{"id":215,"date":"2023-02-12T07:56:06","date_gmt":"2023-02-12T07:56:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/?p=215"},"modified":"2023-04-06T08:00:02","modified_gmt":"2023-04-06T08:00:02","slug":"custom-lego-minifigures-comparing-uv-and-pad-printing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/2023\/02\/12\/custom-lego-minifigures-comparing-uv-and-pad-printing\/","title":{"rendered":"Custom LEGO Minifigures – Comparing UV and Pad Printing"},"content":{"rendered":"

You want to be able make informed decisions about the Custom LEGO Minifigure you’re buying.<\/span>\u00a0A LEGO minifigure is customizable in many ways, including paint and decals.<\/span>\u00a0We wanted to share our knowledge about two common printing methods that you will encounter in the Custom LEGO Minifigure universe: UV printing and Pad Printing.<\/span>\u00a0Each type of printing can produce amazing results for your minifigures, but there are some pros and cons to each.<\/span>\u00a0Let’s begin by looking at UV printing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Leyilebrick<\/a>\u00a0is a company that uses UV printing to print many of their custom minifigures.<\/span>\u00a0UV printing is digital printing that uses ultraviolent light. Ink can be dried or cured immediately after it touches a surface, which in this instance would be the LEGO Minifigure’s body.<\/span>\u00a0UV Printing is a broad-based technology that has many benefits, including the fact it is good for the environment.<\/span>\u00a0UV printing does not release solvents or other harmful chemicals into the atmosphere, so it will not harm the environment.<\/span>\u00a0UV printing is also possible on non-porous materials. This means that different elements can be included in a LEGO minifigure.<\/span>\u00a0This logic can be applied to LEGO in a more specific way. It is possible to print all details on a LEGO minifigure’s components on any material.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are however a few negatives associated with UV printing.<\/span>\u00a0First, UV printing can be a costly investment for custom LEGO Minifigure creators.<\/span>\u00a0If an individual invests in this technology as their main source income, the extra costs could be passed down to the price of their custom LEGO Minifigures. This means that consumers will need to spend more to purchase the LEGO minifigures they want.<\/span>\u00a0UV printing can make minifigures a bit glossier than traditional LEGO models.<\/span>\u00a0While this may not be noticeable in low-light environments, it can show the difference between custom and non-custom minifigures in well-lit environments.<\/span>\u00a0Last but not least, texture is important. UV printing can sometimes give the minifigure’s torso a 3-Dimensional look.<\/span>\u00a0Although this is not a major issue in the grand scheme, it is something that you might want to be aware of.<\/span><\/p>\n

While UV printing can be a great way for custom minifigures, it is not cheap.<\/span>\u00a0You will see this with pad printing, but remember that custom LEGO minifigures are a premium product.<\/span><\/p>\n

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In contrast to Pad Printing, which uses press devices to transfer ink onto surfaces – in this instance, a minifigure, it is a process that uses pads.<\/span>\u00a0The design you want to transfer onto the object will be printed on a Silicone pad. This will then use ink to press it into place on the miniaturefigure.<\/span>\u00a0The advantage of pad printing (\u00a0, as seen here<\/a>) lies in the ability to adapt the printing to any surface.<\/span>\u00a0You can achieve a wrap-around effect with pad printing on LEGO minifigures, for example.<\/span>\u00a0This article also mentions the fact that Pad Printing has a higher resolution, which means that designs are sharper.<\/span>\u00a0You’ve probably seen a custom minifigure with a blurred design or lines, and you know how it can affect the overall aesthetic. Pad printing can help to prevent this from happening.<\/span>\u00a0This is, perhaps, the best method LEGO uses.<\/span>\u00a0Pad printing is the best way to create a minifigure that is similar to LEGO’s designs. It matches the style and quality of LEGO minifigures exactly.<\/span>\u00a0This will allow you to integrate your LEGO minifigures into your LEGO collection. It can also help them to blend in with the rest of your LEGO collection, which can sometimes be more important.<\/span><\/p>\n

There are some disadvantages to this product that may impact your buying experience.<\/span>\u00a0Cost is the first.<\/span>\u00a0Multiple pads may be required for specific patterns. This requires additional investment in resources.<\/span>\u00a0This is in addition to the fact that pad printing requires a long dying process. Customizers must also consider drying time and storage space.<\/span>\u00a0When you commission a custom minifigure, this is something to think about. If you have a lot of figures to make quickly for an event or need to produce multiple minifigures quickly, pad printing might not be the best option.<\/span>\u00a0Customizers can reduce their costs once the cost of a UV printer has been paid. However, pad printing will incur an additional cost that must be included in the product pricing.<\/span><\/p>\n

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Click the image above to see the entire range of custom minifigures available on Firestar Toys.<\/span><\/p>\n

What’s the conclusion?<\/span>\u00a0Both have their place and can create amazing custom minifigures.<\/span>\u00a0It is important to note that UV Printing technology continues to improve in recent years.<\/span>\u00a0I have received minifigures made with UV technology that blend seamlessly with my LEGO LEGO minifigures. This means that you don’t need to spend top-of the-the-line pad printing costs.<\/span>\u00a0There is still value in pad printing. It allows for amazing results with custom minifigures that are eye-catching and high quality.<\/span>\u00a0Both options are great options for expanding your collection, depending on what you want and how quickly you can do it.<\/span><\/p>\n

These are my thoughts about these printing methods. I would love to hear your comments in the comments below.<\/span>\u00a0Please let me know if there is a preferred method of printing your custom minifigures and why.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

You want to be able make informed decisions about the Custom LEGO Minifigure you’re buying.\u00a0A LEGO minifigure is customizable in many ways, including paint and decals.\u00a0We wanted to share our knowledge about two common printing methods that you will encounter in the Custom LEGO Minifigure universe: UV printing and Pad Printing.\u00a0Each type of printing can […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":216,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-215","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-toy"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":219,"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215\/revisions\/219"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/216"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/www.homeimprovementneed.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}