Can this be touched up?

[Steve Morgan]

I guess using white ink is the safe route but you could probably achieve the same result with white paint, although it may be a different shade of white.

A bit of care if you are brushing it on as it’ll soften the ink already there, you’ll need to do one blob and leave it!

[Mike Grant]

Get some of the ink and thinners from the printers and touch up from the back. you will get an invisible touch up if your carefull.
I always back up with white vinyl to prevent scratching. Nothing like finding a highpoint on the wall behind the sign which results in a scratch. You would have to leave the sign to out gas first for a few days before covering. Printing ink uses heavy solvents.

[NeilRoss]

Yes I’ve done it before a few times. Paint is the simple repair but you’ll never get it to match the same shade. The same print ink would be my choice. Mix with a little thiners – only enough to get it to flow – and apply amply one stroke with a soft brush (sable brush if you have one). Load the brush fully and lay on a single stroke (preferrably without enough pressure for the hairs to actually touch the surface) and leave it – don’t mess around with it or it will soften the underlying original ink. Leave it flat until it sets enough. I’d also revisit a few days later and laminate the back with vinyl to save any future scars.

[David Hammond]

Cheers guys,

I’ve e-mailed the printer who did these for me, I would imagine the white is a standard ink he had, the blue may be a different kettle of fish.

The signs are on stand off’s so shouldn’t have any recurring issues.

I didn’t want to use vinyl, as I thought this may get picked off, although some of the screen printing I have seen has had much harder inks.

[Mark Latchford]

As Neil says get the printer to give you some of the ink he has used and thin it down. Be very careful not to be too heavy with the brush. Make sure the brush is absolutley clean. If poss use a brand new really soft one. I can’t see how much damage is on the blue from your photo but if you can mask the area out if it is just on the Blue and clean all of it off the perspex with meths then repaint with the Blue ink the printer has used. you should be able to repair it without it showing,then add the white when fully dried. Use a good masking tape which really sticks well on its edges. clean off the ink very slowly with meths on a very soft rag or cotton wool then after everything is really dry get rid of any debris from the rag or cotton wool . it’s a real pain but it works. I would also go back to the printer and ask why the ink is scratching off. If he used the correct ink it should be really difficult to scratch. My thoughts are that he hasn’t given enough drying time before wrapping or he has used an ink that will stick to acrylic but is a multfix ink which isn’t as good as the proper acrylic ink.

[David Rogers]

If it were me.

The brightest, whitest car spray paint you can lay your hands on.

Dust the area with a few very thin coats…job done.

Original manufacture – I probably would have reverse cut the blue, applied & back sprayed a few light coatings of spray paint then flooded in white vinyl…looks near identical to a screen print (no apparent edges) with less hassle…and less chance of damage…and probably less money.

Reverse digital print also an option – good for many years.

Dave

[David Hammond]

I did consider reverse printing digitally.

Maybe the ink didn’t cure fully, I dropped the panels off yesterday and collected it 10am today so not a full 24hours. It was a rush job though.

Like the idea of car paint, that thought had crossed my mind, but rolling screen ink onto it.

I’ll collect the panels tomorrow and refit friday.

[Neil Davey]

quote DavidRogers:

Reverse digital print also an option – good for many years.

Dave

We did a load of a similar type of job back in the summer.
Reverse printed on clear and backed up with white.
Worked a treat.
Not much help to you though Dave but worth noting for the future.

[David Hammond]

Did you not see the adhesive through the acrylic.

I’ve touched up the signs, and they’re just drying on the bench, before a quick laminate with white vinyl, and then re-install.

[Kevin Flowers]

David
if the ink is easily scratched be cautious backing it with vinyl because you may cause even more problems, if not now then maybe further down the line

Kev

[David Rogers]

quote Kevin Flowers:

David
if the ink is easily scratched be cautious backing it with vinyl because you may cause even more problems, if not now then maybe further down the line

Kev

Yes, if the ink isn’t adhered very well – the action of the vinyl shrinking slightly / adhesives reacting can wrinkle up the whole thing!

[Mike Grant]

If they have used vinyl screen printing ink there is no problem with de laminating. Just make sure it is well dry and out gassed.
You can scratch any ink whilst it is a day or three old, it gets better the longer the paint has been on there. I back up with vinyl after 2 days and have never had a comeback or problem. Shrinking vinyl will have no effect on the ink.