How To Deal With Color Difference In UV Roll To Roll Printing？

UV Roll To Roll Printing is a high-tech full-color digital printing machine without plate making, which is not restricted by materials. It can print color photos on surfaces such as signs, crystals, PVC, leather, etc. And it has fast printing speed, bright and rich colors, and simple and convenient operation. It is a must-have equipment for many digital printing companies. When using a UV printer, the printed pattern and the color made by the designer sometimes deviate, resulting in unsatisfactory printing results. So, what are the reasons for color difference in UV printing?

Picture problem

Before using a UV printer to print a pattern as a medium, the operator needs to process the pattern to be printed first, until the effect the customer wants is achieved.  However, if the color of the pattern is damaged due to processing errors during the image processing process. The printed effect will be very different from the actual required effect. There are several specific reasons.

1. Computer monitors will cause visual differences in color due to different brands, models and parameters set for individual color values;
2. The lightest color value should not be lower than 8% when making colors, otherwise it may not be printed;
3. The color of the picture on the design manuscript is RGB, not CMYK; please do not use four-color black or four-color gray, which is easy to show serious color difference after printing;

Therefore, before printing, the printer operator is better to conduct sample tests until the ideal effect is achieved before formal printing. This can not only save materials, but also print out product effects that satisfy customers in the shortest time.

Ink problem

The quality of printing ink is the key to whether it can directly reflect the final effect. If the quality of the ink used by the UV plastic printing is too poor, it is difficult to print the effect required by the customer. Due to the different proportions of pigment components in some inks and the color cross-linking of ink in the ink cartridge. The printed pattern appears color cast.

Different types of UV inks have different colors, saturation, brightness, and color gamut. Replacing new UV inks will inevitably lead to color problems in pattern printing, and the color curve needs to be re-made. Secondly, the ink dots are different, and the state of the nozzle needs to be observed during printing.  If it is an ink precipitation problem, because the internal color of the UV ink that has not been used for a long time may have precipitation problems. It needs to be fully stirred before use. If it condenses and becomes sticky, it means that the UV ink has expired and needs to be replaced.

UV DTF printing environmental factors

Environmental factors will also affect the difference in printed colors.  Including printing time, UV ink quality, temperature, humidity, material characteristics, etc., which will lead to color differences. For example, when the humidity of the working environment of the UV flatbed printer is too high. The substrate itself or the surface may have residual moisture. In this case, the UV ink printing is not easy to dry thoroughly, affecting the quality of the print.

It may also cause cracking and peeling. Therefore, it is necessary to avoid storing consumables and operating equipment in a too harsh environment. Dehumidification or drying can be carried out appropriately according to the climate to keep the indoor air humidity between 30% and 70%. The indoor temperature should be kept between 20℃ and 40℃ as much as possible.

Issues affected by material characteristics

The printing medium will also affect the color difference. Each material has different base colors and ink adsorption properties. If you can master the characteristics of the material, it will be easier to use colors when designing. It should be noted that the darker the base color of the material. The easier it is to produce color difference.