COVID-19 has compelled businesses to evolve and adapt to new normal. Along with all the industries; the printing industry is also witnessing the massive transformation and moving to advance and sustainable printing technology. Inks are the imperative part of printing and fortunately, the technology used to manufacture ink has improved greatly in the last few decades. Latex inks are water-based inks and make 70% of the ink constituent whereas UV inks contain hazardous elements. Although UV inks are still viable for many projects, latex is superior. Before going in-depth let’s understand the basics of Latex and UV printing technology: What is Latex Print Technology? Similar to inkjet printing latex printing use print heads to distribute water-based ink on printing substrate. Post printing curing is done by heat, during this process water gets evaporated and latex particles merge with the media resulting in better adhesion and immediate drying. The finished piece is durable, long-lasting, and eco-friendly. What is UV Print Technology? As the name says UV Printing involves UV rays to cure the ink on the substrate. The UV ink consists of monomers, pigments, photo-initiator. When photo-initiators are exposed to UV light, polymerization takes place and ink dries instantly. UV inks contain hazardous substances and direct contact to skin and eyes and cause irritation. latex inks LATEX INK uv inks UV INK Let’s go through some of the advantages of HP Latex over UV Printing one by one: advantages of latex ink Print Quality: Both Latex and UV platform offers an excellent print with photo-realistic image quality. However 4th generation latex ink in new latex printers comes with a higher pigment load which offers a wider color gamut compared to previous generation latex and 50% more nozzles in print heads produce perfect saturated colors at higher speed. Post-curing UV printed substrate turns to matte finished and on the other hand latex preserves the real property of a substrate. If the material property is matte the final printing result will be matte and material property is glossy then the final printing result will be glossy. Environmental Friendly: HP is recognized among the 2020 Global 100 Most Sustainable Corporations in the World and has achieved multiple other sustainability awards year after year. Water-based HP Latex Ink provides an alternative option to eco-solvent, solvent, UV-curable, with a design focused on sustainable impact in the signage and home décor market. UV inks can be hazardous and need to be closely controlled – note the ‘dangerous goods’ logos on the cartridges. HP Latex inks contain many components, none of which are hazardous in the quantities used in the ink or to print. Water-based HP Latex Inks offer health and environmental advantages – compared to UV-curable inks – from the work zone to the point-of-display of finished prints and recycling of consumables. HP inks are the only inks having ECOLOGO certification in this category. HP Latex inks are safer for operators, workspace, environment. Odorless Prints: HP Latex produces odorless prints and is safe to use in schools, hospitals, offices, etc. whereas UV prints are unpleasant for the indoor environment. latex advantages better for youlatex advantages better for end customer latex advantages better for environment Durability: Durability is an another major factor to evaluate both technologies Latex printed graphics do not need to be laminated. Straight out of the printer, these graphics can survive for up to 3 years outside without any additional lamination. Still, lamination can be used to provide additional longevity. HP latex inks are inherently scratch resistance on the other hand UV prints are easy to scratch as it creates a layer on the substrate and is more likely to peel off. Media Versatility: UV technology can print on all most any kind of surface but they have a different set of inks for different applications. For example in applications like car wrapping, thermoforming, etc flexible ink type is required. One of the biggest advantages of Latex technology is that the same set of inks can be used for a wide range of applications. Using a single set of ink wallpaper, canvas, vinyl, coated- uncoated paper, glass films, leatherette, blinds and metallic media can be printed. Latex inks are flexible and merge with the substrate which avoids chipping and cracking of the ink. Another advantage of Latex is that it avoids any kind of difficulties during the lamination process which usually happens with UV due to a layer of ink deposition over the substrate. Whitest White Inks: The latex white ink is stunning and it is the best white ink in the market. Unlike UV ink it has higher opacity and does not turn yellow over time. The impressive ink density achievable together with the pure whiteness of the color, exceed expectations. In UV technology white ink comes with a host of challenges involving maintenance, purging, and clogging while in Latex there is zero maintenance and waste of ink. Internal recirculation system ensures there is no clogging of ink and in case of no white ink job white print head can be stored in the offline rotating chamber. Insight Print Communication is the biggest and most prominent channel partner of HP Latex machines in India. With strong service support and application specialists, Insight has managed to meet the expectations of HP Latex users in India. If you would like to know more about HP Latex Printing or would like us to organize a demo or sample kit , please get in touch with us at sales@insightwithin.com