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Cold laminate coming off printed vinyl decal during car wash whats the fix?

srw101

New Member
I hope you're as pissy with whoever told you that lie, as you are with everyone here who told you the truth.

I'm not really pissy, after all it's only ink. I'm not mad at these guys either, It's their professions not mine it's more the distasteful comments and accusations that I'm cranking these things out and doing some kind of disservice of which I'm not.
 
Reading

To OP, You should have read around and do some searching first before posting your questions. Most of the time those questions on your mind can be answered in reading the threads, researching and educating yourself in that particular print process. Google is there for basic questions and signs101 experts are here to give recommendation and share their experiences.

I got a ton of information and knowledge here by just reading and putting keywords on the search bar or adding "signs101" to my google search keywords. But your best teacher is your experience..
 

Jester1167

Premium Subscriber
OP, you actually put some thought into the process and tried a few thing before you asked a question. Kudos.

The problem is that the professionals that have been on Signs101 for a long time have seen questions like these 5 to 10 times a week for years and it gets old. It's hard to take someone seriously that's using a dye based aqueous office style printer for exterior decals. And, a lot of us were around in the infancy of this industry and had to compete with the company's using HP5500's. I still remember seeing faded wraps that looked 15 years old that were only a year or two old.

Below are explanations of the different ink types.


Aqueous vs. Solvent

Aqueous inks are water-based inks that are safe and easy-to-use in homes, offices, schools, and businesses. Aqueous inks flow easily through the thermal inkjet print heads that can be easily replaced by anyone who uses the printer.

Solvent, eco-solvent, latex, and UV-cure inks are formulated for higher levels of print production in commercial, industrial, or in-house print shops. While these inks can produce more durable prints on less costly materials, users of these inks must meet special requirements for safety, environmental compliance, print room ventilation, or higher power consumption associated with heaters or UV-curing lamps.

Dye vs. Pigment

From historic letters written during the Civil War, to the United States Constitution* to the ancient cave paintings of Altamira in Spain, these revered works hold timeless lessons on the fundamental characteristics of dye and pigment inks. Longevity is the key differentiator; however each ink type has its own unique benefits. To determine which type of ink to use, ask yourself: “What am I trying to achieve with my prints?”

What is Dye? I usually refer to dye-based inks as food coloring mixed in water because that is essentially what it is – a colorant that is fully dissolved and in liquid solutions, resulting in the ink being soaked into a given substrate.

Why use Dye? If you’re looking for high color vibrancy and saturation and exceptional image detail, choose dye. With dye-based ink comes a wide color gamut and high Dmax (density of black). However, given its water-based consistency, dye has a tendency to fade over time, and since it’s water-soluble, the ink will run when it gets wet

What Applications? Dye-based ink is ideal for printing photos or on paper, and can even be used for image transfer, such as clothing dye and sublimation printing. Think of projects consisting of at-home photos, invitations and a range of business materials (e.g. charts, graphs, posters).

What is Pigment? I like to describe pigment ink as finely ground charcoal mixed with water. In other words, pigment-based ink is not necessarily water soluble, but rather very fine particles of solid colorant suspended in liquid that are then deposited and reside on the surface of the substrate being utilized.

Why use Pigment? Longevity, longevity, longevity. Pigment ink particles have the unique ability to form a bond with the medium being used, resulting in long-lasting, fade-resistant output.

What applications? Silk screen printing, fine art, and professional photography always use pigment-based ink. In addition, T-shirt art is typically printed with pigment-based ink. For these types of applications, durability and longevity is critically important.
 

bob

It's better to have two hands than one glove.
I'm not really pissy, after all it's only ink. I'm not mad at these guys either, It's their professions not mine it's more the distasteful comments and accusations that I'm cranking these things out and doing some kind of disservice of which I'm not.

Look kid, this is a public forum. You get to post things others get to respond. While it can be endlessly entertaining, there is little else to be gained by responding to responses. It merely makes you look a larger fool. So ask your question, put on your big kid pants, and scan through the responses. There may be, and in the case of this thread there most certainly are, answers to be found.

When you find something useful try not to confuse a package's wrapping with its contents. And stifle the urge to comment on comments. Keep in mind one of the lesser of Godwin's laws; "Who ever gets the last word loses." Just let it go.
 

srw101

New Member
Thank you for this, this is what I've been waiting on. Unfortunately this is the most unfriendly forum I've ever encountered, pros or not. If they've ever treated there customers like this they shouldn't be in business. Consider this thread closed.
 

Gino

Premium Subscriber
Thank you for this, this is what I've been waiting on. Unfortunately this is the most unfriendly forum I've ever encountered, pros or not. If they've ever treated there customers like this they shouldn't be in business. Consider this thread closed.

Now, you want friends ?? You actually call us names and spit on us and then say we're not friendly ?? How is it, we are the ones answering you honestly, you can't take it, but we've been in business for decades ?? You wonder how we have customers, while you should be asking yourself, whose eventually gonna teach you anything at all. You're the kinda kid at recess, everyone stayed away from, cause ya had cooties. :popcorn:
 

ams

New Member
You know I laminated Avery printable translucent a couple of months ago and the laminate fell off, the vinyl felt like powder. Never found out what it was.
 

srw101

New Member
Mine is just a little edge peel, not complete separation. I just need to go back to the the drawing board from what I've learned here.
 

0igo

New Member
this reminds me of that one time I made a rookie mistake and asked for help on how to price my signs & Gino came at me with a whole essay on why I wasn't supposed to pursue this path and whatnot lol. anyways it's the same mean guys that will teach you to man up, take the harsh criticism and keep moving lol. some call it teaching, many call it bullying, I call it Donald Trumping.
 

srw101

New Member
By drawing board I hope you mean solvent printer sales company...
Yes, I've realized that it has to be solvent ink or multilayer vinyl. Multilayering is probably considered prehistoric in terms of commercial grade decals. I also understand that solvent inks will not work in my current printer because of the fact that it basically breaks down the plastic heads and tubing.

I'ver learned the solvent printers are a lot more expensive and I'm ok with that. I can still use my pigment inks for making shirts because I have a heat press so it's not a total loss. Now I just have to research a small solvent printer, I know they're out there and I'm not giving up on the idea of vinyl printing, just delaying it for a while.
 

player

New Member
Yes, I've realized that it has to be solvent ink or multilayer vinyl. Multilayering is probably considered prehistoric in terms of commercial grade decals. I also understand that solvent inks will not work in my current printer because of the fact that it basically breaks down the plastic heads and tubing.

I'ver learned the solvent printers are a lot more expensive and I'm ok with that. I can still use my pigment inks for making shirts because I have a heat press so it's not a total loss. Now I just have to research a small solvent printer, I know they're out there and I'm not giving up on the idea of vinyl printing, just delaying it for a while.

You could look at a used 30" Roland. It would be print/cut. Comes with free RIP software.
 

player

New Member
Have you ever bought a used roland? What kind of problems can I expect to have from a used printer?

You would want to know the hours, head shots and number of head strikes if any. All this info is available from the machine in service mode. If you find one with low hours and has a perfect test print plus the cutter tracks with the printed images you should be fine. You need to do lots of research so you know what you are buying. Roland's are pretty solid. Dealer would be a good starting place plus you may get a warranty. Low hours are important to me.
 
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