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do you need to laminate prints from a cadet?
hi all, Ive recently purchased a cadet & sign-lab7 print & cut, before buying the printer i was a bit worried about some of the reports about the finger rub tests etc & lamination, after buying the set up for 12k + vat, i was struggling to pay another 2 to 3 grand for a laminater, & thank goodness i didn’t as mostly my main stream work is specialist hand painted & airbrush stuff ( got the printer as mostly my work is repeat airbrush style truck door logos – sometimes 10 at a time both doors front & back – easier to do one master then digitally print it ! )… going of at a tangent here, when i should be in the shop. So the point is you don’t need a lamina tor or cans of spray lacquer, invest in a spray gun, a DeVILBISS SR1 gun, a good choice & 1k acrylic UV smart coat, its ready mixed, just app lie the graphic, panel as normal mask up if required and spray, a dust coat is recommended then hit it hard, you can see when you have a good finish by the gloss sheen. I have tested this to the hilt, and it doesn’t react with the print or crack or come off, as i have sprayed sample graphics let it go off for an hour or 2 then stuck industrial carpet tape on it & riped it off, Ive made origami with the vinyl once coated with no signs of creasing in the lacquer so for me this is the way a head, hope my load of waffle helps i have attached pick of van logo (van not finished) this was printed on cadet (did the finger rub & mets test with no signs of deterioration ! ) then cut a larger paint mask & lacquered it, you can do this either by hand with application tape or with your plotter, which ever way you feel happy with. Going now as have 2 vans to letter & a wheel cover to airbrush & its 12 dinner time !
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9 Replies
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bin there done that got the tee shirt as they say and it does look slightly better – in the longer term laminating is a pain but a one stop fix.
– but if it works for you then OK
chris -
Be careful , there are a few posts on the Roland board about sprayed or coated graphics developing spider cracks etc some months down the line.
At the end of it all , a wet protective coat is a nightmare as it attracts dust etc , needs space to dry and is NOT a film and has chemicals in it that can cause long term damage or give problems. We would give NO guarantee to a vehicle graphic done this way at all. A film laminate will get a 3 year guarantee for fading and abraision as its impossible to damage the graphic with solvents , even acetone doesnt mess it up and there is NO concern about abraisive washes.
PS the local guys here use spray and cook or Mr Min , a silicon based cooking spray and a furniture spray polish instead of actual liquid coatings
In terms of lams , we use a product called micronex which melts a layer of protective on the graphic or we use Clearflex for small stuff.
Im gonna repeat mt pet theme , no matter what printer you have , grphics meant to be used in really harsh environments need protection , the sturdier the better. Not ONE mnfgr gives a warrantee on unprotected graphics , or if they do its majorly qualified. They ALL say “up to” x years and they then ask you to look at the fine print that says you have to use specific materials , inks , profiles and lams. Up to means zilch. -
hi, Rodney, i had some solvent prints done about 2 years ago for a sea going power boat & lacquered them in this way then to, the lacquer as UV properties in it and to date the graphics are still A1. Also the flash point drys almost instantly, completely dry in 2 hours or so, you can then buff any in-perfections strait out as the coating is very strong, any more comments appreciated. Pete . artrage
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I’m with Rodney.
Our golden rule is that if it is going on a vehicle then it must be laminated.
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yes guys, but don’t you think automotive lacquer is stronger than hot or cold lams, Ive found it encapsulates the graphic & if you do the mask 2 or 3 mil oversize it bonds the graphic to the vehicle as good as airbrush work, any ridges then can be polished away. What ever works best for you – for me this is the way. cheers
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i dont know enough about this to comment on what is and isnt good for the prints.
however… i would say that spraying the prints would have its downside in some ways.i would imagine the time taken to do this once applied to the vehicle would be an issue, for me at least.
there would be a ceratin amount of masking up to prevent overspray on other areas of the vehicle.leaving the overlaping ridge would be fine i think.. but what happens when the images are removed? theye will be a noticible ridge in the paint laquer that would need buffed down etc when it comes to selling on/trading in.
although we have not long started printing wide format. we do allot of hand over jobs… some need laminated. i would imagine spraying them prior would cause cracking when the prints are rolled/unrolled.
all in, if it works for you great! & it is also a good tip for anyone withought a laminator also. i think the best use for this type of lamination would be on signage with digital prints..
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HI, Robert in reply to your post, i think this is an issue in its self as to removing graphics, i find that when customers are paying up & above a grand for full on colour jobs, be it digital airbrush or combination work, it doesn’t matter whether or not its completely removable as the amount of new business a potential or existing customer gets from a well designed job is worth the loss on resale or the cost of a respray if the vehicle is on contract hire 90% of my customers opt for this method & 80% of my business is hi-end automotive graphics. As regards application yes it is applied after installation, but on my test prints i didn’t incur any problems when applying from raw vinyl, please note i always use digital vinyl so i don’t know what the script is with normal vinyls, also in reply to the speed thing, well i think its quite fast especial if the graphic in question is a easy shape, as all i do is cover in application tape & hand cut, hope this helps. Pete . artrage
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As I am not a signmaker we had no set ideas as to how to fit printed vinyl to our jetwash machines (flat stainless steel) so, having given up with an unruly laminator we went to floating the printed vinyl on (take care not to damage ink), then float same size laminate over, all using water and squeegees – no bubbles and can be moved to the right position.
Surely on flat vehicle panels this is easier than masking and spraying?Having said that we now need to find a well behaved laminator (1250mm+) to send finished vinyls out to engineers, anyone got one ?
Andrew -
The uniform inks from B&P are stronger than some of the others in the market.
We know this as when media’s have been printed the vinyl appears more chewy off the grenadier. This is due to the aggressive solvent breaking down the media.
The solvent attack the vinyl and chemically become part of the vinyl so scartching etc in our experience it is the vinyl that gets damaged. Even with a laminate scratches from wash brushes will still show.
We don’t laminate for vehicles unless asked and then we charge for it.
Cheers
JC
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