We have a small business selling handcrafted items and some buy/sell
retail items. One of the main selling features of some of our products
is personalization with custom text and graphics. Depending on the
item, we currently either hand paint them or apply clear labels
printed on an inkjet printer, but each method has its drawbacks.
The surfaces to which we need to apply them are compound curves with
ridges. To help visualize it, think of a golf ball but larger. Like a
golf ball, the objects tend to be white but are sometimes other colors
too. Unlike a golf ball, the objects vary in shape slightly from piece
to piece.
What we are looking for is a product or process to apply graphics and
text to objects. The constraints are:
The process should be fairly simple and quick.
Its should conform to uneven surfaces
It must have the ability to be changed for individual pieces.
The final output should be permanent, or be able to be coated with polyurethane.
It should be in color.
Cannot be a process that involves heat for any length of time.
Ideally, the printing should look as good on red, black or yellow as
it does on white if possible.
Things that we?ve tried are:
Hand painting
- - - time consuming. Lack of consistency when making multiples
Clear plastic labels
- - - not flexible enough. Air gets trapped in pockets giving a cheap look
Waterslide decals
- - - time consuming, and tend to crack once a topcoat is applied
Printable rub-on decal papers
- - - involved and messy process. Final results were goopy.
Stamping
- - - time consuming. Not fully customizable. Lacked ability to apply
full-color graphics. |
