range from $400 to $8,000
  • Specialty looks with minimal costs
  • Breathtaking finishes that can last up to 5 years.
  • Can be removed safely within 5 to 8 years without harming your car paint.
  • Maintaining the quality of the original paint of a car can keep the resale value high
  • Fully transform your car in 3-5 days with car wraps vs several weeks with paint
  • Gain recognition within your area, geo-targeting at its best!
  • Super easy to maintain just wash with soap and water, no special care required.
  • Numbers never lie: if you pay $3,000 for your wrap and use the vehicle for 4 years your daily cost will be $2 per day!!!

Happy Printing!

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What is CNC Routing?

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What is cnc routing

CNC routing otherwise known as Computer numeric control offers its users immense possibilities for companies looking to optimize their printing needs. CNC routing machinery, a technology that removes excess or unwanted pieces from print materials.

This process allows you to make patterns and cutouts with several different types of materials done through computer programming hence the name Computer numeric control.

The machinery is attached to a table with the option of a three or four speeds motor. Accuracy and the ability to be creative while bringing life to pieces is what CNC routing promises its user. CNC routers can do more than cutouts and fancy edges, a router offers the opportunity to create flawless dadoes and rabbets for custom creations.

CNC routers are versatile not only for signs and letters, it can provide companies the ability to expand their product base and turn concepts into a reality.

Materials that can be used with CNC Routing 

  • Wood
  • Metal
  • PVC
  • Acrylic
  • Plastics

CNC Routing Ideas

  • Home décor
  • Signs
  • Letter cutouts
  • Custom shelving
  • Artwork
  • Engraving
  • 3d stuff

 Happy Printing!

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Screen Printing vs Digital Printing

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You have something you’ve been working on and it’s time to print. You call your local printer and they ask you what process would you like to go use? Screen printing or Digital printing? Huh!? Both process will get the job done but depending on the job one will better suit your needs vs the other. In an effort to make your printing ventures easier we have created this post to better inform and guide you.

Screen Printing

A hands on multi step process that has weathered the test of time. A stencil is created using the art work that is then attached to a screen. This screen is used to layer on ink to the printing surface. A screen is created for each color that will be used. The image is created using one color at a time to achieve the final design. This process offers a robust vibrant color that it optimal when printing on dark surfaces due to the thicker layer of ink that is applied to each screen.

Pros:

  • Can print a wider variety of media
  • Broad choice of inks from solvent based to UV curable both can be used for thermoform or translucent
  • Color matching
  • Vibrant color
  • Durable and long-lasting
  • Great for larger orders
  • Great control over the pressure applied to the substrate
  • Spots a specialty colors available

Cons:

  • High setup price
  • Labor intensive process
  • Requires a minimum order
  • Not economical for short runs
  • Cannot produce fine detail
  • More colors increase costs

Digital Printing

In 1993 the digital printing process began. A relatively easy process, the artwork is uploaded to a computer and the Ink is directly placed on the printing surface. Since there is no need to create “screens” the art work appears more like a photograph print. The printing process requires less time and is ideal for designs with a lot of detail and color. However the ink is applied via “inkjet technology” in a much thinner layer than screen printing which created a finished product that has less opacity than screen printing. Currently the latest digital printing equipment uses the same ink formulations that screen printing offers such as UV curable ink or solvents including white ink.

Pros:

  • No minimum order, great for small orders
  • No setup from the file to the print.
  • Lots of detail, cleaner process
  • CMYK based
  • Customizable so you can handle variable data
  • Less time and labor consuming

Cons:

  • The color gamut is more narrow
  • Ink is more expensive
  • Print area may be limited by the printer setup

Happy Printing

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Color, Through the Eyes of a Printer

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Color

It was all too easy in our youth where we saw our world in simpler terms. Our color pallet is composed of Yellow, Blue, Green, Purple, Pink, Red, Black and White. As we grow the world became much more complex and as we drift into our professional careers the world of color changes. Understanding the proper use of color and how it varies across different mediums can make the difference between a cohesive brand and pieces that don’t quite resemble themselves.

But why is that even important? Well, research has proven that seeing consistent brand colors can improve brand recognition by 80%. Not to mention that the proper use of color can help you differentiate yourself from your competitors and reinforce your brand’s identity.

More than likely when creating your various pieces you will be using three main color processes CMYK, RGB and Spot Color. Let’s define each and break down the way that you would use them.

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CMYK

CMYK Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and black

Or otherwise known as the full color or 4 color process also used to describe the printing process itself. The way that this color process works is through a subtractive process. In other words, the color is absorbed or subtracted by the white paper. Using only these 4 colors Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black printers can create 15,000 different colors. When getting ready to print your materials always make sure to make your artwork print ready by converting them to CMYK Color. If not your digital-ready images or RGB colors will have a shift in color and they will not print exactly the same.

 

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RBG Red, Blue and Green

Used to send color on devices such as computer monitors, laptops, and tablets. Unlike CMYK, this color mode is never used for printing because it is an additive process. Which means Red, Blue and Green light is added to a black background which creates white. This mixture of Red, Blue and Green light also make a wide range of colors. Because of the additive process this mode is never used for printing and is also the culprit for making your color look different on printed materials vs on your computer or laptop.

 

SPOT

Spot Color

The mecca of color options for printing. A spot color is a pure color or a mixture of inks to create a particular color. The Pantone® Matching System is the most used spot color system. Perfect to use for a specific brand color that you would like to be recognized for.  Depending on how you choose to use your spot color this may reduce or increase your costs. If using only 1 or 2 spot colors vs a full CMYK process you’re looking at a significantly lower cost. If you are including a 5th color to your CMYK materials you will be incurring more costs.

Happy Printing! 

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