Printing Methods

There are different ways of branding your USB drive....


	Silkscreen printing or better known as Screenprinting or Serigraphy is worldwide used and is the most versatile solution for making a 1,2,3 or 4 basic color print on aluminium, metal, plastic or wood. The technic uses a woven mesh to support an ink blocking stencil. For each color printed there is one stencil. The stencil open different areas of mesh so that the ink can be transfered as a sharp-edged image onto the material to be printed. Screen printing is not used for photographic images or chromatic prints or images wich uses gradation or shading. The inks for screenprinting can be matched with the PANTONE® reference colours.

	Photo- or chromatic printing is used to create a full coloured image by using the CMYK color pallet. It is very popular to create astonishing photo's and sofisticated logo's wich uses gradation or shading. To give the printed image more flair and protection (against aging and scratching) we use polyurethane to coat the surface. It is a polymer and is used as a protective varnish on the object. Since photo printing uses CMYK pallet to print the different colors, the PANTONE® Matching Colors don't apply here.

	Laser engraving is mostly used on aluminium, metal or wooden surfaces. It gives a non-coloured imprint and looks professional. The laser produces a high energy beam that is computer controlled to make an imprint on the surface. Were the energy light beam makes contact with the surface an accurate mark is mad. Logo's with sharp defined borders are very suitable to use the laser engraving procedure. The imprint are always non-coloured.

	Embossing is especially used for leather casings to create a relief. The difference between regular printing is that instead of leaving a flat imprint on the surface as screenprint does, the embossed print is one of raising the surface to add a new dimension to the image. Embossing makes look the object proffesional, high class and it gives more value to the USB. This kind of printing is non-coloured so PANTONE® Matching Colors don't apply here. Using this technique adds elegance and sensuality to your USB!

	Personalization is different as printing a logo on a USB. If you personalize a USB then the printed text is not the same for all the USB in mass production but every USB has his own unique engraved identification. The identification can be a persones name (student in a school or university, employee in a company, visitor on a conference,....), a telephone number, an email adress, a departement in a company, a serial number,... Personalization can only be done by laser engraving since this procedure is more flexible then a screen- or photo printing. It will make your gift more unique and personal!