A new era of surface design arrives at ATI Decorative Laminates as it debuts a new digital printer. The new, large-format printer arrived early spring and is already producing custom products for clients.

“The printer widens our capabilities, but it’s also symbolic of our commitment to innovation,” said ATI Decorative Laminates President Tara Burgio. “We’ve long been known as a developer of state-of-the-art surfaces.”

Advantages

Businesswise, the most transformative element of digital printing involves sun exposure. Digital inks are UV stable, allowing products to be used in outdoor settings, something that wasn’t possible before now. “Outdoor signage opens up a new market for ATI,” said Burgio. UV stability also makes surfaces applicable for interiors exposed to light from large windows or environments that receive low sun angles in the early morning or late afternoon.

Another major advantage of the digital printing process is clarity. It produces sharper images that allow designs with fine detail. And color is vibrant with superior accuracy. Unlike the traditional imaging process, digital printing can print on both sides of a surface, which creates a three-dimensional effect and gives depth to images.

The efficiency of digital printing means ATI can offer customers products with one-sheet minimums, creating a surface that’s available to any size customer with projects of any scale. Turnaround is fast. Digitally printed projects (as well as many other ATI products) can be completed in two weeks.

Surfaces

Digital printing is already being used with some of ATI’s Fusion line of substrates, including LuxCore and Fusion plywood. The new printer extends substrate capabilities to other clear products like acrylics, PVC and polycarbonates, that can now be printed.

The digital printer will also work with MirroFlex, a thermoplastic laminate that’s one of ATI’s most enduring products. Adding digital printing to MirroFlex creates the ability to print full-color logos and branded elements onto the surface before forming the three-dimensional element.