You may have never heard of it, but you have surely seen its results. Also named hydrographics, water transfer printing is a technique developed to allow printing on various three dimensional objects by the means of water. This process takes a two dimensional photo and transfers it on just about any object out there.

In the automotive industry, hydrographics is very popular. You must have seen wood grain accents in the interior of cars: while some producers are using real wood for certain models of cars (you can expect them to be quite expensive), most use the water transfer printing process to recreate the wood aspect for certain parts in the interiors of cars. There are a few reasons behind this process being so popular in the automotive industry: first, it’s much more economical and it’s also durable, lowering the cost of manufacture; secondly, using other materials is a great way to preserve natural reserves, and with the growing concerns about the state of our environment, it’s easy to see that this process is a good investment in the future.

The automobile industry is not the only one which uses hydrographics: sports and hunting accessories are also created with the use of this technology. Using this process, you can very easily change the aspect of certain objects or equipment, so when it comes to setting apart from others, it’s very easy to either change the look of an object or create a new one, by using this printing process. In a world that cares so much about image and individuality, the existence of this technology is important for the development of many sectors of business.

Now that we have talked about what this process means, let’s see how it actually works: water transfer printing uses a PVA film (or polyvinyl alcohol), which is a harm-free substance which allows very good adherence. Since it has no smell and is not harmful in any way, it can be safely used for creating an image on an object. Using some rolling drums (such as those used when printing different magazines or newspapers), a repeating pattern is created on this film.

While in the car industry wood is the general preferred pattern, the image could be an impression of metal, camouflage or anything else for that matter – it all depends on your needs. Once the pattern has been drawn, the film is set onto the drums and can be used for the printing process. Great care is put into preparing the object or objects upon which the image will be printed, because different materials have different adhesion properties and as such, the objects must be perfectly clean in order to ensure perfect adhesion. Taking proper care of these objects is the best way to ensure that you get good results.

After the cleaning and the spraying phases, the actual hydrographics process can begin. The water is heated at 31 degrees C and the film dissolves in part. After an exact time interval, the object which needs printing is passed onto the surface of the water and the ink sticks to it due to pressure. After submersion, it is drawn out of the water and left to dry. If everything is ok, a final finish can be added, according to your desire, and there you have it: your objects are printed with the desire patterns easily and efficiently!

Many industries use hydrographics http://www.hgarts.com in personalizing their products. Find more about the water transfer printing http://www.hgarts.com process by accessing the link.