When it comes to flex and vinyl printing, the terms solvent and eco-solvent printing are commonly used. The solvent and eco-solvent printing mechanisms are widely used in the printing of flex and other marketing materials. Both mechanisms have advantages and disadvantages. Creative Sign India is here to help you choose the best printing solution between these two based on your needs and applications.
Understand the mechanism.
- Eco solvent is an environmentally friendly printing mechanism that is primarily used for indoor applications. Eco-solvent printing is biodegradable and does not contain any harmful chemicals.It is biodegradable if it can be broken down and absorbed by the human body without any complications.
- Solvent ink is harsh and is associated with definite odor i.e. Smell, making them less likely to be used indoor.
Uses of solvent and eco-solvent printing
- Eco-solvent ink is primarily intended for use indoors, but it can also be used outdoors. One of the benefits of using eco-solvent printing for indoor branding, POP displays, and merchandise branding is that it eliminates odor and provides high-quality media printing.
- Solvent ink is designed to withstand the elements. Under outdoor weather conditions, solvent printing lasts the longest. That’s why it is used for hoarding, banners, shop boards, canopy, and standees, among other things. One distinct advantage of solvent printing is that it can be used to print on a wide range of materials.
Why Eco-solvent printing is the best choice for indoors:
- Eco-solvent is a high-resolution media print, which means that design artwork and images must be high-resolution and pixel-free.
- A high level of detailing, colour profiling, and higher image resolutions are ensured from a design standpoint for indoor branding or visual merchandising.
- Eco-solvent provides a high level of detailing, colour profiling, and improved media image resolutions.
Why solvent printing is the best choice for outdoors:
- Solvent inks emit fumes that can be harmful to humans. Although an outdoor banner or hoarding is larger, it is at such a height and distance that damage is equivalent to zero or very limited.
- Solvent printing does not produce high-quality prints, but outdoor media such as hoarding, flex, banners, and so on are designed to be seen from a distance. To make it more readable, large images and large font sizes are used. In solvent printing, there will be no visible pixelation due to distance.
Price factor:
- Compared to other printing methods, eco-solvent printing is the most expensive.
- Solvent printing is less expensive because it prints at a much faster rate due to less detail.