This is the first and only book dedicated to this popular and growing segment of the sign and vehicle graphics industries. Craig Campbell offers the benefits of his years of experience with vinyl products, ...
Tips to help you achieve optimal results
By Jim Hingst
Editor's Note: Jan Van Hemelen of Avosi (Ruiselede, Belgium) and Jo Vanneste of Industrial Consultants (Aalter, Belgium) helped Jim prepare this month's article.
Ecosolvent printers have been a real godsend for the sign industry. The printers' low price tags are a major reason why they're so popular. Not suprisingly, an estimated 60% of signshops anticipate purchasing ecosolvent printers.
Printer setup is rather straightforward. Approximately two hours after unpacking the equipment, you're ready to print. Plus, there are no dangerous fumes or odors, and no ventilation system is required. And, if you follow a few basic rules, you should have few, if any, problems.
If problems occur, they typically involve poor ink adhesion, shrinkage, vinyl curling, color shift and/or dot gain. For trouble-free results, use the right material, operate the equipment in a suitable environment and use the proper print settings. This month's column offers suggestions for printing onto vinyl using an ecosolvent printer.
The right stuff
The latest generation of ecosolvent inks allows you to print onto various uncoated, monomeric and polymeric calendered vinyls and cast-vinyl films. However, this doesn't mean you'll get great results with every vinyl.
You can't print onto every type of vinyl. Actually, you can only print onto a limited range of uncoated vinyl films. With some vinyls, ink adhesion is a problem. For this reason, prior to production, you must test and evaluate your vinyl choice with your printer and inks.
To choose the right material, consult the printer manufacturer and distributor. Because many printer companies have performed extensive vinyl tests, they can tell you which films work best with their systems. Plus, they have profiles for the recommended films. As a rule of thumb, vinyl films with a matte finish print better than high-gloss films. Furthermore, films with polyethylene-coated liners are generally less prone to curling than films with clay-coated liners.
Prior to printing, wipe down the vinyl using a towel moistened with Rapidtac or isopropyl alcohol to remove dust and other contaminants, such as oils and plasticizer. A dry, clean and dust-free surface is thus ready for printing
Control your shop environment
Although ecosolvent printers are designed to function in an office or signshop, you'll achieve the best printing results if you operate in a clean, temperature- and humidity-controlled environment.
Did you enjoy this article? Click here to subscribe to the magazine.