It is wonderful to have our Kern Laser back online at Image Plastics. It has been away in the US having its regular service which ensures it maintains the highest degree of accuracy when cutting. Welcome back, we have missed you!

It is often assumed that UV printer inks are 100% permanent after the UV light has passed over them, and for the most part, this should be considered as an accurate assumption.

The modern UV printer uses Ultra Violet light to fix its CMYK inks, whites and primer if used to the various substrates and material which vary widely in the digital printing industry.

When cured (which is instant by the way), these types of inks can withstand outdoor weather and temperature variations up to periods of around 5 years duration. When used indoors, this time period can increase substantially to a point where it should be considered a long term permanent image result with little to no changes in colour perception, for the life of the printed product.

So how does one go about removing the inks from the substrate if indeed the need arises?

The solution to this problem can and does vary depending upon the material that was used in the first place. For acrylic and Perspex, I find the simplest solution is by the use of Iso Propyl Alcohol.

Using a spray bottle, simply soak the printed side with IPS and allow time for it to penetrate the ink layer(s). For transparent or lightly printed areas, the effects on removal can occur within a few seconds to a minute. For layered printing where dark colours have been used, it may be necessary to continue applying IPA without allowing it to fully evaporate for anywhere up to 30 minutes or longer until it penetrates.

In time, you will be able to remove the ink by simply rubbing it with your fingers (I recommend gloves and a face mask) gently and/or using a soft cloth kept well dampened with IPA until all traces of the ink have been removed. Simple!