UV print file creation guide

Create the perfect UV print file

Design quality UV print products for yourself or your online store

Use our free Design Maker to create custom UV products

Get crisp prints by having your designs printed with industry-leading tech

Order and sell custom products with no order minimums

How UV printing works

UV prints

Process

With the UV (ultraviolet) printing process, we print graphics straight onto the products using Mimaki Inkjet and Inkcups Helix printers. The ink is cured with UV light when it comes in contact with the print surface and gets immediately polymerized, forming a hard coating.

Results

The printed product designs are detailed and vibrant in color with no blotchy pigments. The UV light cures the ink instantly, also forming a glossy design finish that makes its colors pop.

Products

UV printing is commonly used to print on nonporous materials like plastic, glass, and metal. At Printful, we use this printing method on various tech accessories and some drinkware.

What UV printing does for your designs

custom iPhone case design with a butterfly graphic

With the UV printing technique, the prints come out exactly like you see them in your design file. Vibrant with rich colors and sharp, defined lines. Plus, due to the specifics of this printing method, the designs are slightly elevated, giving them a textured feel.

Avoid common issues

Why create custom UV products with Printful

Free design resources

Create original product designs by choosing visual assets from our built-in design library:

  • 300+ clipart collections for enhancing graphic designs
  • Customizable ready-made designs
  • 700+ fonts in our Text Tool
  • 550+ background graphics and 175 colors
  • Pattern Tool that creates a pattern from any design element

Stunning mockups

Get high-quality visuals of your custom products without the need for photoshoots or Photoshop. Choose your preferred mockups, download them, and then upload the visuals to your store.

No inventory needed

Sell made-to-order products without keeping stock. UV print products are designed in-house and are only manufactured once you’ve placed an order, minimizing overproduction.

Design UV printed products

Spring and summer fashion trends

product sample illustration

Order a product sample

Connect your store with Printful and order up to 3 product samples with a 20% discount. This way, you can feel the product in your hands, inspect the quality, and see how your design looks UV printed.

Work with a reliable partner

Quality products

Get your designs printed with premium materials and best-in-the-industry printing equipment

Customer support

Get answers from our round-the-clock customer support team 

No order minimums

Order one or as many products as you want—we fulfill each product on demand

Speedy worldwide shipping

Have your products shipped from the closest fulfillment center to you or your customers

quote

I am very happy with the service

I am very happy with the service that Printful offer. The quality of the prints is of a very high standard and a lot of my customers comment on the quality which is always good.

Fuel your creativity

Custom shaker pint glass with a nature graphic
Custom airpods case
Two custom wine tumblers
Custom stainless steel water bottle

See what customers think about their products

4.65/5 average from 1 524 reviews, see our customer reviews.

Useful guides for designing and selling

Frequently asked questions

We use Mimaki UV Inkjet Ink which is GREENGUARD Gold certified. This means our UV products meet some of the world’s most rigorous third-party chemical emission standards and are safe for sensitive skin.

Yes, of course. The UV printing technique is perfect for photo designs and the glossy finish on the UV products enhances the colors and contrasts of the design.

On average, it takes 5–8 business days. We fulfill your custom products in 2–5 business days, and the average shipping time is 3 business days depending on the delivery destination. For more information, check out our shipping speeds and pricing guide.

All orders go through our 3-step quality check before we ship them out:

1. Our automated software checks graphics for quality before fulfillment, and our AI tool evaluates if the image needs any adjustments before printing

2. Fulfillment specialists check quality while orders are being fulfilled

3. We run a final quality check after the blank product is customized

The first step is to connect your chosen ecommerce platform or marketplace with your Printful account. You can find a step-by-step guide on how to do this on our integrations page. There, you’ll also find information on how to design and add products to your store.

The second step is to start marketing your products. Our blog covers various marketing-related topics that you can get inspiration from and you can also join our free Printful Academy, which has in-depth video ecommerce courses.