First major laminating run

[joeraptor2003]

Hi All

Forgive me for the newbish question... I thought I would ask the pros before I make a costly mistake.
I have just printed out a long run of decals (about 20 feet) and now I need to laminate. After laminate I plan on putting back in to the Mimaki to cut. My question is.. What would be the best way to go about this? Should I keep the job all on one roll or should I cut them up into leafs? I am using a Daige solo 38 inch. I know its not the best one out there and I see it has some issues right from the factory that I have to pay close attention to. Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks
Joe

 

[rjssigns]

Our Roland print/cut device likes short pieces. You cannot cut into small pieces unless you have registration marks on each of those pieces. Meaning you have to have a mark in all four corners so the cutter knows where to start.

 

[joeraptor2003]

Besides it being your first time, do you have any reason to believe that the laminator won't work on a 20' run?

The most efficient way (assuming your laminator does what it's supposed to) is to take the roll (whether it's 20' or 150') from the take-up reel to the laminator. Web up your laminate and feed the whole roll through. Re-roll it on a core once it's been laminated then bring the whole lot over to the plotter, where it can just feed off the roll.

This cuts down on waste, time, and opportunity for something to go wrong.

Thank you for your input.. I get it now..I think the problem is I do not have the extra accessory for the roll holder (what I just printed). So my first initial runs have not been very good. If it lines up straight your good.. if not..then we have laminate that overlaps and causes big problems. Your system sounds precise and accurate as i need it to be. I need to get that piece or make my own holder.

 

[joeraptor2003]

Our Roland print/cut device likes short pieces. You cannot cut into small pieces unless you have registration marks on each of those pieces. Meaning you have to have a mark in all four corners so the cutter knows where to start.

Thank you... I am going to give the long run a try before I start dissecting... but yes I am aware of the regi marks and all. i appreciate everyones most valuable input.

Joe

 

[gregwallace]

We have a 10 foot table that we keep in front of the laminator for short runs. We just bump the table until its flush with the laminator and then use the 10 foot side to square our material up to the laminator. It also helps for mounting decals onto rigid substrates.

 

[supersignmart]

We have a Seal that we run 150' thru all the time with no problems.

 

[TXFB.INS]

not sure about the Mim, but the Roland Print/Cut DO NOT like to long runs with contour cutting

make sure it is properly lined up before starting, nothing worse then misaligned and by the end of the run not all the vinyl is getting the lamination.

CLEAN the vinyl as it goes in, that long of a run will build up static and attract foreign matter

 

[MikeD]

If you set everything up properly you should have no problem running entire rolls of material.
Make sure your materials are wound tightly and concentrically; no telescoping. Make sure your materials are centered on the laminator (and each other.) Make sure that the tension on your laminate matches that of your print. I'm not sure if your model has a take-up for your laminated print, but you should invest in one if not.
Good luck, and keep your fingers out of there!!