Can this work?

[PROBIRD]

New to printing on vinyl, usually cut it, can you roll clearshield on 3640 adhesive vinyl or is laminating vinyl only to be done with adhesive laminate?

May be a dumb question but i really do not want to waste my time if it will not work right.

And, has anyone ever used prismjet banner material?
I am going to start making banners that are 6ox147 and am concerned with the longevity and the lamination part of it, i am using a prismjet extra with eco solvent.

Thanks in advance.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

Yes you can use liquid laminate on vinyl but make sure it's a water base for solvent ink, and solvent base for pigment ink or dye.

As for banner material I only use Ultra Flex. with no laminate.

 

[PROBIRD]

Thanks for the input.

I printed on some 18oz pvc vinyl and the ink was to easy to scratch off, so i am gonna laminate it.

 

[bob]

New to printing on vinyl, usually cut it, can you roll clearshield on 3640 adhesive vinyl or is laminating vinyl only to be done with adhesive laminate?

May be a dumb question but i really do not want to waste my time if it will not work right.

And, has anyone ever used prismjet banner material?
I am going to start making banners that are 6ox147 and am concerned with the longevity and the lamination part of it, i am using a prismjet extra with eco solvent.

You most certainly can use Clear Shield on most any sort of solvent print. O always use it on banners and art prints on canvas as well as a lot of prints on vinyl. I seldom actually laminate a print unless it's going to be in some sort of extreme abrasive environment or there are some sort of installation considerations.

Contrary to what a lot of folk in this neighborhood believe, other than the aforementioned abrasive environment, Clear Shield does just as well as a vinyl laminate. It's thinner, about 1 mil when properly applied, lasts just as long as most anything else, has a far better bond to the print than a vinyl laminate, and is surprisingly tough.

Be sure to use the original formula, none of the special mixtures they have adheres as well.

 

[john1]

Yep, you can put clearshield waterbased liquid laminate on any solvent printed vinyl. I found the best way for ME to apply it is with those cheap foam craft brushes you can buy. I have like a 3" wide one that i use. I simply rinse it out and use it over and over. You can get a few times out of 1 brush and they are under $1.00 each at walmart or any craft store.

I know a lot of people put water in the liquid to thin it out but i haven't had any issues with using it straight out of the bottle.

 

[Speedsterbeast]

I have not tried the liquid either. When is it applied to the print?
And can you put app. tape over it for installing the print wothout hurting the Clear Shield bond?

 

[Flame]

Alright, so just to clear some stuff up.

I printed on some 18oz pvc vinyl and the ink was to easy to scratch off, so i am gonna laminate it.

First off...why are you scratching on a banner? lol. And this scratch test you did, did you do it straight off the printer or 2 hours later? Ink right out of the printer is not 100% bonded and still a little "wet", ESPECIALLY on banner material (x2 usually since you have to turn the heaters down to run banner material).

I have never had a problem with abrasion resistance on printed banners. No lam.

I seldom actually laminate a print unless it's going to be in some sort of extreme abrasive environment or there are some sort of installation considerations.

So chemical resistance, longevity, fade resistance and all that jazz are really not to be considered eh?

As for banner material I only use Ultra Flex. with no laminate.

Hard to go wrong here!!!

 

[bob]

I have not tried the liquid either. When is it applied to the print?

Whenever. It's best when dry to the fingertip drag test, but more often than not I coat pretty much right out of the printer.

As others have noted, use a 3" foam brush. You can wash these out right after use and use them again and again. I generally get a year out of one.

You can thing the Clear Shield, the factory says 20%, I thin it until its the consistency of whole milk. You sort of mop it on with almost but not quite a dry brush. A little bit goes a long way and be sure to cover the entire print. It's easy to miss a spot, especially in places where there is no printing.

Not only does it provide the aforementioned abrasion and UV protection, it also noticeably brightens colors.

Every banner that leaves this shop is coated with Clear Shield. For a 3x6 it takes less than 5 minutes from start through cleanup. I always keep about an 1" or so, properly thinned in a Cool Whip bowl. Just pop the lid off, use it, and snap the lid back on. It keeps for months this way.

Note that Clear Shield is chameleon-like in its glossiness. It tends to take on the gloss of the media. If you put gloss on matte media, it will come out more matte than gloss. Likewise if you use satin on glossy media, it comes out more glossy than satin.

And can you put app. tape over it for installing the print wothout hurting the Clear Shield bond?

Yes. Be sure and use the original formula. The other formulations have been known to separate the Clear Shield. I speak from experience and have been using original formula for years with high tack R-Tape Comply and have never had a problem. To err on the safe side try to mask right before application. The longer you leave a print sitting around masked, the tighter the bond becomes on the app tape adhesive.

 

[PROBIRD]

My banners are going to handled alot, installed on the weekend then removed, rolled up and stored in 6" tubes till the next weekend. I also have to sew the edges, so was thinking the lam might keep the sewing machine feet from scratching the printed side.

Thanks for the info.