HELP! Window Perf hates HP LATEX

[kkotvas]

Can someone provide a suggestion of a good window perf to use for the HP 360 and HP 560?

Currently we use Briteline 70/30 and 80/20. They are both terrible partly due to the overly thick liner and just other series of problems.

Once in a blue moon the 60" wide rolls of 80/20 will cooperate but more often than not we have a lot of problems with the material lifting off the platen during printing and the print heads will scrape across the media leaving major defects and heartache in its wake.
The 70/30 is new to us and I should have just listened to the terrible reviews before "going for it". But it was one of the few things available at the time. The 70/30 perf vinyl is separating from the liner while printing and leaves this vein like wrinkles behind across the entire with of media and moves from one side to another. (I'm thinking humidity has gotten to this roll at some point even though it is brand new to us).

PLEASE HELP. Looking for suggestions on perf that works well with the latex printers and holds up well over time.

 

[ikarasu]

We have used briteline a lot on our latex. The trick is very low heat, and high passes so it can cure properly. That usually fixes any lifting / walking.

It's not so much the thick liner... It's all the holes provide uneven tension when it gets heated and causes it to buckle.

Our goto in panorama window perf though. We run rolls of that without any head strikes or rubs at all. It also has a longer lifetime than most window perfs

 

[Asuma01]

We use the Clear Focus line of products with really good results on our HP latex. Its nice because we don't even have to use a special profile. It works great on our normal 40c-20 vinyl profile.

 

[Dan360]

We use ContraVision after problems with Ultraflex, Briteline and Clear Focus.

 

[Asuma01]

We use ContraVision after problems with Ultraflex, Briteline and Clear Focus.

Thats funny because we absolutely could not get good results with ContraVision products. Even after tweaking profile settings over and over and consulting with their service reps. It just wouldn't stop giving our machine head strikes and smearing ink.

 

[Dan360]

Thats funny because we absolutely could not get good results with ContraVision products. Even after tweaking profile settings over and over and consulting with their service reps. It just wouldn't stop giving our machine head strikes and smearing ink.

Yea it's been a crapshoot, we can get a brand running just fine and then nothing but problems half way through the roll. We tried like 6 different ones. Also ContraVision Campaign didn't work for us, the Performance version works great.

 

[Brad Gallant]

It has been my experience, that most problems with head-strikes on the HP latex printers is due to too much curing heat. The heat from the curing zone will cause the media to expand and since the pinch wheels are holding the media tight, it has no where to go and buckles under the expansion forces. Using a profile-setting with a higher number of passes and lower curing temperature will solve most issues with inexpensive vinyls and heat-sensitive medias. Printing at a higher-pass mode will allow the printer to dry the ink with less heat, because in order to maintain the same saturation, the mode will put less ink per pass. If you copy the profile and give it a new name, you can adjust as many settings as you like without worrying about getting back to the stock settings. It is a good idea to make sure you have cleaned the platen vacuum holes too. Clogged vacuum holes will reduce the suction to keep the media flat in the print zone. Having the media attached to the take up also helps keep it flat through the print-zone - especially with paper products.

 

[kkotvas]

We have used briteline a lot on our latex. The trick is very low heat, and high passes so it can cure properly. That usually fixes any lifting / walking.

It's not so much the thick liner... It's all the holes provide uneven tension when it gets heated and causes it to buckle.

Our goto in panorama window perf though. We run rolls of that without any head strikes or rubs at all. It also has a longer lifetime than most window perfs

thanks for the feedback! I will look into panaram window perf. Do you know who your vendor is for that material?

 

[kkotvas]

We use the Clear Focus line of products with really good results on our HP latex. Its nice because we don't even have to use a special profile. It works great on our normal 40c-20 vinyl profile.

Thanks for the feedback. I'll have to check out that brand. Do you know what laminate you use with the Clear Focus?

 

[kkotvas]

We use the Clear Focus line of products with really good results on our HP latex. Its nice because we don't even have to use a special profile. It works great on our normal 40c-20 vinyl profile.

Which version of the clear Focus do you use?

ClearFocus 65/35 ImageVue?​

or

Clear Focus Econovue® 60/40?​

or perhaps something else.

 

[Asuma01]

We use the 70/30 for store front windows & 50/50 for vehicles.
For lam we use their ClearLam, or CurvaLam. We have also used Arlon 3200 Optically Clear lam with good results.

 

[ikarasu]

thanks for the feedback! I will look into panaram window perf. Do you know who your vendor is for that material?

I buy it from laird. Not sure if laird in us carries it or not

 

[jwlllpl]

We spent the first year trying and wasting a lot of perf from pretty much any manufacturers we could get our hands on. Our final solution and least problematic with best color payoff has been Briteline 50/50 or 65/35. ICC profile we use is the Grimco Perf with long run check marked under the advanced settings. We typically do not laminate it but do offer the option to our customers. We have vehicles and windows from four years ago that still look very good. We are located in Florida so that is saying something. This has been our standard for the last four years.

 

[Shirthead]

I've used Gregory, Inc. for window perf. It's a 60/40 view but their 2C perforated has been in-stock and it's reasonably priced. Have had good results printing with it.

 

[AGCharlotte]

I used the Sihl w/ little problems... the briteline without the dual layer seems to work better in our latex. That heavy dual liner makes it buckle something awful. I've also used the contravision which wanted to buckle at the start, so as long as I held it to get going I was fine (contravision was significantly pricier than the Sihl & Briteline)

 

[GB2]

We spent the first year trying and wasting a lot of perf from pretty much any manufacturers we could get our hands on. Our final solution and least problematic with best color payoff has been Briteline 50/50 or 65/35. ICC profile we use is the Grimco Perf with long run check marked under the advanced settings. We typically do not laminate it but do offer the option to our customers. We have vehicles and windows from four years ago that still look very good. We are located in Florida so that is saying something. This has been our standard for the last four years.

Can I ask you what printer you are using.....what RIP are you using.....and exactly which profile?

 

[jwlllpl]

HP 360 Latex. Flexi12 (19 not so good) ICC Grimco Perf Generic with long run checked under advanced options.

 

[GB2]

The only profile I see from Grimco is the Briteline Window Perf 50/50, is that the one you are referring to?

 

[jwlllpl]

The only profile I see from Grimco is the Briteline Window Perf 50/50, is that the one you are referring to?

Yes, that is the one.

 

[brdesign]

Running window perf on HP560 I found that it important to use the take-up reel to keep tension on the material so it wouldn't buckle under the heaters. I would just stand there pulling on the perf to keep tension until I could attach it the take-up, or just feed out a couple of feet and attach it before starting the print if you are not too worried about wasting material.