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laminating banners
Hi All,
just had a client enquire who would like a laminated banner! We have done hundreds of banners but never laminated one? Is there anything i should know? 12 hours off gas time then laminate as normal? Any advice heeded!cheers
Dan
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21 Replies
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I just wouldn’t do it. Vinyl laminate wont last and wouldn’t be convinced that liquid lam would be any better. I’m sure I’ve read before that some do it but we don’t and wouldn’t either. If they want it harder wearing buy in from a good trade supplier (ours uses a heavier pvc than we are able to handle in house)
G
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vinyl laminate wont make it any stronger, heavier grade banner isn’t going to make the prints any more durable.
laminating wont work because the vinyl will curl back. that’s why there is a special, softer banner vinyl on the market. same with truck curtain vinyl…
liquid laminate may help with UV stability but not abrasion and i doubt chemical attack.
banner stands AKA Roll-up stands and the like do get laminated, but that’s a totally different type of media and is stored/wound down properly.
at the end of the day, he may already have bought similar elsewhere, whether is recommended or not. this being the case, quote him on it, but i would point out problems may occur. ide probably use a clear "cast" vinyl rather than a laminate though. then hem and eyelet it. the hemming after lamination might help prevent it curling back. also insist its wound vinyl outwards.
personally, ide not do it and never have. but if he is willing to pay and wont listen to your advice. well, "the customer is always right" as they say.
oh and, ide leave the laminating 24 hrs mate… no point in tempting fate. 😀
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Hi Gav,
it is a banner that will be going around a bar, we are going to fix it with velcro tape, but i also fear if its not protected it will be scratched to bits in no time, i intend to matt laminate and it only needs to be on the bar for about 5 days?does normal vinyl laminate not last when hot laminated to banner?
thanks gav
Dan -
5 days i recon should be fine, but let it out-gas properly. laminate then hem, so your lamination is folded in the hem also.
is the banner big?
this is not something ive ever done as i said, so purely guess work, but ide still prefer to use a clear cast. but as you say, it is less than a week indoors.
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Hi rob,
thanks for that! We are using velcro tape to stop the curling and secure the banner to the bar! My plan was to use hem tape to stop curling and then velcro behind that! My principal worry is that the print will get scratched! Hence lamination, this guy has had one before but not from us and he insists it is matt laminated! So i guess you right i war him and go for it! I could whack clear cast over rather than laminate, do we think that would be a better option?cheers
Dan
Rob p.s. went back to take pictures of the removable banner posts and where the old shop owners have moved they have taken them with them! Sorry, stilll havent found anything similiar anywhere! -
its not huge 273cm x 108, consists of two side panels of 41.5cm and the front is 190cm.
cheers
Dan
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personally I would do it on poster paper and laminate and stick it up with Velcro, will print much better and less likely to curl at all.
Why does it have to be on banner material if not going to be used as a banner?
even roll up banner material will do if you don’t want to buy in paper for one job.
Just a thought
Warren
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just worried that paper will rip or pierce easily, the bar is outside, i appreciate a blueback waterproof paper laminated will be tough, but the idea i think is to be able to use it again and again? The client asked for laminated banner, so thats what im doing! i must admit im a bit in the dark on this one and its a rush job!
cheers
Dan
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Dan I would question whether a thin pvc sign may be a better option? Seems like a lot of messing for a short term sign? Though with it being short term, laminate probably won’t do any harm.
Rob – the customer may have wanted the banner laminated for various reasons and heavier material would be the answer in a lot of situations. Obviously it wont help UV, abrasion or chemical attack but it is a better and stronger solution
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quote Dan Osterbery:just worried that paper will rip or pierce easily, the bar is outside, i appreciate a blueback waterproof paper laminated will be tough, but the idea i think is to be able to use it again and again? The client asked for laminated banner, so thats what im doing! i must admit im a bit in the dark on this one and its a rush job!
cheers
Dan
makes a bit of sense, although you can get a tyvek product that is impossible to tear and is totally waterproof. I used to use it on my pigment printer to do banners, I laminated the print and eyeletted it and only ever had one failure when the guy stuck it up between buildings like a sail and the eyelets ripped out but the print quality was excellent and nice firm finish.
Hope you get it sorted.
cheers
warern
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will look out for tyveck! Sounds good, unfortunately this has to be ready tomorrow so no time for orders!
Something else i have realised from this thread! I use 440gr banner for all roll ups? Do you use something different, would love to hear the opinions on roll ups?
cheers
Dan
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I use the grey back lightstop from Metamark, has a very nice silk finish and prints very well.
I have never laminated a roll up banner and have never had a complaint, I spoke to a customer of mine who ordered a pair for himself 2 years ago, he used them a few times a month and still raves about them everytime I see him as they have lasted so well. I’ve never seen a need to laminate them especially when they pay so little for them to start with.
Warren
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quote Robert Lambie:vinyl laminate wont make it any stronger, heavier grade banner isn’t going to make the prints any more durable.
hi gavin
what i said was.
"the laminate isn’t going to make the banner stronger"the heavier banner isn’t going to make any difference to abrasion, UV or chemical attack.
i do not know the grade of digital banner you are using but there is varying differences in strength quality. so i wouldn’t see the need to buy in from a trade supplier when i can print in-house and source the media myself.
yes in some cases a much heavier grade banner is required. but we are not talking monster sized projecting banners, street spanning banners or building wraps…
not knocking your advice mate, just making clear on what i said.
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hi warren,
i never laminate roll ups just use ordinary banner, have done 40+ and never had a complaint about them curling on anything, only one i have seen since is one where the tape attaching to the banner failed after a year or so so we took it to bits reattached and that was it! just wondered if there was a better,cheaper way to doing them!cheers
Dan -
Hi Guys,
doing another lona job and had a head strike, so i have done a test, laminated half the banner with matt vinyl laminate and hand laminated other half with transparent vinyl. Transparent vinyl easy to apply and looks good but gloss and absolutely no curling at all. Matt laminate easy as it goes through machine, matt looks good but there is a degree of curling.what makes you think that vinyl laminate will fail?
cheers guys
Dan
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Thanks for all your help and suggestions! here is the finished article! Going to be used for 5 days now for a regatta and then in two weeks for 4 days for the local fiestas! Wished i had taken a photo of the amstell minging bar before the cover went on!
thanks again guys, client very happy and managed to get a 40 polo order while i was there, happy days!
cheers
Dan
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Spray any standard printed banner with Mr Sheene or any other household polish and then try to scratch it, You won’t.
We do all our banners this way, If you cover the banner with a light mist then go over it with a cloth then before polishing off, dry it with a heat gun and this seems to harden it better. Just try it you’ll be amazed. -
good tip martin will give that a go!
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Hi Dan,
Thats a good looking banner and I’m sure a real improvement on the bar:D… Great Job.
Martin thanks for the tip also …I’m sure that should have our inventory looking a little interesting.
Eze
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Martin,
Just read your tip on using Mr Sheene and wish I’d read it before…….I’ve recently dumped two 2 mtr banners because of scratching while hemming and this has solved the problems…….
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Glad to be of help.
It does work really well, it’s an old tip from Rodney on here.
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