Solvent: Danger or Not?

As a wise saying goes, “The penny-wise pays twice, the foolish pays thrice, the stone stupid pays through his entire lifetime”.

There is an enormous range of materials and techniques on offer for interior design. How safe are they for your health?

Image print on a variety of surfaces and materials is very widely used in interior design.

Let’s look at the two most common print methods:

  • using solvent-based paints
  • using UV-curable inks

Solvent-based paints have a wealth of advantages:

  • they are cheap
  • they are bright
  • they do not fade in the sun
  • they are insecticidal
  • they are used in an easy printing process

There is a large drawback, though: solvents are toxic and dangerous to health. Manufacturers struggle to reduce the hazardous impact by decreasing the content of solvent in ink (as in bio- and eco-solvent paints). Regrettably, that is half-measures.

Conversely, UV-curable inks:

  • are totally harmless for both people and animals
  • can be applied to any surface
  • their color stays bright for very long

Their main disadvantage is the price: UV inks cost much more than solvent inks while printing equipment using UV inks is significantly more complex and is less often chosen by manufacturers.

Building on our research and analysis, we recommend:

Ink type

Application

Objects

Cost

Solvent-based

Exterior works

Outdoor advertising, building fronts

Low

bio- and eco-solvent

Well-ventilated areas, no permanent presence of people or animals

Swimming pools, gyms, conference halls, lobbies, corridors

1,5 – 2,0 times more expensive than solvent inks

UV-curable

Interiors, no limitations

Apartments, offices, bedrooms, children’s rooms

3 – 5 times more expensive than solvent inks

 

The key question is: how do we tell solvent print from UV print?

Prints made with solvent-based paints have a varnish effect and shine in light.

UV paints produce matted shades.

All products by OOO Adastra – DECOMATтм are made exclusively with UV technologies.

We value our customers’ health greatly.

Take care!