Tucker Castleberry is now capable of printing on all plastics, vinyls, styrene, etc. The new LED-UV technology that we have recently installed completely dries the press sheet BEFORE it hits the delivery in the press. This allows us to print a sharper dot with minimum dot gain plus it eliminates the possibility of marking…and, there is no more “dry back” (where the wet sheet does not match the sheet the next day after it has completely dried).
LED-UV makes a vast difference when printing on offset (non-enamel) sheets. The ink dries before it has a chance to soak into the paper like conventional printing. The colors are more vibrant giving you a much sharper image with fine line detail.
We also have the capability to create different effects, textures and patterns on press through reticulation. This effect is achieved when a spot varnish and an overall UV coating is applied on top of standard offset print. When these two are mixed, there is a chemical reaction that results in a tactile and visual effect. Reticulating Varnish creates a raised and textured coating affect that can give tangible depth, dimensionality and texture to images and words. You can simulate the feel of sand and silk – raise images off the page – or give the illusion of multiple layers – you can imitate the look of practically anything!
LED-UV printing is also safe for the environment. The inks contain no volatile organic compounds (VOC’s). The inks harden instantly so there is no chance for off-gassing. The lamps use less energy and do not generate heat. There is no more need for spray powder in the pressroom.
We are very excited about our new addition and are looking forward to showing off our incredible capabilities to our print community.