What are UV Printers?

UV printers use UltraViolet light to quickly set ink onto a huge variety of materials and surfaces. The ink and the light together set off a polymerisation process, which results in an extremely durable, long-lasting, and highly professional finish.

UV printers can be used on an almost limitless range of materials, from golf balls and metal gifts, to ID tags and credit cards, and even glass items. 

The Ultraviolet light emitted by the printer cures the ink, meaning that it dries to a hard finish virtually instantly. Interestingly, the process was first used by beauty technicians to quickly set gel nail polish during manicures! It wasn’t long before the printing industry realised the incredible benefits of this technology for customising an almost unlimited range of products. 

MaxLaser is extremely excited to be adding UV printers for sale in South Africa to our growing list of technologies designed to empower local small businesses. From one-off bespoke projects to large-scale production lines, UV flatbed printers offer incredible business opportunities.

Ultraviolet light: Light with a wavelength between 10 nm to 400 nm, invisible to human eyes.

Substrate: The base material which you’ll be printing onto during the UV printing process – for example plastic, wood, or metal.

Curing: The chemical reaction which causes the ink to become dry to the touch and reach maximum adhesion.

Polymerisation: The chemical process whereby separate small molecules (monomers) combine to form larger molecules (polymers), strengthening the new printed surface. 

A UV light printer or UV digital printer differs from standard printing technologies in that you’re not waiting for the air to dry the ink. Rather, a high-intensity LED UV light follows closely behind the ink as it’s applied. 

Not only does this speed up the drying process, but because the ink doesn’t get a chance to evaporate, it prevents any potentially harmful fumes from being released into the air. And because LED lights are so energy-efficient, the process also boasts a lower carbon footprint than other printing technologies. 

Both digital and flatbed UV printers offer significant advantages over other printing methods. Here’s a quick summary of the benefits of UV light printers:

• Faster – thanks to the UV printer’s ability to set the ink virtually instantly, you can offer faster turnarounds on projects to your clients and gain a competitive advantage.  
• Greener – other printing technologies which use heat to set ink create ozone and other toxic solvent fumes which then need to be extracted. 
• Energy-efficient – UV printing uses substantially less power, both during printing and on standby. 
• Huge variety of applications – UV printing on traditional materials like acrylic and cardboard is a doddle, and with the addition of a primer, even tricky surfaces like glass and metal can be beautifully transformed. Basically, if you can fit it inside the printer, you can print on it! 
• Exceptional quality – the curing process results in a highly detailed, perfect image every time. This makes it ideal for projects where a photorealistic finish is desired.  
• Durability – because UV inks are both abrasion and chemical resistant, your clients can expect their products to last for many years, even outdoors. 

As you can see, our flatbed UV printers offer South African businesses many opportunities to outperform the competition!

Max Laser currently offers three incredible ArtisJet UV printers, suitable for small-, medium- and large-scale projects.

The ArtisJet Young

If you’re looking for a small, compact, but surprisingly versatile UV printer, then the ArtisJet Young is the perfect place to begin your UV printing adventure!

Capable of printing on objects up to A4 paper size and 5cm in height, the Young is ideal for small projects like cellphone case artwork, personalised stationery, small corporate gifts, golf balls, photo frames, 2.5D cards, high-quality photorealistic prints, USB flash drives, and so much more. 

And thanks to it’s small size, the artisJet Young is also highly portable, making it great for pop-up shops, flea markets, and trade shows.

 

 

Print area 300 x 210mm

From R193 500 Inc Vat

OR

R4182 pm over 72 months with a R35 000 down payment

Selling price or repayments includes:

Full set of ink cartridges

2 year warranty

Lifetime support

Installation & training

The ArtisJet 3000U Pro

One step up you’ll find the ArtisJet 3000U Pro, which can print onto products as wide as a B3 piece of paper (500 x 360 mm) and up to a height of 170mm.

Capable of printing on both rigid and slightly flexible surfaces in almost any material, you can even add a layer of gloss varnish for that extra-professional finish, as well as braille and other textured effects.

This UV printer is a great choice if you want to print posters, customise laptops and electronics, or create bespoke wallets, book covers, awards, gifts, calendars, and more.

Our middle sized UV printer is an excellent choice to start with.

 

Print area 500 x 360mm

From R237 900 Inc Vat

OR

R5354 pm over 72 months with a R35 000 down payment

Selling price or repayments includes:

Full set of ink cartridges

Rotary Device

2 year warranty

Lifetime support

Installation & training

ArtisJet 5000U

Last but definitely not least, the ArtisJet 5000U unlocks the full potential of UV printing! Print on any material including wood, metal, ceramics, glass and plastic, up to 700 x 500mm wide and 250mm high.

Take signage, packaging, and posters to a whole new level with special embossed, feathered, and 3D printing effects that are scratch and sun-resistant.

The 5000U’s clever side-loading design, continuous ink system, and auto height adjustment features make this the perfect UV printer for larger print runs where efficiency is crucial. Our biggest size UV printer from Artisjet.

 

 

Print area 700 x 500mm

R302 400 Inc Vat

OR

R7056 pm over 72 months with a R35 000 down payment

Selling price or repayments includes:

Full set of ink cartridges

Rotary Device

2 year warranty

Lifetime support

Installation & training

One of the most exciting aspects of UV printing is just how many materials and products you can work with. Essentially, with the exception of specially water-proofed oil-surfaced materials, you can print on any substrate. So of the many different types of UV printing include: 

• UV printer for wood products  
• Leather 
• Glass 
• Plastic
• Ceramics 
• Metals 

This opens the door to customising all manner of different products. From durable indoor and outdoor signage to corporate and bespoke gifts, your imagination is the only limitation! 

Some of the products UV printing has been used on successfully include:

• Sports equipment like tennis rackets, cricket bats, snooker cues and golf balls 
• Musical instruments like guitars, violins, and personalised drumsticks
• Bamboo products 
• Corporate gifts
• Electronics such as custom laptop or smartphone case designs
• Glass bottles 
• Ceramic tiles 
• Beautiful plaques, trophies, and awards 
• Notebooks and unique leather book covers  

Another interesting possibility with UV printing is that you can use multiple print runs to create interesting textures – such as a faux wood grain, oil painting, or leather result. UV printing can even be used to add braille writing to products!    

And because no heat is emitted thanks to the LED technology, even delicate materials like silk are no problem. 

Below you’ll find quickfire answers to some of the questions we get most often about UV printers in South Africa:

MaxLaser is completely confident that our incredible UV printers for sale in South Africa will set your business apart and allow you to offer solutions your competitors can only dream of.

Whether you use this amazing technology to supercharge delivery on items you already produce, or you want to branch out into completely new lines, our artisJet UV printers will get you there.