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Flatbed digital printers, also known as flatbed printers or flatbed UV printers, are printers characterized by a flat surface upon which a material is placed to be printed on. Flatbed printers are capable of printing on a wide variety of materials such as photographic paper, film,
Although most flatbed printers are limited to printing on flat some are capable of printing of cylindrical objects, such as bottles and cans, using rotary attachments that position the object and rotate it while the printhead applies ink. Flatbed printers have sometimes been used to print on small spherical objects such as ping pong balls, however, the print resolution tends to decrease around the edges of the printed image due to the inkjets firing ink onto an inclined and further away surface.
Flatbed printers can sometimes execute multiple passes on a surface to achieve an 3D embossing effect. This is either done with colored inks or a clear varnish which is used to create glossy finishes or highlights on the print.
"Hybrid" UV printers may also refer to printers capable of printing of a flatbed surface as well as roll-to-roll, which enables the use of flexible substrates stored in rolls.
cloth
Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...
, plastic
Plastics are a wide range of synthetic or semi-synthetic materials that use polymers as a main ingredient. Their plasticity makes it possible for plastics to be moulded, extruded or pressed into solid objects of various shapes. This adaptab ...
, pvc, acrylic
Acrylic may refer to:
Chemicals and materials
* Acrylic acid, the simplest acrylic compound
* Acrylate polymer, a group of polymers (plastics) noted for transparency and elasticity
* Acrylic resin, a group of related thermoplastic or thermosett ...
, glass, ceramic
A ceramic is any of the various hard, brittle, heat-resistant and corrosion-resistant materials made by shaping and then firing an inorganic, nonmetallic material, such as clay, at a high temperature. Common examples are earthenware, porcelain ...
, metal, wood, leather
Leather is a strong, flexible and durable material obtained from the tanning, or chemical treatment, of animal skins and hides to prevent decay. The most common leathers come from cattle, sheep, goats, equine animals, buffalo, pigs and hog ...
, etc.). Flatbed digital printers usually use UV curable inks made of acrylic monomer
In chemistry, a monomer ( ; '' mono-'', "one" + ''-mer'', "part") is a molecule that can react together with other monomer molecules to form a larger polymer chain or three-dimensional network in a process called polymerization.
Classification
...
s that are then exposed to strong UV-light
Ultraviolet (UV) is a form of electromagnetic radiation with wavelength from 10 nm (with a corresponding frequency around 30 PHz) to 400 nm (750 THz), shorter than that of visible light, but longer than X-rays. UV radiation i ...
to cure, or polymerize
In polymer chemistry, polymerization (American English), or polymerisation (British English), is a process of reacting monomer molecules together in a chemical reaction to form polymer chains or three-dimensional networks. There are many for ...
them. This process allows for printing on a wide variety of surfaces such as wood or canvas, carpet, tile, and even glass. The adjustable printing bed makes it possible to print on surfaces ranging in thickness from a sheet of paper often up to as much as several inches. Typically used for commercial applications (retail and event signage), flatbed printing is often a substitute for screen-printing
Screen printing is a printing technique where a mesh is used to transfer ink (or dye) onto a substrate, except in areas made impermeable to the ink by a blocking stencil. A blade or squeegee is moved across the screen to fill the open mesh ...
. Since no printing plates or silkscreens must be produced, digital printing technology allows shorter runs of signs to be produced economically. Many of the high-end flatbed printers allow for roll-feed, allowing for unattended printing.
Environmentally, flatbed digital printing is based on a more sustainable system than its commercial predecessor of solvent printing as it produces fewer waste cartridges and less indoor air pollution
Indoor air quality (IAQ) is the air quality within and around buildings and structures. IAQ is known to affect the health, comfort, and well-being of building occupants. Poor indoor air quality has been linked to sick building syndrome, reduce ...
. The resolution of flatbed printers range from 72 DPI (dots per inch) to about 2400 DPI. One of the advantages of a flatbed printer is its versatility of printable materials although this is limited to only flat materials and occupies a lot of surface area.
"Hybrid" Flatbed Digital Printers
Although most flatbed printers are limited to printing on flat some are capable of printing of cylindrical objects, such as bottles and cans, using rotary attachments that position the object and rotate it while the printhead applies ink. Flatbed printers have sometimes been used to print on small spherical objects such as ping pong balls, however, the print resolution tends to decrease around the edges of the printed image due to the inkjets firing ink onto an inclined and further away surface.
Flatbed printers can sometimes execute multiple passes on a surface to achieve an 3D embossing effect. This is either done with colored inks or a clear varnish which is used to create glossy finishes or highlights on the print.
"Hybrid" UV printers may also refer to printers capable of printing of a flatbed surface as well as roll-to-roll, which enables the use of flexible substrates stored in rolls.
See also
*Digital printing
Digital printing is a method of printing from a digital-based image directly to a variety of media. It usually refers to professional printing where small-run jobs from desktop publishing and other digital sources are printed using large-format ...
* Variable Data Printing Variable data printing (VDP) (also known as variable information printing (VIP) or variable imaging (VI)) is a form of digital printing, including on-demand printing, in which elements such as text, graphics and images may be changed from one pri ...
* Digital image processing
Digital image processing is the use of a digital computer to process digital images through an algorithm. As a subcategory or field of digital signal processing, digital image processing has many advantages over analog image processing. It allo ...
* Graphical output device
References
{{reflist, 1 Printing devices