Activity Feed Forums Sign Making Discussions Vinyl Digital Vinyl & Laminates – What do you use

  • Pane Talev

    Member
    January 22, 2018 at 11:54 am

    Metamak MD3 and MD5 and their recommended laminates.

  • Derek Heron

    Member
    January 22, 2018 at 12:12 pm
    quote Pane Talev:

    Metamak MD3 and MD5 and their recommended laminates.

    have you or anyone tried the metamark MD100 B

    Derek

  • David Hammond

    Member
    January 22, 2018 at 12:23 pm

    Had a subbie use MD100. Seemed OK, although it’s dearer than what we pay for Orajet 3164.

    We use Metamarks MDi, with matching laminate, monomeric 3164, which tends not be laminated as we only use it for short term stuff.

  • Pane Talev

    Member
    January 22, 2018 at 2:15 pm

    I haven’t used MD100.
    I only stock MD3, MD5 for years & ARLON SLX recently.

  • Mike Thornley

    Member
    January 22, 2018 at 3:12 pm

    The reason for the question, was we use Metalmark, but price increases, driving me to look elsewhere.

    We found MD100 to be OK.

  • David Hammond

    Member
    January 22, 2018 at 5:17 pm

    I’ve had lots of reps trying to sell me other media that are ‘MD5 Equivalent’ when in reality they’re monomeric, and not comparable to MD5 at all.

    Run of the mill cheap unlaminated, monomeric we use 3164.

    We switched from MD5, to MDi, as most of our work if flat panel & vehicles. No issues at all and save a few quid.

    If it’s a sign or van, the margins should be higher, so the media cost is trivial.

  • Hugh Potter

    Member
    January 25, 2018 at 8:25 pm

    MD5 AB 7yr poly. Or Avery 2804 5yr ar/blockout adhesive

    Avery 3yr mono mpi2800.

    Arlon slx.

  • David Rogers

    Member
    January 26, 2018 at 12:12 am

    Almost exclusively MD3.

    Any price increase can be lost / added to a 50m roll retail price without looking for another media if you are otherwise happy.

    We don’t use their laminate (metaguard)…we hold the clear MD3 instead as we do a lot of reverse applied window graphics and it prints a treat.

  • Jamie Hunt

    Member
    January 26, 2018 at 6:50 am
    quote David Hammond:

    I’ve had lots of reps trying to sell me other media that are ‘MD5 Equivalent’ when in reality they’re monomeric, and not comparable to MD5 at all.

    Run of the mill cheap unlaminated, monomeric we use 3164.

    We switched from MD5, to MDi, as most of our work if flat panel & vehicles. No issues at all and save a few quid.

    If it’s a sign or van, the margins should be higher, so the media cost is trivial.

    Hi David MDi? Ive not heard of this is it one of Metamarks products? If so link below or i might just google it yet

  • Emyr Evans

    Member
    January 26, 2018 at 10:47 am

    We use Hexis V200 Polymeric with V750B Laminate

  • David Hammond

    Member
    January 26, 2018 at 12:12 pm

    They didn’t make much noise about it, as I think others will as we did, and switch from MD5, to Mdi, which is pitched between MD3 & MD5, both in durability and price.

    We use the block out air escape, and have no complaints, can’t say there’s any noticeable difference between MD5 & MDi.

    Technical data sheet for Mdi
    Technical data sheet for MD5

  • Mark Richards

    Member
    September 4, 2018 at 8:09 am
    quote David Hammond:

    They didn’t make much noise about it, as I think others will as we did, and switch from MD5, to Mdi, which is pitched between MD3 & MD5, both in durability and price.

    We use the block out air escape, and have no complaints, can’t say there’s any noticeable difference between MD5 & MDi.

    Maybe I have the answer on the MDi as I have been told that it’s been found by 2 competitor suppliers that MDi is a MONOMERIC FILM!!!! openly advertised as a POLYMERIC…….Expect any mention of POLYMERIC to be pulled

    Kind of makes a mockery of Metamark’s statement "Trust is a powerful thing"!!!

  • David Hammond

    Member
    September 4, 2018 at 8:16 am
    quote Mark Richards:

    Maybe I have the answer on the MDi as I have been told that it’s been found by 2 competitor suppliers that MDi is a MONOMERIC FILM!!!! openly advertised as a POLYMERIC…….Expect any mention of POLYMERIC to be pulled

    Kind of makes a mockery of Metamark’s statement “Trust is a powerful thing”!!!

    I’ve had competitors try and sell me MD5 equivalant films, that were monomeric (3651 from memory)… some claiming to be 5year monomeric, but still not like for like.

    MDi is a cheaper, polymeric film, which still competitors struggle to compete with… perhaps why they’re claiming it’s inferior?

    It would be brand suicide for metamark to miss sell a product… look at their MDX, they don’t advertise it as conventional cast, but as cyclinder cast film.

  • Mike Thornley

    Member
    September 4, 2018 at 8:28 am

    We have just changed to using Grafityp Monomeric Vinyl and laminate, good price and good quality. We were using MD3, but we have also tried Intercote (German) and Poli-Tape (German) and MD3 is no better than any of these others and for us doesn’t justify the price increases,using Brexit as a reason to increase prices seems dubious to me as the other three makes we have tried are all manufactured in Europe.
    We do at the moment use Metamark Mdi for Poly, but are next order will be trying Grafityp

  • Chris Wilson

    Member
    September 4, 2018 at 8:37 am

    Was not a fan of the Grafityp polymeric that we tried at the start of the year.. but everyone has preferences.

  • Mark Richards

    Member
    September 4, 2018 at 8:44 am
    quote David Hammond:

    quote Mark Richards:

    Maybe I have the answer on the MDi as I have been told that it’s been found by 2 competitor suppliers that MDi is a MONOMERIC FILM!!!! openly advertised as a POLYMERIC…….Expect any mention of POLYMERIC to be pulled

    Kind of makes a mockery of Metamark’s statement “Trust is a powerful thing”!!!

    I’ve had competitors try and sell me MD5 equivalant films, that were monomeric (3651 from memory)… some claiming to be 5year monomeric, but still not like for like.

    MDi is a cheaper, polymeric film, which still competitors struggle to compete with… perhaps why they’re claiming it’s inferior?

    It would be brand suicide for metamark to miss sell a product… look at their MDX, they don’t advertise it as conventional cast, but as cyclinder cast film.

    I always wondered why bring this out!! they don’t advertise it loads, they simply use as a product to use when they need to win a battle on price!

    Explain "Cylindered cast" to me I’m confused? :smiles:

  • Jon Marshall

    Member
    September 4, 2018 at 8:47 am

    ImagePerfect IP2556 PA

  • Mike Thornley

    Member
    September 4, 2018 at 1:41 pm

    Chris, your reasons for not liking the poly from Grafityp?

  • Chris Wilson

    Member
    September 4, 2018 at 2:18 pm
    quote Mike Thornley:

    Chris, your reasons for not liking the poly from Grafityp?

    Found it very cockily when going through the printer regardless of what I tried or did. Aware it’s a heat issue but never had the problem with anything else. Seems to have a very thin backing liner. Ended up wasting quite a bit of the roll, couldn’t leave the machine Unwatched. Tired unrolling a meter of it at a time for feeding in but made no difference. We’ve tried a lot of brands as we are fairly new to the digital printing world and seeing what is best, but all of them run smooth.

    Also find there adhesive quite stubborn to remove even if the vinyl has not been on for long, this is going on the colour vinyl also though. We have in the past used it and then found a customer wants to change there mobile number on the side of there van and it just leaves a stack of glue regardless of what you do. Big difference in quickness compared to Avery 500/ 700 for example.

    Not knocking them. If Avery ran out of a colour I would possibly use there product as they always get it out the door and up the road on time and the price is fair, they also do some great products.

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