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Vinyls whats the shelf life once purchased?
Hi all Im in the mood for a clear out. I have vinyls on my racking that have been around for years and was wondering what the self life must be. I mainly stock 9800 Macal and Avery 700/800. I do alot of insurance work so have lots of odds and sods left over from jobs. How do you all keep the stock down? I did think moving forward to date the inside of the rolls on colours/makes i dont usually stock and then look to chuck after a few years if not used up. Ive only got a small unit and cant see the wood for the trees on some days :rollseyes:
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4 Replies
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Hiya,
I think most manufacturers would specify 1 year, all down to the adhesive really as the film will last for a long time! -
I am still using vinyl I bought up to 15 years ago. Oracal 551 and 751.
Both still work fine. -
Similar experiences with Simon above.
I’ve used some old Metamark series 7 vinyls after 5,6 years in my workshop and never had a complain.
Only trouble I get with some specialty OLD vinyls is when they are old – the come off the backing paper with some difficulty.
My vinyls are always stored away from direct sun light. -
I have always understood the warranty life from the manufacturer is a 2 year shelf life.
I would imagine this being from their actual distribution date though.
2 years seems a long time, but it really is not when you consider shipping time from abroad, to supplier selling, then to us lot selling on to our customers.The more I fully understand from experience, about so called warranties at "every level", the more it gets my back up!
That said, I also see things from the manufacturers stand point, through to suppliers. so maybe its a bit of swings and roundabouts… I am a on the fence with it all, but two feet over on side with the sign, print and wrap companies. :smiles:Nowadays, If I had stock going back even a couple of years i would look closer at how i was purchasing my vinyl.
do not get me wrong, i have had plenty old vinyl on our racks in an array of colours, in the past, but these days i would flip if some random colour was bought without the customer paying a premium for it. especially when having printers readily available and next day delivery from XY & Z suppliers. Suppliers do a good job at stocking a wide range of colours and series, and 9/10 times can be on your doorstep next morning at low cost or even free delivery.Depending on the vinyl brand and quality, there are various issues that can happen before the vinyl even gets to your plotter.
* Vinyl shrinks on the roll.
* Vinyl becomes brittle.
* Vinyl becomes difficult to weed.
* Vinyl will not lift with application tape from the liner.
* Vinyl does not cut clean with the plotter.
* Vinyl creates tunnelling when un-reeled and creates plotter jams when cutting.
* Vinyl creates tunnelling when un-reeled and will not track correct when cutting.
* Vinyl has poor adhesion on substrate surface.
* Accelerated shrinkage on the likes of vehicles.
* Surface gloss of the vinyl has a satin/matt finish/appearance due to tension wound for so long a period.
* Surface spiral lines from the roll core appear on the vinyl face due to tension wound for so long a period.there are probably more adverse effects but there are some to think about. As i have said above, i am not knocking anyone doing it. if joe blogs came in tomorrow for a correx board for sale sign and i found an old roll of "Autac" or something from the past, (showing my age) then yes i would use it, and why not on a "budget short life" sign where customers want everything for nothing.
anyway, just my 2p worth. :smiles:
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