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A look at DPSA and PSA vinyl, and their ability to co-exist in the signage and graphics industry
I remember sitting in my commercial sign company’s office in Charleston, SC, some seven years ago. My favorite distributor rep, Tubelite Co.’s Mike Paige, walked in with a full-color image printed on vinyl. It wasn’t the first time I had seen this, but, it was the first one that looked great. I remember thinking, naively, of course, that this was the beginning of the end for colored vinyl.
Needless to say, I was wrong.
Since non-coated-vinyl, inkjet-printing’s inception, several industry questions have loomed: Can digital, pressure-sensitive adhesive vinyl (DPSA) and colored, pressure-sensitive adhesive vinyl (PSA) co-exist? Will shops stock white-film rolls? Will colored film be relinquished to wrapping Christmas presents?
We’ll examine these issues, along with the vinyls’ benefits and drawbacks. We’ll also look at particular applications where one film may work better. Hopefully, we’ll take another step towards peace between these two sworn enemies.
Different, but the same?
From a manufacturing standpoint, both types are uncoated (no ink-receptive topcoat), PVC-based face films, with either a permanent or removable, pressure-sensitive adhesive system, which may be solvent or waterbased. That’s it for similarities.
Release liners
DPSA films possess an extra coating on their liners, which prevents sili¬cone from migrating to the printing surface when the film is wound into rolls. For colored PSA films, silicone migration isn’t really an issue because these films aren’t generally printed on.
Manufacturing/coating speeds
Colored vinyl films tend to be adhesive coated and manufactured at higher speeds than their digital counterparts. Static electricity in the rolls may cause surface defects invisible to the naked eye. Surface defects and static electricity debilitate printing on digital vinyl, so these films move slowly to avoid both negative effects.
Adhesive systems
Digital vinyl films generally carry special adhesives for such applications as vehicle wraps or POP exhibits, where a graphic must be easily applied and re-applied. Many digital films offer a standard, grey adhesive for covering existing graphics or a substrate color. Pigmented adhesives require a larger manufacturing investment. Historically, colored vinyl is only available with permanent or removable, clear adhesives.
Packaging
Colored vinyl’s common roll formats are 15-in. punched, 24, 30 and 48 in., whereas digital vinyl comes in sizes of 30, 36, 48, 54 and 60 in. Plotters and printers dictate what width of media they’ll accept.
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