Industrial Digital Printing Services
Variable data without new tooling
Industrial digital printing for photographic-quality images, short runs, and changing data on both metal and flexible substrates. No tooling fee on in-house equipment, and proofs come from our own art department.
U.S. Nameplate Co. digitally prints on both metal and flexible materials, with near-photographic image quality and no screens to build. Our wide-format flatbed handles almost any size product, and we stock materials in a range of sizes and thicknesses that can be printed and machined to your specification. Quotes are free, and a first article does not wait on tooling.
About digital printing
Digital printing applies the image directly to the material from the file. There are no screens, which means no screen charges, no screen lead time, and no cost to change the artwork between runs. For short runs, prototypes, and anything carrying variable data, that changes the economics completely.
Our state-of-the-art digital capability handles jobs of most any size, on metal and flexible stock alike.
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Custom decals and equipment graphics
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Industrial signs
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Graphic overlays and dead-front panel overlays
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Variable data printing
Digital printing allows a different image on each impression. That is what makes sequential serial numbers, barcodes, QR codes, asset numbers, and per-unit model data practical without a separate setup for every piece.
If you are currently applying a printed plate and then adding a serial number by hand or with a second label, this is usually where cost and error both come out of the process. Send the number range or the data file and it prints in one pass.
Image quality
Digital printing is compatible with a wide variety of media and objects, and it reproduces continuous-tone imagery that a spot-color process cannot. Photographs, gradients, fine detail, and full-color brand artwork all print directly.
It also allows on-demand printing with short turnaround. A revision is a new file rather than a new screen, so a change that would be expensive in a screen process costs nothing here but the reprint.
Digital printing materials
Vinyl
Flexible and economical, for interior decals and shorter-life labelling.
Polyester
Dimensionally stable and chemical resistant — the usual choice for overlays and durable labels.
Polycarbonate
For overlay faces that take repeated contact.
Aluminum
.005″–.187″ in bright, foil, mill, and brushed finishes.
Brass
.020″–.032″ brushed, UV coated and non-sparking.
Stainless steel
.010″–.035″ in 2B mill finish.
Flexible and metal stock both run digitally, so a job can start as a printed decal and finish as a machined metal plate without leaving the building.
Digital printing or screen printing
Both run here, so we will quote whichever costs you less rather than steering you to one press.
Digital printing suits
Photographic or multi-color artwork, short runs, prototypes and first articles, variable data such as serial numbers and barcodes, and artwork still being revised.
Screen printing suits
One to four spot colors, production quantities, maximum abrasion and solvent resistance, sub-surface printing on clear stock, and exact spot-color matching.
A practical rule
If every part is different or the run is short, print it digitally. Once the artwork settles into a few flat colors and volume is steady, screens usually win on price.
See screen printing for the other half of that comparison.
Durability limits of printed images
Digital printing is a surface process. For parts that live in sunlight, salt spray, solvents, or abrasive service for decades, a printed image is the first thing to go.
Where that is the exposure, the answer is marking that is part of the metal rather than on top of it: metal etching for chemically resistant legends, Metalphoto processing for the most durable aluminum substrate available, or embossing for characters that stay legible long after any printed image has worn away. A protective overlaminate from laminating extends a printed part meaningfully, and costs very little.
How a digital printing order runs
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Send your artwork or data file. Our seasoned art department turns a blueprint or artwork into a press-ready proof at no charge, and quotes are free on every order.
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We confirm material and construction. Substrate, thickness, finish, and any overlaminate or adhesive, chosen against where the part mounts.
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You approve the proof. Including a sample of the variable data if the job carries serial numbers or barcodes.
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Production. Most jobs finish 7–10 days after the proof is approved, in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility. Rush work runs 3–5 business days for an additional fee.
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Finishing and delivery. Printed stock is cut, punched, or formed here as needed, and orders ship within a 10% over/under quantity standard.
Digital printing RFQ checklist
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Artwork in a print-ready format, or the file you have
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Finished size and shape, with any holes or cutouts
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Whether the job carries variable data, and the number range or data file if so
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Material and thickness if specified, or a description of the application
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Where the part mounts and what it is exposed to in service
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Quantity, and whether this is a prototype, a first run, or a repeat program
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Your timing, including the date the line actually needs parts
If you do not have all of that yet, send what you have and call 319-895-8804. Customer service is open 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday, and you will always reach someone in person.
Since 1946
Family-owned and operated in Mount Vernon, Iowa
3,000+
OEMs supplied across the U.S. and abroad
25 years
Outdoor exposure, some products guaranteed longer
7–10 days
Typical production after proof approval
$0
Tooling fee on in-house equipment
Why U.S. Nameplate Co.
Why manufacturers bring digital printing work to U.S. Nameplate Co.
One partner, one roof
Metal identification and flexible labels are produced under one roof in Mount Vernon, Iowa, so a single supplier covers plates, tags, overlays, decals, and safety labels instead of three.
No tooling fee on in-house equipment
U.S. Nameplate Co. does not charge a tooling fee for any in-house equipment. A one-time charge applies only when a tool has to be created for your order.
You reach a person
Customer service representatives are available 8:00 AM–4:30 PM CST Monday through Thursday and 7:00 AM–3:30 PM CST Friday. You will always reach someone in person.
Built to outlast the equipment
Metal nameplates are built to withstand up to 25 years of outdoor exposure, with some products guaranteed for 25 years or more. Safety labels are UL authorized and OSHA compliant, produced in an ISO 9001:2015 certified facility.
Family-owned since 1946
Supplier of choice to more than 3,000 original equipment manufacturers in the U.S. and abroad, with team members averaging 10+ years of service.
One piece or one million
The 55,000 sq ft climate-controlled facility is equipped to handle orders from a single plate to production volumes, on repeat release schedules.
Request a quote for digital printing
We offer free quotes on all digital printing orders. Send the drawing, artwork, quantities, application, and timing you have today — our art department turns a blueprint into a press-ready proof, and we will tell you what is still open.
Most jobs finish 7–10 days after the proof is approved. Rush orders can be produced in 3–5 business days for an additional fee. Orders ship within a 10% over/under quantity standard.
Request a Quote or call 319-895-8804 and you will reach someone in person.
