SOUTH AFRICA – NUtec Digital Ink has released Ruby R10-DTF, a UV-curable direct-to-film ink for LED-UV printers, developed for durable decal production on hard goods and irregular surfaces.
The ink supports decal transfer and release without a manual weeding step, making it suitable for short-run, customised and promotional decoration applications.
Ruby R10-DTF is relevant to short-run brand decoration, promotional packaging support and value-added product presentation. Its ability to transfer graphics onto rigid or irregular hard goods can support branded reusable containers, aluminium bottles, gift packs, display items, retail accessories and campaign-based promotional products where packaging, decoration and brand visibility overlap.
Ruby R10-DTF is designed for use with UV DTF film, a thin and flexible transfer film with a glossy or satin surface. The film acts as a temporary carrier, supporting uniform ink laydown, sharp image edges and reliable transfer to hard-to-print objects.
The printing process typically uses paper or clear PET A-film with a layered structure. A white ink layer is printed beneath the colour image to provide opacity and colour vibrancy, followed by the colour layer and a glossy varnish or clear layer for protection, depth and surface finish. An adhesive layer is then applied or laminated over the cured ink.
The decal bonds to the target object through the adhesive, without the need for heat or high pressure. Once the carrier film is peeled away, the cured ink, white base, colour image, clear layer and adhesive remain on the object as a stable, flexible graphic with consistent coverage and fine detail.
Compatible applications listed by NUtec include aluminium bottles, travel mugs, headphones, laptops, mobile accessories and display jewellery. The company also said bespoke ink formulations for unique substrates or applications are available on request.