In this paper, different surface treatments to reduce the surface roughness of a typical laminate for use in high frequency applications (high frequency laminate) are investigated. In particular, the importance of matching the substrate surface energy to the ink to achieve a smooth coated layer for the case of a UV cured insulator is demonstrated. This paper shows that this is achievable within the parameters of heating the platen, which is a more flexible approach compared to modifying the ink to improve the ink-substrate interaction. In printing onto the surface modified substrates, the substrate roughness was observed to affect the printed line width significantly. A surface roughness factor was introduced to take into account the phenomenon by modifying the original formula of Smith et al. (J. Mater. Sci. 2006, 41, 4153). Lastly, the authors show that the printed line widths are also influenced by the surface tension arising from charges present on the surface modified substrates.