One of the most notable parts of a guitar pedal is the graphics. Sick artwork is a great way to make your pedals stand out before anyone even gets a chance to here them. The technology use to print labels and graphics on guitar pedals has changed, and its a technology that DIYers should not try to use at home. Let’s take a deeper look at why you should not do UV printing yourself for your DIY guitar pedal projects.

What is UV Printing?

UV printers use a special type of photo-sensitive (sensitive to light) ink and a bright UV (ultraviolet) light to dry incredibly quickly. UV printers work similar to how older model printers work. Inside the printer, the print head moves over the paper spraying ink onto it as it goes in sections starting from top to bottom. The main difference is that it is using this ink that is sensitive to light and has a UV light on the print head. Once the ink is sprayed the light passes over the ink and dries it almost instantly.

Why is this a big improvement on previous forms of technology? The speed at which it dries is important. Imagine trying to paint on a smooth, non-porous surface, like glass or aluminum. You may be able to get the paint on, but it won’t stay where you want it. Adding more pain just makes the previous layer slide away and its hard to make a quality picture.

UV printing eliminates this problem by drying almost instantly. On top of that, UV paint is incredibly hard when dry. It is easier to make high-quality pictures, on any material, with paint that is more durable than other options.

UV printing was introduced to pedal building and replaced all of the other methods among professional builders. It is cost effective and produces better results. However, there are specific reasons why only professionals should use UV printing for their pedals.

It is VERY EXPENSIVE to Get Into

DIY guitar pedal building doesn’t mean doing things cheaply. On the contrary, we are more likely to spend more money building what we want instead of just buying it from a company that can mass produce it. However, there are limits to what builders can and should spend on their projects.

Large-format UV printers that can print on an enclosure that is several inches thick are very expensive to acquire. Think in the order of $30,000 or more just for a basic one.

There are smaller ones that you can get from places like Amazon, but they may not be entirely trustworthy. Anecdotal evidence suggests that they are made from scavenged parts from other printers, the programming can be sketchy, or you are likely to get malware from installing the software on your computer. On top of that, the cheapest ones are in the range of $2,000 at the least.

That is a lot of money to invest in something that you may not even use all that much. Manufacturers can afford to purchase them because they churn thousands of pedals every year. Other companies lease their printers to offset costs and help deal with some of the other issues. For a home-based pedal builder, it just isn’t practical to do this. However, this isn’t the worst reason to avoid UV printing at home.

The Printers Are Large and Require a Lot of Maintenance

As a DIY guitar pedal builder, your focus is on building pedals. UV printers require a lot of maintenance to stay in functional condition. Failing to clean the printer after use, letting it sit too long without running, and many other issues can turn your printer into a giant problem instead of a useful tool.

Also, aside from the cheaper Amazon single-item UV printers, nearly every other UV printer is huge. Its delivered on a pallet and basically fills the entire pallet. You need a forklift to move it as well. Needless to say, finding a place to keep is is going to be very difficult. Unless you have an extra room in your house, you probably won’t have the space for one.

UV Ink Refills Are Expensive and UV Ink is Hazardous

The cost of maintaining your printer goes beyond just the printer parts. The cost of UV ink is high and getting the right ink can also be a challenge. Most places do not sell it for various reasons and you may find yourself unable to resupply.

Also, it is difficult to advocate for UV printing at home when you consider how hazardous UV ink can be. Not only can it be toxic to humans under the right circumstances, but anecdotal evidence suggest that it smells really bad. Unless you live alone and are very diligent about controlling your ink, these are good reasons not to have it around.

What Can You Do Instead?

While we want to do everything ourselves as DIYers, there are some things that we are better off staying away from. However, there are still plenty of ways to label your pedals. Here are a few tried and true ideas.

Engraving

If your enclosure is bare or you have a tough exterior like powder-coated paint, then you can try engraving. There are several ways that you can engrave. CNC routers are capable of cutting into most enclosures as long as you have the right cutting bit for it.

You can also try using a rotary tool with a router attachment using diamond-coated bits. Amazon sells engraving pens, which can be hard to use on aluminum but you may be able to with enough time and patients.

If you are feeling particularly tech-savy, laser engravers can be a viable option as well. The only downside to engraving is that mistakes are irreversible in most cases. Since you are cutting into the surface of the enclosure, a mistake can be permanent unless you can fill it back in or cover it.

Chemical Etching

Chemical etching uses chemicals to eat away the metal on the surface of the enclosure to give it texture or to imprint pictures on it. This is a similar process to how you can make copper-plated circuitboards at home.

While you can come up with interesting designs using chemical etching, there is a downside. Chemical etching can use chemicals that are hazardous to your health and that need to be handled carefully. If you are not familiar with or comfortable with learning to handle these chemicals properly, stay away from chemical etching altogether.

Label Makers with Vinyl Labels

Before UV printing was available, vinyl labels were the go-to option. Vinyl is a type of plastic that you can print on, so it is very durable. With the right adhesive, your vinyl label could last a very long time. Plus, you can print in reasonably high-quality on vinyl giving you plenty of options for your designs.

In some cases, particularly those where you are going for a home made or grunge design, a label maker can be a good option. Simply print label strips with what you want on it and stick them on. It is fast and can create an interesting aesthetic for your builds.

Hand Painting with Automotive Paint

If prepared properly, you can pain on aluminum enclosures and have it stick. Essentially, you need to rough up the surface enough so that the paint has something to hold on to. Then, you can just paint on your options by hand or using stencils.

The key to this working is to use a paint that is right for the application. Automotive paint works well for this since it is designed to be highly durable and stick to aluminum. The only possible downside to this is that doing a lot of enclosures like this can take a long time. If you are creating batches to sell and you have a deadline to meet, this may not be a fast enough option for you.

If this is the case, you can turn to screen printing to speed up the process. Screen printing uses a pre-made artwork screen with your artwork “burned” into it as a stencil. It is much faster and makes it easy to replicate the same design consistently. The downside to screen printing is that you need setup time to make your screens.

There are companies that hand paint each enclosure intentionally and turn each pedal into a work of art. If you are doing small batches or a pedal only for yourself, it can be fun to take the time to hand paint it.

Blank Enclosures

While there are many ways to label your enclosures, there is little saying that you have to. You can just have your enclosure be blank, especially if you are just building it for you. It can be nice having pedals that are not labeled mixed into your board. Anyone looking at it will want to ask you more about it.

If you are planning on selling pedals, then leaving the blank may not be a good option. Customers need to know how the pedal works. If you do sell a line of pedals that are blank, try including a manual or a little instructions card saying what the controls do.

The one exception to this is if you are commercially selling your pedals as opposed to hobby selling them. Commercial products have labeling requirements that you need to follow. Failing to do so can get you into legal trouble, including leaving you open to a lot of liability if someone uses your pedal incorrectly and is injured. Make sure that you are in compliance with labeling requirements before you sell anything and you should be able to avoid any trouble.

One More Alternative: Get Help With UV Printing

If you are set on UV printing, then its best to get help from someone that has the resources and equipment to help you. There are companies and individuals out there that can do the printing for you. In fact, this is how many pedal companies get theirs done rather than doing them in-house.

However, you decide to label your enclosures, make sure that you are doing it safely. Taking on a design idea that is potentially dangerous to your health and your finances isn’t a good idea. Although we want to do it all ourselves, there are just some options that are not feasible. However, there are plenty of other things that you can do yourself to make great DIY guitar pedals. Learn more on the Builder’s Guitar Lab blog.