The first thing is understanding the printer’s maximum print area in order to know how large of a product will fit. Depending on the product you are printing on, you may find ways to make a larger substrate work. It is not uncommon to actually remove components to achieve the desired print. For example, if you are given sunglasses to print on, the print itself is only on the arms of the sunglasses. Remove the arms and print on them by themselves. If at all possible, see if you can get just the part itself that needs to be printed on. The main point here is finding a way to make things happen. Some products may require some head scratching in order to get a print onto them.
As printers, we generally think about print dimensions in width and length; UV has the added dimension of height. This is an important thing to also understand about a UV printer’s specifications. In most cases, UV printers have anywhere from 3 to 7 inches of height clearance. Finding a printer with the most height clearance in your price range allows for a more diverse range of printing options.
Also keep in mind is the surface you will print on. UV printers are limited to a mostly flat surface. Depending on the printer and its software, you should be able to get away with a few degrees on the edges. For example, a golf ball will have about 1 square inch of print area-anything past that will cause the print head to be too far away from the surface, causing a blurry print. Some manufactures offer a special rotary device that allows you to rotate the product during printing. This allows you to print all the way around things like cans and bottles. In general, a flat surface is the best circumstance.
-Paul Green, OmniPrint
