DuPont™ Tyvek® is a popular printing substrate due to its light weight, smooth surface, high dimensional stability, opacity, toughness and durability. Uncoated Tyvek® can be printed using most digital and commercial printing processes. Some digital presses and some aqueous ink jet printers require a special coating. Tyvek® can be printed either sheet or web-fed. Tyvek® can be printed the same way as paper, although some of its physical properties do require special attention. To achieve excellent print quality, both the designer and printer must understand the unique properties and characteristics of Tyvek®. Tyvek® is made of continuous high-density polyethylene filaments. By using heat and pressure, these filaments are bonded into a base material for printing which turns out to be neither paper, cloth nor plastic film, but it integrates the advantages of those three materials.

Tyvek® material has a melting point of 135°C and is a water-resistant and non-absorbent material with superior dimensional stability, high strength, and a smooth matt surface. Most traditional printing technologies can be used for Tyvek® printing, as well as some digital printing. The following Tyvek® printing quick reference guidelines have been summarized based on our current knowledge and the relevant contents will be updated continuously.

What technologies are suitable for processing Tyvek®?

1. Traditional printing

Printing methods

Tyvek® 10 series

Tyvek® 14 series

Offset Lithographic Printing

- Traditional sheet-fed offset printing

- UV sheet-fed offset printing

- UV web-fed offset printing

Suitable

Suitable

Flexographic Printing

- Water-based

- Solvent

- UV

Suitable

Suitable

Rotogravure Printing

- Water-based

- Solvent

- UV

Suitable

Suitable

Screen printing

 

Suitable

Suitable

2. Digital printing

With the growing demand for personalized and short lead time for orders, digital printing is used more frequently for the printing of Tyvek® brand materials, especially for the HP Indigo machine. Since the fusing temperatures of laser printers commonly seen on the market are much higher than the melting point of Tyvek®, they are not suitable for Tyvek® printing. However, the ProC7100X, 9100X machines of the Ricoh series have already been demonstrated for Tyvek® printing (such as the printing of Tyvek® 1082D certificates) because their fixing temperatures can be adjusted to suit Tyvek® materials.

Printing methods

Tyvek® 10 series

Tyvek® 14 series

HP Indigo

- Sheet-fed

- Web-fed

- Suitable

- Suitable

(refer to next table)

- Unsuitable

- Suitable

(refer to next table)

Laser printing

- Conventional

- Ricoh Pro C7100X and

C9100X series

- Unsuitable

- Frequently used on 1082D

but was not subject of

authenticated tests of the

equipment

 

- Unsuitable

- Unsuitable

Narrow web-fed label printing machine

- Water-based ink-jet printing

- UV/LED ink-jet printing

- Unsuitable

- Frequently used but was not

subject of authenticated tests

of the equipment

- Unsuitable

- Not used

HP Indigo suitability

Tyvek®

Styles

HP Indigo web-fed (roll to roll)

HP Indigo sheet-fed (only for one-shot technology)

20000 HP

WS6xx0

WS4xx0

Indigo 7xxx

HP Indigo 5xxx

1025D

Not tested

Certified

Certified

Failed authentication

1057D

Not tested

Certified

Certified

Not certified but frequently used for racing numbers

1058D

Not tested

Certified

Certified

Not tested

Not tested

8740DL

Not tested

Certified

Certified

Certified

Certified

1073D

Not tested

Certified

Certified

Certified

Certified

1082D

Profiled

Certified

Certified

Certified

Certified

4158D

Not tested

Certified

Certified

Not tested

Not tested

4173D

Not tested

Certified

Not tested

Certified

Certified

1442R

Profiled

Profiled

Not tested

Unsuitable

1473R

Not tested

Not tested

Not tested

Unsuitable

Note : ‘failed authentication’ means that the authentication test was conducted but didn’t meet the evaluation requirements for testing result, which was likely due to the specifications of the materials exceeding the limits of the equipment.

3. Wide-format ink-jet printing

HP Latex 3rd generation, Canon CrystalPoint™/UVgel, and most UV/Inkjet presses are suitable for direct printing on Tyvek®. Water-based, solvent, and eco-solvent ink jet presses do not print with acceptable quality on Tyvek®.

Wide-format ink-jet printer

Tyvek®

 

 

Water-based ink-jet printer

Unsuitable (see note)

 

(Eco) solvent ink-jet printer

Unsuitable (see note)

 

UV/LED ink-jet printer

Suitable

 

HP Latex inkjet printer

3rd Generation ink

Suitable. Refer to next table

 

Canon Colorwave

CrystalPoint™

Suitable

 

Canon Colorado M series

UVgel

Suitable

Note: if water-based ink-jet coating or (slightly) solvent ink-jet coating is pre-coated on the surface of Tyvek® materials, it is feasible to directly print with water-based ink-jet printers or (slightly) solvent ink-jet printers.

HP Latex suitability

Tyvek® style

300 and 500 series

1500 and 3000 series

1025D

Certified

Profiled

1057D

Certified

Profiled

1058D

Certified

Profiled

1073D

Certified

Profiled

1082D

Certified

Profiled

1442R

Unsuitable

Unsuitable

1473R

Unsuitable

Unsuitable

For certification information, visit the website http://www.hp.com/go/mediasolutionslocator and search ‘DuPont’ in the HP PrintOS Media Locator. For information on all machines that have passed authentication for use with Tyvek® materials, click ‘download’ to enter the downloading page or consult DuPont sales and technical personnel.

Resource for download:

  1. 1. Download the short-form Tyvek® Printing Guide in PDF file..
  2. 2.Download the full version of Tyvek® Technical User Guide in PDF file.