What is UV Printing?

In this guide, we’ll explain what UV-printed pins are, how they differ from other types of pins, and when to choose them for your design.

What is a UV Printed Pin?

A UV-printed pin uses ultraviolet printing technology to apply artwork directly onto a hard enamel surface. Unlike traditional enamel pins, which require color filling and metal outlines, UV printing allows for high-resolution designs, smooth gradients, and intricate details.

If your design includes fine details, gradients, or complex elements that cannot be achieved with hard or soft enamel pins, UV printing is the best option. Enamel pins can only accommodate solid colors separated by metal outlines, so designs with intricate details may not work well.

  1.  Epoxy Photodome Pins- Your logo is printed directly on the metal and protected with a layer of epoxy resin.

2. UV Printed Pin - Your logo is UV printed onto a hard enamel pin, giving it a more premium look than an epoxy photodome pin.

Image of a design that cannot be made as an enamel pin

A lot of intricate details, shadows containing gaps cannot be made into a enamel pin. Christina G Smith had to make changes to her initial design to make it suitable for enamel pins. Image Source : Enamel Pin Design

Depending on your design, you can opt for either Full UV Printing or Partial UV Printing.

  1. Full UV Printed Pin

A full UV-printed pin is a hard enamel pin with the entire design printed on its surface. The back and edges of the pin are plated (e.g., silver or gold), enhancing its premium feel.

2. Partial UV Printed Pin

These are primarily hard enamel pins, but some intricate details are UV printed instead of using enamel filling. This is useful when small design elements, like text or facial features, are too detailed for metal outlines.

Example 1

Challenge- The eyes and mouth were too small for enamel filling with a metal outline. To make them proportionate, we would have had to enlarge the face, increasing the pin size to 1.5 inches, 2 inches, or more. However, we wanted to keep the pin small.

Solution- We UV printed the eyes and mouth, keeping the pin size compact while maintaining a clean and detailed look. If you look closely, there are no metal outlines around these features, allowing for a seamless finish.

Example 2

This is a hard enamel pin with partial UV printing. The size of the pin is 1.25 inches. 

Challenge- To maintain the premium feel of the pin without modifying the logo. 

Solution- We created a hard enamel pin with a UV-printed logo. The metal outlines and text remained intact, ensuring the pin still had the high-quality enamel finish while allowing for finer details in the branding.

If you want a premium enamel pin without compromising on design complexity, UV printing is the perfect solution. While UV-printed pins are slightly more expensive than standard hard enamel pins, they offer unmatched detail and precision, making them worth the investment.
UV printed pins will be slightly more expensive than hard enamel pins but worth the money.