Prints on Curtainside trailers – advice please on APA vinyl?

[Gordon Higgins]

Hi dave i use apa almost every day on curtains and yes they have a curtain vinyl which is for printing which i use also and yes you can fit it to a inked surface but just make sure you use water when fitting it as it is like chewing gum .

cheers
gordon

[Steve Lamb]

Dont and cant laminate curtain side vinyl.

I concur with Gordon, up til the part about wet! 🙂

I have been using this stuff for over 10 years and have NEVER applied curtain side wet, whether Avery or APA. It can give you problems. Just get the curtain tight as a drum, should go down nice and flat for you.

Good Luck. 🙂

[Gordon Higgins]

quote Steve Lamb:

Dont and cant laminate curtain side vinyl.

I concur with Gordon, up til the part about wet! 🙂

I have been using this stuff for over 10 years and have NEVER applied curtain side wet, whether Avery or APA. It can give you problems. Just get the curtain tight as a drum, should go down nice and flat for you.

Good Luck. 🙂

Hi steve i also fit apa dry never wet .what i meant to say was if fitting printed apa onto a curtain then do it wet especially if it is a large print as the solvent changes the adhesive and makes it very soft .i have used every method of fitting and found i get a brilliant result using just water (no soap)
on printed apa

and apa also do a lamanate for apa curtain vinyl but it is not that great as i had a large print fail badly last year using it

cheers
gordon

[David Rogers]

If your glue is still super sticky then the print solvents probably haven’t come out of the vinyl fully.

[Dave Armstrong]

Hi All and thanks for replies.

I was concerned re printing as obviously I don’t want to see trailers with white panels on as time goes by.

They have there own trailer car wash, so the abrasion of the brushes cause concern.

I will be doing the curtains off the trailers which makes it easier.

Is there a great difference in using APA digital to normal for printing?

And I take it that solvent inks are the right ones to use and allow time to out-gas?

Thanks Dave

[Gordon Higgins]

Hi dave you can print onto the standard apa curtain vinyl no probs .i have done it many a time also if they are using a truck wash the the print will fade very quickly so you need to let them know this especially if it is brushes

[Robert Walker]

hi all
to guarantee a color match can you use the apa truck vinyl
on van panels?

[Gordon Higgins]

quote Robert T Walker:

hi all
to guarantee a color match can you use the apa truck vinyl
on van panels?

no mate totally different material

[Robert Walker]

thanks Gordon,

didn’t think so.

[Jon Marshall]

Thread resurecction…..just been asked to do some printed truck curtain stuff. Is it still APA to choose or are there more brands available now?

[Robert Lambie]

yeh, APA, Avery and 3M. but your more cost effective option is the APA.
do not fit it wet, only dry. If you have to print onto it be sure to leave it from 24-72hrs to out gas the inks. if only light coverage give it 24 hrs hanging prints, dont coil them. Ink saturation, particularly solvent prints will effect the vinyl and the adhesive creating a fail. once out gassed, laminate it with an equivalent laminate. allow a laminate bonding period in a warm environment.

make sure you get the truck curtain ridged tight before applying. if you have a spare set of hands, get someone inside the truck holding a stiff board against the curtain. ive done this in the past when felt or cloth covered squeegees hadn’t been invented. works a treat. 😀

[Robert Lambie]

Correction, 3M do not offer curtain side material any longer.

[Chris J Griggs]

quote Gordon Higgins:

quote Steve Lamb:

Dont and cant laminate curtain side vinyl.

I concur with Gordon, up til the part about wet! 🙂

I have been using this stuff for over 10 years and have NEVER applied curtain side wet, whether Avery or APA. It can give you problems. Just get the curtain tight as a drum, should go down nice and flat for you.

Good Luck. 🙂

Hi steve i also fit apa dry never wet .what i meant to say was if fitting printed apa onto a curtain then do it wet especially if it is a large print as the solvent changes the adhesive and makes it very soft .i have used every method of fitting and found i get a brilliant result using just water (no soap)
on printed apa

and apa also do a lamanate for apa curtain vinyl but it is not that great as i had a large print fail badly last year using it

cheers
gordon

I have also had prints fail and Apa came to look and said it was TFR cleaner,
Laminate had gone yellow and had cracked at the top 300mm of the curtain
I had to replace 8 face pictures full height of 12 ton truck,cost me a fortune. But as there is no alternative
Now I still use it but have been liquid laminating ( Landor ) harder to fit but looks ok.
Now I’ve got to do a full side 6m x2m full print any tips ?
I have fitted on truck and mainly do them off, and have been using
For over 15 years but never this big , stretch and registration with 6 drops

Help chris

[Kevin Flowers]

Hi
you would be better getting a curtain printed rather than using vinyl on a complete curtain believe someone on the boards does it complete ready to fit

Kev

[John Dorling]

+1 on getting it printed. I’ve done a few designs for printed curtains in the last couple of years and they look great. Also I’ve had the APA laminate fail and I won’t use it any more. We have used WJ Leech for printed curtains with good results.

John

[Chris J Griggs]

Yes Apa laminate when rusty yellow at the top looked and felt like dead skin,
It had been damaged by chemicals they thought but we will never know,
The 3m reflective had delaminates also.
Any way I am now using Landor Liquid Laminate on my Apa curtain Prints
And with carefull application it looks great and Like a professional fleet graphic
Should look ! not thick and just waiting to crack. The Apa cut truck graphics were
Not effected at all strange would have thought they also would have been effected Apa say not ?

[John Dorling]

Same here it was only the laminate on the printed vinyl that failed. The APA pigmented cut vinyl we used for lettering has stayed on very well.

John

[Martyn Heath]

Hi i know this is an old post but im just starting to cut my 1st lorry curtain, i actually have 5 lorries to do and have a squeeky bum to say the least. Something i have seemed to overlook is application tape. I brought in 100m of my usual medium tack but the apa instructions say to use low tack??

Much appreciate a quick response 🙂

[Chris J Griggs]

I use medium tack all the time and fit to curtains on and off the truck

[Martyn Heath]

Fantastic, thanks for your response!

[Gordon Smithard]

Stronghold in Hoddesdon supply truck curtains and they print onto them as well if you give them the artwork. Often easier and may even be cheaper.

[Ewan Chrystal]

Sorry for resurrecting an old post but where can i get APA curtain vinyl?

[Chris J Griggs]

020 8311 4400 Apa uk

[Simon Worrall]

Has anyone solved the yellowing laminate problem?