Single Layer Color Printing

Single-layer color printing is the most common and fundamental mode in UV printing. It uses colored ink to print directly onto substrates without adding white ink or varnish. This mode offers high efficiency and low cost, suitable for printing on colored or opaque materials.

Features

Fast printing & lowest cost: Ideal for mass production and everyday signage.

The process is simple and has low material requirements, allowing direct color printing on various substrates such as plastic boards, wood panels, and metal sheets.

Bright and vivid colors: Works best on light-colored or white substrates.

Suitable for standard graphics and text output, but not recommended for transparent or dark materials that require high brightness and high color saturation.

Typical Applications

Outdoor advertisements, regular signs, display boards, decorative panels, leather color printing, exhibition or commercial display graphics.

Color + White Printing

The color-plus-white printing mode adds a white ink layer within the color ink structure, serving as a base or blocking layer. The white ink significantly enhances the brightness and saturation of the design, preventing the material’s original color from affecting the final appearance. This process is essential for transparent and dark materials.

Features

White ink provides strong opacity, enhances color saturation, and prevents image distortion caused by transparent or dark substrates.

Wide compatibility: Works with transparent, colored, or metallic materials.

Prevents background show-through: Particularly effective on acrylic signs, lightboxes, glass panels.

White ink can be applied either partially or fully, allowing flexible control of white-ink areas based on design requirements.

Typical Applications

Acrylic signs, glass decorations, colored plastics, metal plates, wooden products, transparent labels, etc.

Color–White–Color Printing

Color–White–Color is a triple-layer structure designed specifically for transparent materials or double-sided viewing. By printing color → white → color, images appear vibrant and consistent from both the front and back.

Features

Clear images are visible from both the front and back sides, with the white ink layer in the middle ensuring visual uniformity and preventing the design from being affected by lighting conditions.

It enhances brightness, contrast, and clarity, making it especially suitable for backlit display applications.

High coverage & vivid colors: Excellent for premium advertising and décor.

Smooth image gradient: No color shift between front and back.

Typical Applications

Window graphics, double-sided promotional boards, transparent display signs, glass showcase prints, premium advertising panels.

Color–White–Black–White–Color

The Color–White–Black–White–Color process is an upgraded five-layer structure based on the Color+White and Color–White–Color modes. A black light-blocking layer is added between the white layers, combined with outer color layers, ensuring that the printed image maintains stable and accurate color performance under any lighting conditions.

Features

Strong opacity: The black layer blocks light completely—ideal for strong backlight scenarios.

Maximum image consistency: Both sides appear identical and unaffected by ambient light.

Ultra-high precision: Suitable for high-end displays requiring fine detail.

The number of layers can be adjusted as needed to create various composite structures. Although the process is more complex and requires longer printing time, it delivers the highest quality results.

Typical Applications

High-end packaging, industrial signage, luxury display boards, electronics panels, premium tags, and museum-grade exhibits.

Dual-Sided UV Printing

Double-sided printing is a process in which corresponding graphics are printed on both the front and back sides of the material. It is commonly used in applications where the design needs to be viewed from both sides with consistent visual results. The printer must support double-sided alignment, and the overall imaging requires high precision.

Features

The front and back graphics are printed separately, allowing different or identical content on each side, making it more flexible than the Color–White–Color process.

Under backlit conditions, both sides maintain stable color performance, making it an excellent choice for lightboxes and hanging display graphics.

High precision alignment required for professional results.

Although the cost is higher, the display effect is significantly stronger, making it a commonly used process for high-end advertising applications.

Typical Applications

Hanging lightboxes, double-sided window ads, storefront promotions, transparent signage, exhibition displays, etc.

Need Help Choosing UV Inks or Processes?

If you are looking for stable, high-adhesion, and highly compatible UV inks (soft, hard, or neutral), or would like to learn more about UV printing processes, material compatibility, and equipment selection, please contact us. We will provide professional advice and product quotations based on your needs.

Image source: Internet