Selling customized herb grinders can help your dispensary stand out from the competition. But not any grinder will do. You’ll have the largest impact on your company if you take some time to ideate and design a grinder that truly captures the essence of your brand.
As you do this, one decision that you’ll need to make is whether to use laser engraving or UV printing when adding your design to the top of your grinders. The choice might not appear overly important at first glance, but it can have a huge impact on the overall look and feel of your weed grinders.
So keep reading. We’ve gathered all of the information that you need to know in order to make a decision about these two printing methods.
What is Laser Engraving?
Laser engraving is a method of imprinting that first began being widely used in the 1970s. The process relies on computerized laser machines and laser machining applications, which tell the machines what to do.
The process is a bit complex. But essentially it involves programming a logo or design into an engraving machine. The machine follows this design to imprint the design you’ve chosen on whatever item you’ve selected for laser engraving.
Like methods of imprinting, there are some positives and negatives to using this method.
Here’s an overview of those:
Pros:
- Completely permanent, resistant to wear and tear
- Delivers a high-end look
- Not as costly as many other printing methods
- Capable of engraving intricate patterns without distorting them
Cons:
- Adding color to the design can be complicated
- Colors can begin blending together as time passes
What is UV Printing?
UV printing is very similar to traditional printing methods. It also uses nozzles that spray tiny droplets of ink in order to imprint designs on objects. The key difference between UV printers and traditional inkjet models is that UV printers contain polymers that are sensitive to UV light.
This enables UV printers to dry the ink that they produce faster. So when you use a UV printer, 100% of the ink that it applies to the surface will remain there. This leads to significantly less ink wastage and design distortion than what’s offered by traditional inkjet printers.
Here’s an overview of the pros and cons of UV printing:
Pros:
- Dries ink instantly
- More environmentally friendly than standard printers
- Creates scratch-resistant designs with improved durability
- Offers the ability to create special effects to enhance designs
Cons:
- Not all surfaces are a good fit for UV printers
- Not a good fit for products that need to be washed regularly
Which One is Right For Me?
Determining which type of imprinting is best for your dispensary’s grinders can be tough if you’re not that familiar with the processes. But you can zero in on the right choice for your needs by figuring out what you want your grinders to look like.
For example, maybe you like zinc grinders because of their heavier feel and durable nature. If so, you’ll need to use UV printing to display your logo on them. This is because zinc grinders aren’t suitable for laser engraving. Aluminum grinders, on the other hand, are suitable for both UV printing and laser engraving.
Another factor to consider is the color scheme of your design. If it’s a neutral design without an excess of dark or light colors, then either printing option will work for you. But if you have a design that features a heavy amount of dark colors, then laser engraving will help the design pop in the way that you envision.
If you’re still not sure which way you want to take your design, no worries. You can check out our shop to find some inspiration.
Where Can I Find Custom-Printed Herb Grinders?
Ultimately, the best way to determine which type of printing is best for you is to spend some time playing around with each option in the design process. Doing so will allow you to see the differences between UV printing and laser engraving with your own eyes.
If you’re looking for somewhere to experiment with the differences between laser engraving and UV printing, check out Munchmakers. We have an online tool that allows you to choose one of our high-quality herb grinders and customize it to your exact preferences. This makes it easy to figure out which design specifications will do the most to bring your vision to life.
Another benefit of shopping with us is our bulk pricing model. When you buy grinders in bulk from Munchmakers, you pay a lower dollar amount for each individual product. So the more that you buy, the more that you save.
But don’t take our word for it. Check out our collections to see the Munchmakers differences for yourself. It could be just what your dispensary needs to separate itself from the competition.