At Ryedale Printing, we’ve always believed that print can do more than communicate a message — it can actively improve the environments where people live, work, shop, eat, and receive care. In recent years, awareness of hygiene has grown dramatically, particularly around the role of surfaces in the transmission of bacteria. What many people don’t realise is just how easily paper, packaging, menus, labels, forms, and other everyday printed items can become carriers for harmful microbes.
Documents get touched, passed around, handled in busy kitchens, stacked in storerooms, left on counters, or used in classrooms, clinics, and offices. And in those everyday interactions lies an invisible risk: bacteria love surfaces, especially ones that move frequently from person to person. Cleaning every surface all of the time is a challenge so, to address this, we’re proud to offer hygienic print protection products:
Antimicrobial coatings integrated directly into the litho printing process.
This advanced coating uses safe micro-particles suspended in a resin to actively destroy harmful bacteria — including MRSA and E. coli — the moment they come into contact with the treated surface. It offers clinically proven protection of up to 99.999%, giving businesses and organisations a simple, cost-effective way to enhance hygiene without changing their print materials, extra cleaning or purchasing expensive specialist printing substrates.
In this article, we’ll explain what antimicrobial print really means, why the problem it solves is so widespread, how the technology works, and the markets that can benefit most from hygienic print protection.
The Hidden Problem: Bacteria on Printed Surfaces
Every printed item, from a food label to a school worksheet, has a lifecycle. It starts the moment it is handled by the first person — a packer, server, receptionist, teacher, or team member — and continues as it moves through the hands of customers, patients, students, or colleagues.
Throughout that journey, bacteria have countless opportunities to transfer to the surface. And once they land, they can multiply at astonishing speed. Under the right conditions, a colony of bacteria can double in number every 20 minutes, growing exponentially until it has exhausted the available resources. That means a clean surface can quickly become a hotbed for microbial activity.
Micro-organisms are opportunistic by nature. They seek out surfaces where they can survive just long enough to jump to a new host. And surfaces with high person-to-person contact — printed items in hospitality, healthcare, education, retail, and public spaces — are known contributors to the spread of infection.
People often assume the term antimicrobial refers to something harsh, industrial, or unsuitable for everyday use. In reality, antimicrobial simply means that a surface has been given the ability to prevent microbes from surviving and multiplying. In the context of hygenic print protection, it means that every time someone touches the item, the coating goes to work eliminating bacteria automatically.
How Antimicrobial Print Coatings Work
Ryedale Printing uses a specialist coating that contains micro-particles held within a strong, durable resin. The particles themselves are harmless, non-toxic, and fully dormant until bacteria come into contact with the treated surface. Once activated, the coating destabilises the microbes and prevents them from multiplying.
This works through a multi-stage mechanism:
- Deactivation on contact – As soon as bacteria meet the surface, the coating disrupts the cell structure, preventing it from surviving.
- Continuous action – The coating works 24/7, without any need for reapplication, wiping, spraying, or additional cleaning steps.
- Prevention of resistance – Unlike certain disinfectants where bacteria may adapt over time, this technology stops microbes from replicating, eliminating the opportunity for resistance to develop.
- Long-term reliability – Because the coating is built into the print layer, its effectiveness lasts for the lifetime of the printed item.
The result is a clinically proven reduction of harmful bacteria by up to 99.999%, including major pathogens such as MRSA and E. coli. This makes the coating ideal for items that are difficult or impractical to clean frequently.
Applied During Printing — No Special Materials Required
One of the biggest advantages of our antimicrobial print coating is its simplicity. It is applied during the print process itself, which means:
- You can use your existing stocks and substrates
- No additional treatments or handling steps are required
- There is no need for expensive specialist materials
- Production remains smooth, efficient, and cost-effective
- Even high-volume print runs can be protected with minimal cost impact
Whether you’re printing thousands of menus, labels, packaging sheets, or healthcare documents, the coating seamlessly integrates into standard workflows.
Where Antimicrobial Print Coatings Make a Difference
While almost any printed item benefits from enhanced hygiene, some sectors stand out due to the heavy handling of printed materials.
- Food and Hospitality
Door push plates, menus, placemats, bar cards, table talkers, packaging, and labels are handled by kitchen staff, servers, and customers throughout the day. Antimicrobial coating helps prevent microbes from building up during busy service hours.
- Healthcare and Medical Settings
Patient notes, appointment cards, referral documents, prescription slips, and hospital signage are exchanged frequently between staff and patients. Reducing bacterial presence in these environments supports infection control standards.
- Education
Schools and universities use printed learning materials, ID cards, worksheets, and library resources that pass through dozens of hands daily. Antimicrobial print reduces risk in environments where germs spread easily.
- Retail and Public Spaces
Price tickets, swing tags, shelf wobblers, promotional cards, forms, and brochures often sit on counters where they are picked up repeatedly. A protected surface offers an extra layer of reassurance.
- Office and Corporate Use
Door signs, shared documents, branded materials, and visitor passes can all benefit from germ-resistant properties, especially in high-traffic workplaces.
Why Choose Ryedale Printing?
As specialists in high-quality print solutions, particularly on durable plastics and packaging substrates, Ryedale Printing is uniquely positioned to offer antimicrobial coatings as part of our production capability.
Businesses choose this technology because it:
- Enhances hygiene in their existing printed products
- Reduces the risk of contamination across shared materials
- Demonstrates commitment to safety and well-being
- Protects customers, staff, and end-users over a longer period of time
- Requires no change to your print materials or processes
- Supports environments with high hygiene expectations
In a world more aware than ever of germs and surface transmission, antimicrobial print coatings offer a smart, reliable, and cost-effective way to maintain safer environments.
Upgrade Your Print. Protect Your People.
We can help you upgrade your existing printed materials with clinically proven antimicrobial protection; Ryedale Printing can help. Whether you need food-safe packaging, healthcare-grade documents, educational resources, or high-touch retail materials, our team can integrate antimicrobial coating into your next project with ease.
Print that looks great — and helps stop germs in their tracks.
Get in touch with us today to find out more.