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Use the right film for digital-printing applications.
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It's time to come clean — if you've ever tried using PVC plotter film with your solvent, eco-solvent or UV-curable printer, raise your hand. We've all been there. When there's a hot job on the queue, it's tempting to use whatever film is hanging in the rack. The customer won't know the difference, right?
Derail that train of thought. You've invested too much in the digital process, which includes equipment, training and relationship building, to risk it all on poor film choice.
Not all films are created equal. To protect your equipment investment, choose a film that's engineered to succeed in the digital process — PVC inkjet media.
Because the media primarily dictates image quality, and its appearance makes the final impression on your customer, making the informed choice is critical. This column explores what makes pressure-sensitive-adhesive (PSA) plotter film (also referred to as "marking film") and PSA inkjet media fundamentally different from a manufacturing and composition standpoint, and how these differences impact image outcome.
Why use plotter films?
Why would a shop use plotter film for an inkjet application, for which it's not designed? Simply put, a lower price point. Providers may believe, because the invoice is less, they're saving money. Standard, white plotter films will get the job done, but the job won't be done efficiently. And, the choice you thought would save money incurs greater labor and production costs — and could hurt the client relationship.
Mistakes will occur, because most providers who print on plotter films create an inferior product or destroy the application. In reality, marketplace advancements have reduced the cost difference between digital media and plotter film to pennies on the dollar.
Wade Davis, the owner of Image Graphics 2000 (Ft. Lauderdale, FL), said, "Some printers who use plotter films for digital jobs may think they're saving money because plotter-film rolls are somewhat cheaper. But if they have to run off more media to compensate for errors, such as image quality or splices, they'll exceed the cost of appropriate digital media."
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