Episode 356 - How UV rotary and Direct to Shape Changes the Game, With Vaughn Pollman, President, Innovative Digital Systems
Personalised products used to mean slow setups, expensive screens, and a hard choice between speed and flexibility. Now we’re watching digital UV LED printing turn product decoration into something far more agile, especially for brands that want short runs, rapid turnaround, and designs that change from one item to the next. I’m joined by Vaughn Pollman, President of Innovative Digital Systems (IDS), to unpack what’s driving that shift and where the technology is heading next.
We dig into rotary UV printing and why “direct to object” matters: the product spins under the printheads, ink is jetted with precision, and UV LED curing locks it in place fast. That approach shines for cylindrical and conical items, which explains the surge in drinkware customisation across promotional products. We talk about why tumblers and cups keep climbing the demand charts, how personalisation sells, and how digital supports low MOQ, high mix production without the constant reset of analogue processes.
From there, we zoom out to the real-world buying decision: rotary vs flatbed UV printers vs single pass printing. Vaughn shares how IDS acts as a print process consultant, looking at facility conditions, target volumes, automation needs, and the limits each system introduces. We also tackle the wider market context, including US onshoring, supply chain pressure, ink regulation, and the latest printhead advances enabling “high throw, high gap” printing that opens up new substrates and shapes.
Finally, we look ahead: automation, robotics, and AI design tools that reduce the learning curve and help creators bring new products to market faster than ever. Subscribe for more conversations on print technology, share this with a colleague in product decoration, and leave a review with your biggest question about digital printing’s next leap.
