How are these made?

[Signed Out]

Looking to bid on some of these crosswalk signs, and trying to figure out if it would make sense to keep them in house.

What is the normal means of producing these? The fluorescent yellow-green and white parts are DG3 reflective, and the black and red parts seem to be opaque.

Can the yellow-green part be printed onto the white DG3, or can you use an overlay film? Or would you have to layer the white DG3 film over the yellow-green DG3 film?

 

[J Hill Designs]

quick guess would be screenprinted onto white DG

 

[HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX]

The red is a 3m EC Transparent Type Film (allows it to be dg relective with), The Diamond Grade Three Yellow Green cant be printed, its florescent. the black is opaque. and i would cut the white DG or high intensity white (whatever they spec) by hand, i cut a scrap vinyl template and lay out dg film and then hand cut it out and peel the black off. unless you think your plotter can cut it of course all though i wouldn't put it through it. they you can layer it as needed.

 

[HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX]

yes i would layer it this way, DGYG first, DG White, then black and red.

 

[J Hill Designs]

3M Process Colour Series 880I is designed as part
of the 3M™ MCS™ (Matched Component
System) for screen printing onto both applied and
unapplied 3M™ High Intensity Grade Sheeting
Series 3860, 3870 and 5870 or 3M™ Diamond
Grade™ Sheeting Series 3970 and 3990.

doubt its layered DG/trans

 

[Signed Out]

I figured the DG3 would have to be layered and not printable. But hand cutting? Wouldn't have thought that, never worked with DG3 before, must be some pretty tough stuff. Looks like farming out might be the way to go. Any suggestions who to use? Grimco has them but hopping to find a better price.

 

[HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX]

doubt its layered DG/trans

That's how they are made for Vdot and Mdot and DCdot approval here in northern va. and i know from experience from making thousands of highway and traffic signs.

 

[J Hill Designs]

That's how they are made for Vdot and Mdot and DCdot approval here in northern va. and i know from experience from making thousands of highway and traffic signs.

 

[HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX]

I figured the DG3 would have to be layered and not printable. But hand cutting? Wouldn't have thought that, never worked with DG3 before, must be some pretty tough stuff. Looks like farming out might be the way to go. Any suggestions who to use? Grimco has them but hopping to find a better price.[/QUOTE


yeah hand cut that white, unless you got a bad boy plotter that can cut it, its super thick, a former shop i worked at claimed there was a plotter to cut that DG and HIW, but idk


Farming out is prob best, dg and dg3 are up there in the price spectrum and something you may not need again. you could try Paynes Signs and Traffic Supplies in VA

http://payneslinesandsigns.com/

 

[jfiscus]

Reflexite (now owned by Oracal) has a material that is just as "reflective" (or whatever the standard name is) as 3M's (proprietary) material called Diamond Grade.
It is printable, but achieving the "green" may be impossible without a printer that doesn't have a green ink cart. (cmyk aint gonna cut it)

Most highway signage is layered, but a smaller sign like this is more "municipal" and can be changed if the specs of the bid & customer allow for producing it that way.

 

[ORAFOL Americas]

We actually offer a material that is made specifically for pedestrian crossing signs.

http://www.orafol.com/rs/americas/e.../items/reflexite-pedestrian-crossing-material

As recommended by HIGHSPEEDGRAPHIX, you will need to create the sign in layers.

 

[CanuckSigns]

quick guess would be screenprinted onto white DG

i agree, up here whenever we do traffic signs like this, we buy them from a huge company that makes them all over the country, it's never layered, always screenprinted on white DG reflective.

 

[Mattshel]

We have brought some of these through our shop before and they are screen printed. The overlay films are nice to work with but aren't very economical in terms of labour or price when you compare it to screen printing.