Clear vinyl issues?

[Unitedhbn]

I have a small dilemma. I have a roland vs640 (with white ink) and I have a job that requires white ink printed on clear vinyl. Unfortunately Roland only has one type of clear vinyl (CCVP = http://www.rolanddgastore.com/product.aspx?zpid=1846). The problem I'm not really impressed with this vinyl. It only has 2-3 year outdoor life and it claims to only be
"water resistant." It's vinyl why wouldn't it be water proof? The clarity of this clear vinyl isn't good at all. The adhesive makes the clear areas around the print look cloudy and it's not very transparent. When you put it on a window the cloudiness of clear vinyl around the print make it look cheap and poor quality. Is this the way that all clear vinyl is? Is it impossible to create completely transparent adhesive? Maybe I'm being to picky?

I'm wondering if there's a better clear vinyl out there that has better clarity and is compatible with VS640. I am laminating these stickers with good quality 3M laminate. However the clarity is poor and ugly with this vinyl even before I laminate it. Any one have some tips?

-Dave

 

[SightLine]

Stick some optically clear cast laminate in and print away...... Odds are VERY high it will work just fine. We print on it on our solvent Mimaki no problem.

If you want to extended the life, just like any printed vinyl, laminate it as well.

 

[Unitedhbn]

So you recommend that I print on laminate? Is there a brand or media you recommend?

 

[SightLine]

Oracal 290 GF optically clear works great for us.... but yeah. Print on laminate. The only catch with printing on something like that is the surface is not guaranteed to be free of contaminants is all. In all the many times I've done it with the Oracal though I've never once had any problem at all. That also what we use for backlit signs. Instead of double striking the front which makes the image very dark and ugly during the day but looks good at night (or print normal and it looks washed out at night). Print normal front, then print a reverse image on clear and apply it to the inside of the acrylic face. Looks great both day and night.

 

[FatCat]

Oracal 3651 clear is all we use here. Holds up well enough to last several years outside and is made for printing.

 

[Chasez]

3M IJ 8150 Optically clear is what we use, laminate with the 8150 on top. If you have a printer with the 3M MCS warranty approved inks, this combo will be warranted for 5 yrs outdoor (if I remember correctly off the top of my head) and 8 yrs indoors.

Chaz

 

[Unitedhbn]

Any one have success printing on "3M IJ 8150 Optically clear" on a Roland VS640? No profiles available for this media on their web site. Maybe I can get away with using a generic profile on this media?

This media is expensive. Seems a bit expensive to use for window stickers. I suspect this media is mostly used for vehicle wraps.

 

[neil_se]

All optically clear vinyls are going to be expensive.

 

[Chasez]

Any one have success printing on "3M IJ 8150 Optically clear" on a Roland VS640? No profiles available for this media on their web site. Maybe I can get away with using a generic profile on this media?

This media is expensive. Seems a bit expensive to use for window stickers. I suspect this media is mostly used for vehicle wraps.

We print on 2 different printers (epson s50670 and seiko CP w64s) and the epson has an 8150 profile, but the seiko doesnt so we just use a generic clear profile, works without issues.

3M is more expensive but I've never had it fail in my 15yrs in the industry... we mainly use it because we provide the MCS warranty with it which is above all else a huge selling point to our customers.

Chaz

 

[mdjamesd]

If you haven't tried it yet, give the Mactac JJ5999MBF. Stuff is amazing for clear vinyl, I print on it using he IJ180 profile, and i prints beautifully. Also has a bubble free adhesive. Once printed,, and applied, I haven't had a customer say anything about "the adhesive crosshatch" pattern.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

As to the waterproof question on the vinyl. The vinyl is most likely waterproof but not the adhesive.