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, ...
Know the material's properties before use.
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By Jim Hingst
Most people don't like the spotlight, where warts are prominently displayed. The same philosophy applies to translucent vinyl. When the lights are turned on, inconsistencies in color and film gauge appear. This month, I'll cover translucent-film selection, design and application options.
Cast or calendered
Translucent-vinyl applications aren't limited to backlit, building signage. Other uses include taxi-top signage, mall and airport-terminal advertising, menuboards and canopy fascias.
Consider these points when deciding whether to use cast or calendered translucent films:
• What's the application? For less demanding applications, such as menuboards and directional signs, a calendered translucent vinyl suffices. For long-term, outdoor applications, I would choose cast films.
• What are the durability requirements?
• What are your customer's expectations?
• What is the budget for the job?
User preference dictates the choice between lower-cost, calendered vinyl versus a premium, cast film. For most applications, you can't go wrong with cast vinyl.
However, that doesn't preclude calendered-film usage. Newer generation, calendered, translucent films feature such improvements as color consistency and gauge control. Also, some calendered films offer five-year durability.
Because calendered films cost less than cast, they've become the film of choice for a wide range of backlit signage. If you use a calendered vinyl, buy one designed for the job. Although calendered films are translucent, not all of them are suitable for backlit signage. Lesser calendered films may look fine during the day, but inconsistencies in color and film gauge readily appear when the sign box lights up.
I'm not saying calendered films are a bad choice for backlit applications. Better varieties have standardized thicknesses. Light-transmission discrepancies cause film-gauge variations, which appear when illuminated.
If color consistency deviates, film can exhibit blotches when illuminated. Plasticizers in cheaper calendered films can migrate to the film surface. If you screenprint or digitally print the film, plasticizing oils inhibit good ink adhesion.
In most cases, an overlaminate should protect the print. Inks tend to be fragile, and overlaminates neutralize such hazards as UV light, air pollution and bird droppings.
"Translucent films must be able to withstand high temperatures," Chuck Bules, Arlon's (Santa Ana, CA) technical services manager, said. "On a hot summer day, temperatures inside a light box can easily exceed 150° F. When subjected to baking heat, cheaper calendered films can shrink and crack."
Thermoforming
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