UV printing is a type of digital printing in which ultra violet (UV) lights dry or ‘cure’, the ink as it is printed. This technology allows print to be applied to the surface of many different types of materials, or ‘substrates’, not just paper.

Like any digital printer, a flatbed UV digital printer needs digital information – artwork such as high resolution photos, vector images, print-ready PDFs – to tell it what to do. Objects are placed on the print bed and stay in a fixed position while the print head zips back-and-forth, leaving a coating of ink on the object as it goes. The UV light follows closely behind to cure the printed surface, so it’s ready to use almost immediately.