Direct Panel Printing

The application of graphics applied to directly to the surface of materials is a very common and cost effective solution. Customark can provide the following processes.

Screen printing

The Screen printing process is the most common for plain or coated metal panels and chassis. The graphics are applied in a spot colour format through a high quality screen mesh with capillary or emulsion stencil. As the stencil is created from an integrated UV light source through a mask the quality is extremely high and hard wearing. The inks are usually a two part epoxy ink that require post curing. Care is taken to protect the surfaces of the panels and chassis to avoid any marks or scratches. Design and Artwork production is in house and requires a set of films to be produced for the stencil production.

Pad Printing

 The pad printing process uses a silicon pad to pick up the image from a cliché plate and deposit onto the surface. The process was introduced and adopted in the late 40s. It can apply images onto flat or varying surfaces which makes it a really flexible process. We can apply wither spot colours or full CMYK process for full colour images. The nature of the process and machinery means that this is an efficient production process so quite cost effective. The materials we can print on are only limited by the ability for the inks to stick to them. There is a wide range of inks for most applications. This process is sometimes referred to as tampo printing or cliché printing.

Flat Bed Digital printing

Digital printing has come a long way in recent years. We have the technology to apply images digitally using our flat bed digital machinery. This is suited to either very high quality full colour or single colour image reproduction. Generally adopted for low volume. It is a really cost effective set up and production process due to the Computer to machine graphics interface. Design support is offered in house and can take customers files directly to the machine and can support variable date applications.

Laser etching

Customark have a range of Laser etching machines that can etch through coatings or leave marking on the surfaces. This includes a rotary etching process to cope with cylindrical marking. We can laser etch onto plastics, metals and glass. Similar in set up to the digital printing process, this is a Computer to machine interface so initial tooling is limited. We can print variable data. This process does not apply colour. However, we can etch through varying layers of paint to reveal sub surface colours.

Can you print onto coated surfaces?

Yes we can. There is a comprehensive range of inks available to support most surfaces. Some surfaces require pre-treatment but we can discuss this if the need arises.

What colours can you print?

 All colours. Usually these are requested as Pantone, RAL or BS numbers. Processes such as Digital printing and Pad printing can provide a full colour image on the surface of your products. Colour swatches can be provided in advance of print runs for pre-production evaluation.

Do you offer a design service?

Yes, our design team are ready to help and support Customers with their print requirements.

Can you print on glass?

Yes, we can. All of our processes can print onto glass as well as our laser etching service can etch glass surfaces on either a flat plane or cylindrical surface.

How hard wearing are is the print?

Dependent on the application, we can offer complete advice on process and ink selection to suit your application

Can you offer a delivery service?

Customark can provide a delivery service dependent on the logistical requirements of the job. We have our own van and also have the option of using national courier services.

How is it best to protect the panels for transport?

Usually products are wrapped in foam protection. Care must be taken if there are any studs or protrusions on the back and a face to face packing process should be adopted.