What are UV Printed Pins?
A UV-printed pin uses ultraviolet printing technology to apply artwork directly onto an 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.
Depending on your design, you can opt for either Full UV Printing or Partial UV Printing.
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.
The design inside is fully UV Printed on the surface with metal edges. ImageSource- UV Printed PinPartial UV Printed Pin
These are primarily hard enamel pins, but some intricate details are UV printed. This is useful when small design elements, like text or facial features, are too detailed for metal outlines and enamel filling.
Example 1
This is a hard enamel pin with partial UV printing. The size of the pin is 1.25 inches.
Challenge- The eyes and mouth were too small for enamel filling with a metal outline. If eyes and mouth were made using metal outlines and enamel filling we would have had to enlarge the face, increasing the pin size to 2 inches, or more. However, we wanted to keep the pin small i.e. 1.25 inches.
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 print logo with gradient and maintain the premium feel of the pin. Client did not want a photodome epoxy pin (gradients can be printed on these kind of pins) as the pin does not look premium.
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.
