Abstract As more robust methods for ultra-violet (UV) curable inkjet printing are being introduced to market, alternative color and decorative printing methods have been tested for the art, design, and print sectors. In order to be able to increase the density of color, and improve the ink coverage when printing onto a range of non-standard substrates, this article describes results relating to the appearance of print on different surfaces, which includes both measured data (densitometry, gamut volume, International Colour Consortium (ICC) profiles) and a visual analysis (subjective assessment, microphotography). The objective is to address the requirements of the user, to accurately print a specific color through the multi-layering of inks, and to present methods of soft previewing the appearance of a multi-pass printed color. Several case studies are presented that incorporate recent research into the capabilities of UV curing technology, which has increased the opportunities for designers to print onto non-standard materials.