Contra-vision opinions

[Steve McAdie]

Hi Warren, I haven’t used contravision the original brand but have used RHGs version which i think was called continental but had some issues with it not sticking very well (which could be down to glass treatment) also it was more open than metamarks which is the other version i have used also as it wasn’t as open the print showed better. These films come in different ratios for the holes I think metamarks was a 40/60 40% open 60% closed but maybe wrong,
RHGs was 50/50 & 60/40 if i remember correctly. Have tried both laminated & unlaminated and have to say unlaminated looks better from inside & out, but then you have the dirt getting in the holes & the print is unprotected. Laminating can cause condensation & reduced visibility from inside.

Steve

[David Hammond]

I’ve not used the stuff but I recall someone on here used paper graphics.

[Denise Goodfellow]

Hi Warren
We buy ours from RH.
We first tried it out on my stepsons hatchback.
Its been there for almost 12months and is in as good condition as when it was fitted.

We didn`t laminate it, so when it rains the holes fill up and you can`t see through the window from the inside.
We have not had any problem with it lifting or not sticking. I`m sure I read on here to help solve this problem, seal the edges with 5-10mm clear vinyl.

[Michael Szwacki]

David, give William Smith ring, they will explain you everything.

I’ve used it many times, laminated, unlaminated, on shop windows, on vehicles – never had any problem at all

Hope that helps 🙂

Mike

[Gert du Preez]

We get 2 types of "Contravision" inNamibia.

The one is bad, the other worse!

The "econline" type is guaranteed to generate a comeback in 6 months. The normal" one (at 3x the price) will last longer.

We dont laminate, since it looks crap. The contra does not adhere well, edges curl (unless you can work them into the rubber beading of the window) , it tears the moment you loose concentration applying, the ink washes off……

I find the "forum style" cutting strips in vinyl works much better! And, when a graphic flows from a wrap on a car body to a window, it is easier to match colours with the vinyl than on contra.

Of no help to you in this case.

What we do to make it last / look better is to overprint 2x. That puts down double the amount of ink, which changes some colours, but because only half of it remains on the end graphic, the colours appear normal.

PS. If I sound "anti" it is because I did about 12 large shop windows early last year. Had to redo them later in the year, and now have to redo them again……..This has prompted me to give only a 6 month guarantee on contra, 3 months on a car window.

[KevinGaffney]

I’ve had same experience with contra not lasting on vehicles beyond nine months. The laminated stuff is so expensive, I doubt if many customers would want to pay the cost. It’s the only type of work I now steer well clear of unless my back is absolutely to the wall

[Warren Beard]

Thanks everyone, I’ve warned the customer it may not last a year and he’s fine and is actually keen to redo it each year with something new. I’m going to try metamark so will let you know how it goes.

Cheers warren

[Stuart Taylor]

Hi Warren

It may be a little late but there are a few rules to work to when using Contravision or a generic perforated window film.
Firstly to laminate or not ?? Depends on the application really

Indoors there is no need

Outdoors on vertical glass on a building there is no need unless you require extra UV protection for the ink i.e. up to 5 years

Vehicle application laminate everytime otherwise you will get dirt build up sitting in the holes which will stop visibility from inside the vehicle.

Once you have established if you need an overlaminate then choose the correct type for the job …… Firstly it MUST have an optically clear adhesive *please note most standard UV laminates do NOT have an optically clear adhesive. A good supplier should know the difference and be able to advise on this.
Then choose the type – Most suppliers offer clear polyester as a laminate for perforated graphics, these are usually OK for short term flat applications but will deteriorate quicker than a PVC and as polyester is non flexible it could fail if used on a curved application
We use 3 versions of laminate. Polyester for short term flat applications (non vehicular) Polymeric PVC for medium term applications including vehicles and Cast PVC for longer term applications and for curved glass (such as rear windows of vehicles)

Finally the application, ALWAYS apply dry… otherwise you will trap the water in the perforations which will cause condensation and poor visibility.

Hope this helps

Stuart

[Warren Beard]

Thanks Stuart, great info there and will take in to account, this my first job with a good customer and have explained all the pros and cons and he is willing to test this with me and will come back if any issues arise so we can sort it and he won’t spread bad words about me if it fails etc.

I have some metamark perf vinyl now so will try it and see how it goes on this one.

Thanks again

Warren.

[Nigel Pugh]

Stuart one thing I disagree with your information is that on a outdoor vertical sign you don’t need lamination…….if rain only came down vertically I would agree.

Nigel

[David McDonald]

Hi Warren

We’ve always had problems with film laminate on our One Way Vision – irrespective of which brand we’ve used and whether polyester or vinyl laminate. We get ‘fingers’ lifting in from the edges – especially if on anything other than a 100% flat surface. We switched to spray laminating with Frog Juice and everything now works fine. It was probably our laminator tension setting.

Currently getting our OVW from Grafityp, which will please the the chap in the post above this one!

Cheers
Macky

[Martin Cole]

Iv’e done a fair few of these using the Grafityp version from the Wolves supporter above 😀
Never had probs, I enjoy fitting it. just make sure your scalpel is razor sharp for trimmiing.

[Nigel Pugh]

At the end of the day do you laminate or not, it is your work you are putting out there………..just depends on how much you rate your work and its value.

Nigel

[Stuart Taylor]

quote Nigel Pugh:

Stuart one thing I disagree with your information is that on a outdoor vertical sign you don’t need lamination…….if rain only came down vertically I would agree.

Nigel

Hi Nigel

Reading back through my post I should have clarified the reasons I suggested why I didn’t feel it was necessary to laminate on a vertical glass application on a building and refine this to the pros and cons

The point of the whole post was that I was actually trying to get over was that the laminate was an absolute must on a vehicular application …. why ? three reasons (1) if you don’t laminate and it is raining then water will sit in the perforations hindering visibility whilst driving (rear windscreen wipers cannot get into the perforations to remove the excess water) and (2) on a vehicle you will get road spray/dirt/dust that will sit in the perforations which even when dry will reduce visibility and be more difficult to clean out (3) on a vehicular application where there are passengers i.e. public transport it is more likely that the passengers can get motion sickness if they can not see clearly out of the glass (this is also why with some of the manufacturers perforated materials there are a range of size of holes/ratios i.e 30/70, 40/60, 50/50, 60/40 etc – Therefore if you laminate for a vehicular application (with an optically clear product) you will not get these visibility issues.

Regarding a building application there are less issues with visibility problems. Road spray, dirt and dust will be less of an issue or take far longer to build up. Many building applications are under canopy or are more sheltered. Many building applications are short term promotional where this dirt build up will be not be an issue. Also it should be noted with most normal solvent/eco sol/Latex/UV inks they are outdoor durable up to 2 or 3 years without lamination. As long as there is no abrasion then a laminate is not necessary for this amount of time (but will not harm the application either if you require "belt and braces")

I would certainly not hesitate to laminate if the building application was required for a longer period (anything over a year would tick my "belt and braces" box) and also if the application was particularly sensitive to needing to see outside with total clarity (I would also advise different hole sizes/ratios if this was required) or the windows would be difficult to access for cleaning/maintenance in future.

Dirt and Dust are actually more of an issue than rain so therefore if the application is likely to be exposed to dirt/dust then I would always recommend lamination even for a short term application.

Finally, and something I should have added to my original post ….. if in doubt, laminate

Apologies if my original post has caused any confusion

Stuart

[George Elsmore]

If on building windows I liquid lam and I have stuff out there that has been on for over 3 years still looking good

[Chris Windebank]

Same as George sometimes use mr sheen or liquid lam