UV Printing
When the color is the point.
Engraving gives you one tone. UV printing lays down full-color ink and cures it on the spot — so a brand mark comes out in the actual brand colors, not a silver approximation of them.
Full color
Choosing
Print or engrave?
Most jobs have an obvious answer once you know the difference. If you are not sure, describe the piece and we will tell you which will look better — we would rather send you to the other process than sell you the wrong one.
UV printing suits
- Multi-color logos that must stay on-brand
- Photographic artwork and gradients
- Flat or gently curved surfaces
- Light artwork on a dark item, or the reverse
- Signage, panels, plaques and promotional items
Engraving suits
- Anything that lives in a dishwasher or a pocket
- Single-color marks, names and dates
- Metal, glass, wood and leatherette
- A finish that cannot peel or scratch off
- Awards and pieces meant to be kept
Artwork
Send the best file you have
UV printing can reproduce far more detail than engraving, which means the quality of your artwork matters more, not less.
- Vector is ideal. SVG, EPS, AI or PDF stay crisp at any size.
- High-resolution raster is fine for photographic work — the bigger the original, the better.
- A logo pulled off a website is usually too small. Send it anyway; we will tell you before you commit, and can often source or redraw a better version.
- Brand colors: tell us the exact references if you have them. Printed color and screen color never match perfectly, and we would rather manage that up front.
Process
The same proof step
Printing follows exactly the same route as engraving:
- Send your artwork and tell us what it is going on.
- We lay it out and email you a proof.
- You approve it, or ask for changes.
- Only then does it get printed.
Because printed color behaves differently from screen color, the proof stage matters more here than anywhere else. Use it.
Common questions
Before you order
Will printed color exactly match my brand guidelines?
Very close, but not identical — printed ink and a backlit screen are different things. Send us your color references and we will get as close as the process allows, and show you on the proof before anything is produced.
Is printing as durable as engraving?
No, and we will not pretend otherwise. Engraving is cut into the material and cannot wear off. UV print is a cured layer on the surface, which is why we steer anything destined for a dishwasher or a keychain toward engraving instead.
Can you print onto anything?
Flat and gently curved rigid surfaces work best. Heavily contoured or very soft items are better engraved, or handled another way — describe the piece and we will tell you.
Can you print and engrave the same item?
Yes. Some jobs use both: engraving for the part that must last, printing for the part that must be in color.
What does it cost and how long does it take?
Print jobs are quoted individually — contact us for pricing. Using artwork you supply in a usable format costs nothing extra; a design fee applies only if we have to redraw it.
Tell us what you want printed
What the item is, what goes on it, and how many. Send the artwork if you have it and we will tell you how it will come out before you commit.