The UV DTF printer is one of the most popular digital printers in the last 2 years, and the production of crystal labels using these printers is even more popular technique.

With its simple working steps and short waiting time, it is fully recognized by the public.

This kind of ready-to-use process, similar to production of self-adhesive stickers, where pre-glued AB film can be purchased and printed with UV ink using a UV printer.

The printed film is then laminated, resulting in a finished crystal label.

Cristal labels can be produced with the help of 3 manufacturing techniques that have their advantages and disadvantages.

Those techniques are silk screen printing with glue, glue application with the help of UV flatbed printer and the use of AB film (UV DTF film) with a UV flatbed printer.

Silk Screen Printing with Glue – One of the old-fashioned methods used to make crystal labels is silk screen printing with adhesive.

The procedure includes creating a film, making a mesh screen, and using glue to print desired patterns onto the release film.

To get a glossy appearance, UV printing is positioned on top of the glue.

A protective film is added when printing is finished.

However, this method is less effective for making flexible crystal labels and has a longer production cycle.

It still has good adhesive qualities, though.

Glue Application with the Help of UV Flatbed Printer – The second technique uses a printing nozzle to apply adhesive to the crystal labels.

This method needs the modification of the printing nozzle in a UV printer.

The glue and UV printing are applied immediately in a single step.

On the UV printing equipment, glue, white ink, pattern, glossy oil, etc. are successively printed on the special PP release paper, and the cover transfer film is completed.

The advantage of this process is that it can be directly attached to the paper material, but the adhesive scheme is complex and the adhesive requirements are relatively high, so it is recommended to be used in short-term requirements or at disposable products.

AB film (UV DTF film) with a UV Flatbed Printer – The third technique combines the advantages of the previous strategies. AB film eliminates the requirement for film production and related equipment configuration.

Instead, pre-glued AB film is purchased and can be printed using UV ink on a UV printer.

The printed film is then laminated, creating a final crystal label.

This cold transfer film technology dramatically reduces the cost and time involved in producing crystal labels.

The disadvantage is that it is not recommended to stick to objects made of soft material, which will affect the adhesion strength and durability.

The choice of which process to use depends on your needs and the needs of your customers.

All three processes have their advantages and disadvantages, so it’s up to you to decide on the best variant.

If you decide to use UV DTF printers, there are a few precautions and guidelines for the quality of the material you are using to make things easier for yourself:

Glue

The glue for printing crystal labels should be of good quality, it must meet the requirements of a strong glue, which is not easy to tear off, has to be waterproof and have sun protection, resistant to wear and scratches.

Ink

The choice of UV ink determines its quality – you should choose an ink with high hardness, good adhesion and rub resistance, solvent resistance and high gloss after curing.

White ink determines the three-dimensional feel of the pattern, you should choose a smooth, colorful white ink that does not block the nozzle.

Gloss Oil

The choice of gloss oil determines its strength – you need to choose a gloss oil with fast curing speed, good adhesion and high brightness and gloss.

Paper

The choice of the base paper determines the effect of the transfer – the choice of the base paper determines whether the crystal sticker will be complete and easy to transfer.

Then, when tearing the A film or B film, be careful not to pull at a 90° angle, and try to tear the film horizontally at an angle of 15° to prevent wrinkling or deformation, which would affect the effect of the label.

Avoid high temperatures or sticking to rough surfaces.

The crystals are marked for melting at high temperatures, making them unsuitable for applications such as baking at high temperatures or long-term boiling.

For rougher object surfaces, the dispersion of the contact point will affect the adhesion of the crystal target.

Over time, the process requirements in this technology are constantly upgraded, on the one hand, according to market demand, the introduction of new equipment to improve production capacity and efficiency, but on the other hand, we must also take into account the added value of the product.

In 2021, the production of crystal stickers was relatively simple, it was necessary to get a relatively good image that could stick well, not tear off so easily and maintain its quality for the longest time.

The next year, in addition to the above requirements, crystal labels should also have to be adapted to different product applications such as mobile phone cases, internal switches, glass bottles, ceramic cups, wooden materials, etc., and to various product application materials.

In 2023, in addition to the good performance of ordinary crystal label processing, new demands have appeared such as customer requests for local bronzing process, which also means that the UV DTF crystal label printer is growing and has significant development prospects.

Materials on which Crystal Labels can be applied -It is generally recommended to stick crystal labels on solid materials with a smooth surface such as packaging boxes, tea cans, paper cups, laptops, cans, aluminum boxes, plastic, stainless steel, ceramics, etc.

It is not recommended to stick to objects made of soft material such as fabric, leather, silicone, tempered glass, glazed ceramics or rough matte surface of the product, which although you can stick, but the strength and durability will be significantly reduced.

Shelf life of the crystal label – It is necessary to take care of the material that is attached to the crystal label and the new environment in which it is located.

If it is stuck on the hard and smooth surface of the material, and the crystal mark is in a room temperature environment indoors, in theory it can be used for a long time.

In the cases of external environment where we have impact by sun and rain, long-term friction or high temperature environment (such as dishes and hot water cups), there is a risk of falling off and cracking, and the strength and durability will be reduced.

From all that has been said, it can be concluded that UV DTF crystal label printers will be active in the field of digital printers for a long time, and will continue to develop and progress, in order to provide their customers with better quality and more creative products.