Glow-in-the-Dark Printing
Glow-in-the-dark (phosphorescent) is screen printed and can be a fun and unique way to make your piece memorable.
We often see orders for any of the following: direct mail, postcards, Halloween promotions, gift cards, credit cards, packaging, retail POP displays, book covers, greeting cards, and more. Get creative with us. If you can get your target audience to engage by viewing your graphic in the dark, or tie in your message with a glowing theme, you’ll be remembered and increase your ROI.
The standard glow-in-the-dark color is yellow/green but additional options include pink, red, blue, and violet. The ink used can be a UV coating or solvent based. Glow-in-the-dark printing only has a 6-12 month shelf life, so be sure to time your order with that in mind.
How Does Glow-in-the-Dark Printing Work?
When exposing glow-in-the-dark printing to fluorescent light, the ultraviolet light energizes the phosphor particles, causing them to radiate visible light or “glow.”
Printing Tips
- Glow-in-the-dark should be printed over white to get the most glow effect
- Paper: glow-in-the-dark printing should be done on coated paper only
- Plastic: glow-in-the-dark printing can be done on a pre-lamination or post-lamination basis
Glow-in-the-Dark Printing Examples
Glow-in-the-Dark Printing Specifications
Substrates
- For automatic presses: minimum 70# text max 30 pt. board
- No textiles or apparel
- Flat surface
Artwork
- Area to be screen printed should be 100% solid black (no screens or half tones)
- In position for entire sheet with crop marks
- We prefer PDF format
Pricing
- Fixed cost for setup and minimum order values may apply
Sheet Size
- Fully automatic: minimum size: 15″ x 22″; maximum size 28″ x 40″
- Semi-Automatic: no minimum size; maximum size: 25″ x 38″
- Please allow 3/4″ to 1″ for gripper
Glow-in-the-Dark Printing Certification
We offer multiple glow-in-the-dark coatings depending on your budget, substrate and desired effect. We do offer a coating compliant with the Consumer Product Safety Improvement Act (CPSIA) of 2008 regulations and ASTM F963-11 Standard Consumer Safety Specification on Toy Safety, specifically with reference to:
- Lead and heavy metals are not intentionally added, nor does the lead or any individual heavy metals content exceed 25 ppm. Those materials include lead (soluble and total), antimony, arsenic, barium, cadmium, chromium, mercury and selenium.
- Phthalates (including, but not limited to: di-(2-ethylhexyl) phthalate (DEHP), dibutyl phthalate (DBP), benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP), diisononyl phthalate (DINP), diisodecyl phthalate (DIDP, di-n-hexyl phthalate (DnHP) or di-n-octyl phthalate (DnOP)) are not intentionally added, nor does the phthalate level exceed 100 ppm.
If your project requires compliance, please let us know so we can be sure to use the right coating. A certificate of compliance is available upon request.
