If you avoid wood crafts because you hate painting like me...UV printing on wood is about to rock your world.
Painting wood pieces for ornaments, signs, and layered projects takes not only time, but a really steady hand. I don't have that or the patience.
But what I have discovered is a flatbed UV printer like the Eufymake E1 or xTool O1 Omni can print full color directly onto wood with great detail and no drying time! That means the craft store wood blanks you buy already pre-cut or pieces you laser cut yourself with a diode or CO2 laser, can go straight from raw wood to full color without any painting...and honestly you don't need very many supplies for this!
Below I'm sharing the exact settings I use for UV printing on wood with my xTool Omni, what to look for in your wood, and the mistakes that can ruin a print before you notice.
Watch the full video: Can You UV Print on Wood Instead of Hand Painting?
What is UV printing?
If you're new to UV printers, here's the quick version. A UV printer sprays ink onto a surface and a UV light cures it instantly, so the ink sits right on top of the material. A flatbed UV printer can print directly onto wood, acrylic, leather, metal and more, no transfer paper or heat press needed. It can also make UV DTF stickers which are cutless, weedless stickers with a very strong adhesion and scratch resistant surface.
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For the full rundown on what all a UV Printer can do, start with my beginner's guide to UV printing.
What machine do you need for UV printing on wood?
To print on wood, you need a flatbed UV printer, meaning one that prints directly onto the object sitting on the bed. A UV DTF roll to roll printer that only makes sticker transfers won't print straight onto your wood.
I have both the xTool Omni and the Eufymake E1 and both can do this! I'm going to demo on my Omni for this tutorial. If you're trying to figure out which xTool O1 Omni model fits what you make, my xTool O1 Omni buyer's guide walks through it.
You do NOT need a laser for this. A laser is needed if you want to cut your own custom wood blank shapes, but plenty of wood crafts start with pre-cut blanks that you can grab on Amazon or the craft store.
What Wood Can you UV print on?
Craft store wood blanks are a great place to start: ornaments, signs, coasters, cutouts, tags, earring blanks. The project I printed was on basswood plywood. Here's what you want to look for:
Flat is everything. You want your pieces to be completely flat. If the wood is warped at all you will get fuzzy prints or prints that are out of focus.
Raw, unfinished wood. I printed on raw wood. I haven't tested stained or sealed pieces yet, so if your blank has a finish on it, run a test piece first.
Preparing for UV Printing on Wood
For this tutorial we're going to print a Christmas ornament on a basic wood round.
Start by putting the wood blank on your flatbed. I'm using the Dual Omni with two UV print heads, but any of the models can do this. No need to prep the wood with any type of coating or anything. If the surface is rough or uneven you might want to sand it down first, but otherwise you can just throw the blank directly on the bed.
Move over to xTool Studio and make sure the xTool Omni is connected.
Press the Scan button. This tells the UV printer to scan the flatbed and then gives you the preview image in the software. This is how you're going to know where to place the design.
While you're waiting for the scan (this can take a few minutes especially if you're using the larger bed) import your image. Click Import on the left sidebar to bring in your file. You can use any full color image you want but it is best to use a PNG file with a transparent background. I'm using this Baby's First Christmas sublimation design from So Fontsy.
Once the scanned image of your bed pops up in xTool Studio you can simply move the image over the area of the wood blank. When you have the image selected it goes a little transparent so you can see where to place it easier.
The other option is to use the Smart Masking feature although for something this simple, I don't think it's really necessary.
The Best Settings for UV Printing on Wood
The goal is to let the wood grain show through so it looks painted, not plastic ... and that means ONE layer of color is plenty!
But what about white? I completely skip white unless the image itself has white in it OR unless I am printing on dark wood.
To pick the ink mode and set the number of layers, select your image and click the Ink Model dropdown. For this design that has white in it and going on a light colored wood I am using White (1) + Color (1).
If I was printing on a darker color wood like walnut, I would pick the same ink mode even if the image did not have white in it. On dark wood, the white ink layer acts as a base so the colors don't bleed into the darker wood. The xTool White ink gives really good coverage and you don't need more than one layer in a lot of situations.
Here's a side by side of dark wood with a single white layer + color and with just a color layer and no white.
If I was printing on the light colored wood blank and my design had NO white in it - I would go with the Color Only ink mode and put down one layer of color. You can see that coverage in the little gingerbread ornament.
Next de-select the image and under Print Quality click "Adjust" and change the print quality to "Fast". This will not only speed up the print time, but it will also put down slightly less ink which is what you want for wood so you can still see the grain a little bit.
Before you click Process to begin printing, click Preview to make sure your design is set up the way you want it to print.
When you're ready click Process to begin printing. If you have a white layer, it will go down first. The next pass will add the color.
When the printing is complete, take the printed wood piece off your flatbed and you're literally done! There's no sealing, no coating, nothing else is needed except maybe a pretty ribbon to hang your ornament!
How to Laser Cut and Print Wood from Wood Sheets
If you have a laser cutter and a UV printer you can combine the best of both by printing and cutting. I have a full video tutorial on this step by step project on Youtube where I also show how to turn laser cut files into full color designs for UV printing!
Don't forget to grab all your supplies before you head over.
Need help with your UV printer?
If you want hands-on help with your UV printer, Silhouette U includes UV printing training and same-day, US-based support. Learn more about Silhouette U here.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links. By clicking on them and purchasing products through my links, I receive a small commission. That's what helps fund Silhouette School so I can keep buying new Silhouette-related products to show you how to get the most out of your machine!
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