Printing technique for ‘recognition express’ staff badges

[Robert Lambie]

i am guessing here, but sounds just like a standard with print then dome resin applied.
the badges can be bought in as they are, or you can do it yourself.
you print the stickers yourself and buy in dome resin kit and apply. many back posts on this subject too.. infact, i think there is an old demo showing what is needed.

[tttractor]

I am now off to investigate

Thanks for your help
Deborah

[tttractor]

I delved into the boards, reading all the great info that people have shared.

I saw mention of UV curing liquids which could possibly be used for doming and my heart skipped a beat.

I have a small uv curing oven that I used to use for producing photos onto plates and other ceramic items and I still have some liquid left from some orders at Christmas.

I also do quite a bit of sublimation printing onto t-shirts, mugs, placemats and lots of other items, using an epson 1290 and heat presses.

I already had an ID badge that I’d made last year by sublimated my details, as a ‘freelance photographer’ (my other passion) onto. It’s a 1 by 2″ ‘unisub’ badge

I applied the UV curing liquid straight onto the badge and put it in the curing oven for five minutes and BOB’s YOUR UNCLE, out it came……. PERFECT!

Thanks everyone for all your help, ideas and experience, now I can accept the order for the ID badges for my school, (where I work as an IT Technician) and hopefully it will lead onto more schools.

😀

[Jim Clough]

Hi Deborah
If the badges looked plastic they may be Fibre Reinforced Plastic which are printed by dye-sublimation. Then, as Robert suggested, resin domed.

Cheers
Jim

[tttractor]

Hi Jim

What you described, I think is the way I’ve just done it.

The recognition express way, I think, is the way described on the boards, using a vinyl and then domed because the top of there badge peels off and is sticky on the bottom of the print.

But mine is all one piece and even if someone did manage to prise the doming off, they would still be left with the badge (and all the details), just without the doming.

If this did happen the badge could easily be re-domed.

Deborah

[Jim Clough]

H Deborah
We must have posted messages at the same time, I wasn’t aware you did dye-sub. The fluid you used, which I assume is the liquid polymer for photo Glazing, would leave a flat surface rather than domed, however, I should imagine this would give the badge some UV resitance. Interesting idea that.
I do Dye- Sublimation on a full time basis and use the 1290 with Artanium bulk system, which ink do you use?
Need any info re. suppliers?

Cheers
Jim

[tttractor]

I have dye-subbed on and off for about 5 years now.

I started off using Sawgrass inks from Novachrome, which gave good results but used to clog up my epson 850 all the time.

I have used Rotech, Xpres and now also use Artanium and I’m very pleased with the results.

I use lots of different suppliers for different things and would have said that I knew of all the things that could be done with my set ups but my experience today has shown that to be wrong, so if you want to share your suppliers with me then I’m up for it.

Back to the doming. – If anything my badge is domed higher than there’s.

If I was using my UV liquid to coat a plate then I would keep it heated up in a babies bottle warmer to keep it runny, so I wouldn’t use so much per plate and to eliminate the bubbles.

For the badge I used it room temperature, straight from the bottle and then sucked up the few bubbles with a syringe.

Its not set quite as hard as the other badge but good enough for what I want it for.

I wonder if I leave it in the oven longer it might set harder, I will have to give it a try but now I’m thinking about all the other things I could coat with it……

Deborah

[Jim Clough]

Hi Deborah
After 5 years you’re probabally aware of the main suppliers. However http://www.matatak.com do bar runners (AKA drip mats) 3 sizes, first 2 sizes can be done with 1290. something a little different.
I know that Tropical Graphics UK have some new things on the horizon, floor tiles made in some kind of lino, apparrenly the image prints through a protective coating. Also they are developing some kind of outdoor signage done using dye-sub.

Cheers
Jim

[budone]

mmmm couldn’t possibly give away any trade secrets on something so important 😉

[Jim Clough]

Hope to find more details in coming week. Not sure if outdoor signage is for small or large format. Sublimation is not normally UV resistant outdoors, I believe the answer may be in the substrate and/or coating. The lino tiles were originally going to be for large format but may be produced in smaller sizes for 1290 printer.

Cheers
Jim

[tttractor]

Jim

I will keep an eye on those sites for updates.

Thanks for the info.

Where abouts in Lincs are you based?

Deborah

[Jim Clough]

Hi Deborah
I’m based in Grantham. (Originally from Northumberland)

Cheers
Jim

[tttractor]

I’m in Spalding, originally from Notts