Mactac printable wrap film. Any experience?

[Joe Killeen]

Didn’t use the wrap vinyl but used the laminate with Avery 1105 and found the gloss was very inconsistent, nice and glossy for 3m then sort of satin blotchy marks for a bit then back to a nice gloss. It was like that for the whole 50m. Only used it as supplier had no stock of Avery but told me that Avery now own Mactac and most of the products were made in the same factory.

[Martyn]

Thanks joe, yes i was aware that Avery own them.

[RobertLambie]

There is nothing worse than this Joe, you stop and lose the print run or continue and hope that it is accepted by the customer. even if it is replaced, you only get the replacement roll, not the wasted print media, ink, time etc! 🤨
That said, I have seen similar happening with most brands over the years for multiple reasons!
Just one of them being over tightly wound rolls. Which I see more often near the core of coloured vinyls to the point you can see the spiral card tube marking on the face of the vinyl. or inconsistent gloss, as you say, or blotching dull marks here and there.

Something that is consistent all the way through a single roll “could be” what I noticed once many moons ago, with a “dull finish-gloss finish” all the way in vertical lines (by the width). was a slightly compressed in the middle card tube core. My opinion is that whilst this would be tightly and consistently wound by a machine during manufacturing/reeling/boxing, that slight egg shape of the core means at the top and bottom of the egg, the vinyl will be “tighter” wound at those points. Creating a dull impression from the bottom of the carrying paper.

Anyway, nothing more frustrating, mate.

[Mark Johnston]

My understanding is that mactac is aimed more on the budget side and not comparable as such to the top makes of wrap. I havent used it though, we have only used it for cut vinyl work.