With that being said, no disc golf printing processes are 100% bullet-proof. From what I can tell, however, is that UV prints hold up as well or better than foil stamps, and just as well as other full-color printed discs that I’ve thrown over the years. I do have some reports of the mini discs having some wear on the printed areas from multiple passes in and out of the pockets of the player’s bag.
If you purchase one of my discs or minis, and feel like the printed art is showing signs of deterioration prematurely, please contact me, and we will come up with a solution. Please read the Return Policy Page for more details.
The main concerns with UV printing (in my opinion) are with the thickness and added weight of the surface treatment. Currently, any post-production modification that alters original flight characteristics or adds a material of detectable thickness is illegal. Adding weight to a disc that is already at max weight would also deem the disc illegal. There are two things to note here:
- In research done by the PDGA TSWG, the thickness of the UV prints compared to Foil stamps using various methods for both, the average thickness for the UV prints was 8-10 microns, which is 2-4 microns less than the typical thickness foil stamps.
- After weighing several discs before and after printing, I have come to the conclusion that the UV prints do not add any significant weight to the disc. All of the blank-top discs weighed nearly the same before and after the prints.*
In my opinion, the UV-cured printed discs that I offer do not change the flight characteristics of a disc any more than a disc from any of the current manufacturers. In fact, the printing company that I use for my disc art has been printing for several disc golf manufacturers for a few years, so I feel good about selling my discs with or without any official approval.
The main determining factor at the moment is in this statement in the PDGA rules 813.01 Illegal Disc:
- Allowed modifications to a disc after production are limited to:
- Wear and tear from usage during play;
- Moderate sanding to address wear and tear or small molding imperfections;
- Marking with dye or permanent marker ink.
If and when the PDGA makes any changes to the rules and/or technical standards concerning the matter, this FAQ will be updated.
*My personal scale only weighs in whole grams, and not fractions of grams, so I cannot, for example, detect if there was a difference in a half of a gram. I may invest in a more accurate scale in the future. I have added weight info for each disc in the product descriptions. There may be a few discs on this site that are above the maximum approved weight for the specific model. These discs were overweight before the UV printing process, so they somehow slipped through the cracks from the manufacturer. In these cases, I have made notes in the product description with this specific weight info.
At some point, I may be able to order some discs straight from the manufacturers, but I will have less control over the disc selection and will have minimum quantities, usually 25 or 50 with the same model and art variation. With the current print shop that I’m using, I’m able to do one-offs, meaning I can have a single disc printed with one version of art, making each printed disc unique. Talk about limited runs! At this point, each disc is 1 of 1. In my opinion, that makes each disc more collectible and unique. I do order minis in multiples, so there will usually be more than one available.
My goals are to have fun, hopefully break even, and to get my art into the hands of folks who appreciate it. Some of my existing customers buy the discs for wall-hangers and not for throwing. I’m trying to keep the retail prices as low as possible while staying in the black.
If you would like to check out more of my art, I plan to post more on this website as portfolio pieces and/or blog posts. You can also check out my Instagram, which includes other topics, but is mostly art.
Read the About Me page for more info on my involvement with the digital art and disc golf.