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edges lifting on prints after just 3 weeks????

M

max

New Member
Hello all,
was wondering if anyone has ever had a problem like this...
I printed a logo to install on a van that i waited 2 days before lamnating and contour cutting using oracal 3165ra. it was printed black all the way to the edge.
well the graphic is already lifting on the edges after being on the van for just 3 weeks. one thing to note is i installed this graphic onto a solid panel of vinyl that i installed first onto the van. so usually vinyl on vinyl= no problems...
my Oracal rep said that the calendered vinyl that i used may be the problem. he recommends that i never print all the way to the edge on calendered, to always use cast for this.
has anyone ever had this happen before. personally i wonder if the air release properties of this calendered vinyl could be the culprit when printing to the edge, maybe i should have use 3651 calendered which doesnt have the air release.
i also want to say that i know some folks stance on putting calendered on vehicles, but i personally have never ever had a problem with it on flat panels. have got stuff in the street that i put calendered on 7 or 8 yrs ago and still looks great...
thanks so much for any help or advice..
 
HulkSmash

HulkSmash

New Member
Why in the world are you using calendered vinyl on a vehicle? There's your culprit. Trying to save your customer money will always cost you more in the end...yeah - you may think it's ok.. but it's not
 
boxerbay

boxerbay

New Member
using oracal was your problem.. haha. j/k

could be many things.
prep - did you wipe it down with alcohol?
install - did you post heat it?

using calendared is not your problem. we've used calendared on econo jobs and they work fine.
 
Letterbox Mike

Letterbox Mike

New Member
1. Don't use calendered on a vehicle unless it is going on a flat surface and is not expected to last more than a year or two or is a promotional job.

2. In our experience Oracal's calendered films do not like heavy ink coverage at the edges. We stopped using it almost entirely because we would have edge curl almost every single time we had to print bleeds.
 
C

CanuckSigns

Active Member
I've printed right to the edge on lots of calendered films (including Oracal) before with no issues, both on some vehicles and on standard sign substrates, never had the edges curl up. did you use the correct laminate for the vinyl? aside from that, I would guess you have a faulty roll of vinyl.
 
HulkSmash

HulkSmash

New Member
... The vinyl wasn't faulty. Especially if the edges curls up. It just depends on the saturation of ink... Maybe you printed less passes then he did? Using Calendered films on a vehicle is a no no. Sure, i can paint my car in spray paint, it'll work - but not the right stuff.....
 
Bigdawg

Bigdawg

Just Me
I think you are right with the RA properties. I use 3651 on vehicles for flat logos (yes - I use 3M for wraps or curved areas) and print to the edges regularly. That should not be a problem... or at least it never has been with us. And the vehicle we do are subject to harsh Florida sun.

But I wouldn't dream of using a calendered RA vinyl the way you did with black to the edges. The 3165 RA is great material - but it does tend to pull on the edges when printed with heavy coverage. We only use it for unlaminated coro and gatorboard signs. I just don't trust it on anything else.
 
boxerbay

boxerbay

New Member
insignia said:
1. Don't use calendered on a vehicle unless it is going on a flat surface and is not expected to last more than a year or two or is a promotional job.
Click to expand...

Colo - you need to learn to meet your clients needs and expectations regardless of how you feel about it.

Boxtruck, adspace, one year contract = calendered.
They did not care about nice rivets or lasting more than one year. They said I have this much money and I need it done.
 
boxerbay

boxerbay

New Member
if there is money on the table... take it!

"you need shoes i got shoes. whats your budget? ahh I see... we have these lovely pair of keds that will fit you nicely. they look great on you. you like? i like.
thank you and have a great day."
 
ddarlak

ddarlak

Go Bills!
if there is money on the table... take it!

"you need shoes i got shoes. whats your budget? ahh I see... we have these lovely pair of keds that will fit you nicely. they look great on you. you like? i like.
thank you and have a great day."
Click to expand...

+1

not everyone lives in an area where the economy is moving....
 
"Deposit Please"

"Deposit Please"

New Member
have got stuff in the street that i put calendered on 7 or 8 yrs ago and still looks great...

...sure Max...not buying it...especially in FLA
 
O

OlsonSigns601

New Member
We use 3651 for ball park signs and some other flat surface signage and we always run into problems with full bleed ln the edges, if we dont let is sit for 24 hours. If we have to put it down after a print it helps to apply transfer tape on th edges.

Either way you have to watch it so it doesnt curl up on itsself.
 
Rooster

Rooster

New Member
Heavy coverage on vinyl can affect the adhesive. When I do ink limiting for custom profiles I always pull the vinyl off the backing and check to see where my limits are starting to really soften the vinyl and affect the adhesive behind it. Just because the print side looks good, doesn't mean I can use that much ink.

I set my ink limits up so they're right at that point, but when I have to print areas of solid black, I will use an RGB number of 5-5-5 or 10-10-10 instead of 0-0-0 and it prints a nice rich black, but stays far enough away from the "limit" of saturation the vinyl can take.

I've also found that laminating anything full bleed tends to help the edge stay stuck better.
 
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