The advantages of the ultraviolet (UV)-curing process are numerous, including a rapid cure, conservation of energy, environmental and user friendliness, and superior finish properties such as a high gloss and chemical and scuff resistance. In addition, the UV-curing process offers flexibility suitable for sensitive substrates and complete screen stability because UV ink dries on exposure only to a UV-energy source and not to ambient UV-light sources such as sunlight or fluorescent shop lights. Industrial methods apply traditional heat setting to form mesh reinforcement structures from poly(vinyl chloride)-coated fiberglass wires. The main defects of this method are the inefficiency and inconsistency of the process plus the huge consumption of power needed to generate the necessary thermal energy to bond the wire mesh. The heating process also causes quicker degradation of the wire and shortens the lifetime of the product. The purpose of this current innovative work is to replace this defective heat-setting method with the more efficient and very advantageous method of applying UV-curable coatings for this task. The obtained results are prospective for this endeavor, covering the issues of energy conservation, the economy of the process, and the improved mechanical properties of the finished product. (C) 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 111: 3058-3064, 2009