Writing on Plastic

Have you ever needed to write on plastic and the ink didn't stick even when you used permanent marker. Well I work in a company that prints on plastic all the time. We prepare the plastic to get the ink to stick by oxidizing the surface first. In short we pass the plastic past a flame that lightly "burns" it. But not enough to see a discoloration.

So you want to write something. Try writing on plain plastic.

Rubbing a finger across the ink causes it to come off.

Rub on the area with marker and flame treated. It should resist coming off.

A candle may cause a soot mark like the one in the picture. Using a small propane torch instead of a candle might avoid this.