memorial plaques.how can I offer the best value=longevity?

[Hugh Potter]

quote leonardcormack:

A new post from a new member:
My question is simple:
I wish to manufacture one-off, personalised memorial plaques for bereaved families to place on the graves of their departed loved ones. The slate plaques will measure some 14” x !2” and carry a (high res) photo and text. Short of investing in what I understand are very expensive ceramic toner printers and high temp. kilns (they affix ceramic photo plaques to gravestones in Italy, for example) can anyone suggest how I can offer my intended customers the longest lifespan for their plaques?
……….Is cast vinyl still the most durable material for outside use? If so, what is absolutely the best – in terms of longevity – brand?
………..Does lamination increase the lightfastness (the plaques won’t be subject to too much abrasion)?
………..After laminating, can longevity be further increased by applying a liquid laminate or a varnish? And will a diy varnish adhere well to the vinyl or the laminate?

As a newbie to signage as well as to this forum, I am fascinated to learn that predicted top lifespans for signage vinyls are as low as a mere 7 years. Meantime. Epson and HP and other inkjet manufacturers are promising print longevities (albeit on their own specialist papers and under severely limited conditions) of up to 200 years. Why don’t you sign people, where size allows, use inkjet and paper and buckets of high grade varnish to ensure weather protection when making (smaller) outdoor signs? Why use vinyl at all?

welcome to the site Leonard,

i dont print, so i cant answer the first part of your question, but i don’t think a printed vinyl would last much longer than a few years, even given the fact you can uv protect with certain laminates etc, it’d be in full sun for the whole day (most likely), so longevity would be an issue,

as for the longevity of sign vinyls in general:

you mention HP etc claim life spans of 200yrs, and also mention that this is obviously under very controlled conditions,

the trouble with signage, as i see it, is that it’s generally only meant for a few years or so on a vehicle, and probably not a whole lot more if on a whop or window, so i think the longevity of the product, reflects the longevity of the applied job, some vinyls will only need to be on there for weeks, not even years !

why spend millions to develop a 50yr vinyl, when chances are, it’ll only be used for a 10th of that time !!

you alo have to consider weather extremes, a 200yr print will prob be in some temp / humidity controlled environment, where-as sign vinyls may have to go from as low as -15c to as high as 35c, and thats just in the uk, there’s snow, ice (contraction), rain. sun (expansion), etc etc, just not practical thinks me !!

why vinyl ? it’s sticky !

Hugh

[Peter Normington]

Hi leonard
welcome to the boards,
you seem to have answered your own question
Use an epson or HP 200 year durable print and buckets of varnish!

Problem is, laminates and varnish have a limited life also. 🙁

even traditional materials, like canvas and oil paints don’t last forever out doors, when subject to severe temperature changes, water and sunlight.

If you can find an cheap alternative to the ceramic route, Make sure you take out a patent, or keep it to yourself.

Vinyl is use for many forms of signage, but for vehicles, it is durable and pliable, apart from traditional paint or air brush, vinyl is the proven material.

Peter

[Martin Kennedy]

Hi Leonard.

Talk to Owen in Alpha Signs, Dublin – 01 6280188. He mentioned to me a couple of months ago that he was buying a machine to enter into this exact market. He might supply a trade service to you. (If you ask nicely!)

Cheers

Martin

[leonardcormack]

This is a reply to Hugh, Peter and Martin and to all those others of you who are at this very moment composing your replies to my query as to how to offer the longest possible longevity to my (hoped for) memorial plaque customers. A big, heartfelt, Easter Sunday THANK YOU to you guys for taking the trouble ….. and for welcoming me to the fraternity …..

Ok, Hugh, I take your point. Longevities of greater than a few years would be overkill as far as most signs are concerned. Damn!

And thank you, Peter. At first I thought you were just being a wise-guy, until I read beyond your opening remark about the bucket-loads of varnish. Seriously though, does anyone actually know how long colour print on paper (suitably water-proofed) might last outdoors subject to the full rigours of the British Isles climate?

And thank you too, Martin. I shall certainly call Owen as you suggest first thing Tues. morning.
CHEERS ——LEONARD

[Martin Pearson]

Hi Leonard welcome to the forum. If you look at the printers you are talking about and read the small print you will see that they are only good for 75 years plus if they are kept under certain controlled conditions. I have prints that I printed on a normal desktop printer at least 5 years ago and they still look good but they are kept in a photograph album. If I had put them outside in direct sunlight then they would have faded in a matter of days or a week at the most.

The main problem is ultra violet light from the sun which will fade most inks in a very short time. I had an encad printer which used pigmented inks but even with lamination I wouldn’t have expected to get any more than a couple of years outdoors before there were noticable signs of fading. for that reason I only used it for internal display graphics and short term outdoor graphics, if I had a van to do I would buy prints in from a company that had a solvent printer to ensure there wouldn’t be a problem with any of the graphics on the van.