Print Substrates
At first, there were only paper substrates to print on, but nowadays the technology is so developed that printers and ink will adhere to a wide variety of print substrates ranging from paper to aluminium.
Not just technology in the printing process and ink formulation has developed over decades. Manufacturers of print substrates have put large budgets in R&D to create special coatings and materials that now offer endless applications for digital printing.
Most digitally printed substrates
Paper Substrates
Paper Substrates continue to have the largest output in digital print materials. Especially the recyclability aspects has made the material very populair again. Besides, paper prints fantastic.
Paper Substrates also come in various types and applications. Examples are paper wallcovering, paper backlit, paper board substrates, paper packaging, etc.
A few print substrate manufacturers that create 100% paper-based products are Neenah, Xanita, Re-board.
Plastic Substrates
Plastic Substrates are very popular because of its durability and strength. While the world is trying to use less and less plastic, the digital printing market is still processing massive amounts of plastic substrates each year. The usage and the applications are extremely suitable for this type of material. In addition, many plastic substrates print very well.
The type of plastics used in these substrates is ranging from polyethylene, polypropylene (PP), polystyrene, PVC, and more. All have their own set of performance attributes.
Polyester is very durable and tear resistant. Polyester rigid sheets are often coated first before they can be printed digitally.
Polystyrene is more economical and is often used in foam board substrates.
PVC, or Polyvinyl Chloride is still one of the most used materials in the digital print market. PVC is commonly used in the digital wallcovering market, as the surface is very durable, washable and shows outstanding colours.
Vinyl is a softer plastic product available in gloss and matte finishes, used extensively in the production stickers, car wrapping, window graphics, etc.
There are still a lot of other print substrates out there that we forgot to mention in this post. Have a look around Substrate Bank and find printable substrates for print material manufacturers from all around the world. Start sourcing today. If you are more interested to learn about Digital Print Technology Manufacturers, please use the list below to learn more about these companies.
Digital Print Technology Manufacturers
There are various large technology manufacturers of digital print technology.
- Mimaki
- HP
- Canon Production Printing
- DURST
- Ricoh
- EPSON
- AGFA
- Kornit Digital
- Efi
- SwissQPrint