How long do they normally last?

[abadsvt]

Hi guys! A customer came into the store today and was talking about how long should the vinyl last which got me thinking. How long should calandered vinyl laminated that has been printed on last in the real world. Has anyone made a sign then "x" amount of years later that same person brought the sign back in to be redone? Just trying to get actuall data and not speculation. Hope that makes sence. Thanks

Josh

 

[jasonx]

How long is a piece of string.

Where is the vinyl located. Which way is it facing. What are the weather conditions etc etc.

Calendared vinyl I'd give the client a guideline of 3 years. I've had signs up for 3 years with calendared vinyl and they look good. A bit of shrinkage but no curling as of yet.

I haven't had anything come back to me years later with the client saying it has faded etc etc.

 

[Bly]

I used this pic on my site to explain the effects of UV light on digital prints.
All printed at the same time I guess, the ones to the right copped more sunlight than the others.

 

[Jake - Advantage Signs]

That is great pic for that! Can I steal it? (But what does it have to do with the vinyl question?)

As another note, most of our customers don't seem to care that we offer printable vinyl with different lifetimes -- they almost always jump on the cheap stuff... I haven't been here long enough to see actual lifetime of current products, but I know that there are some real estate signs kicking around that are a couple of years old that still pretty decent.

 

[Jake - Advantage Signs]

How long is a piece of string.

I want this on a t-shirt!

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

3 years is a good starting point with sun on it ..lol remembers the vinyl people bashing us sign painters that paint fades badly and vinyl does not ..lol it cracks, shrinks and looks like garbage alot faster then paint
Now the print is even worse fads alot faster, cracks, shrinks, looks like garbage sooner

But on the other hand after 3 years ya want that job again and that's good business go figure oh they claim 5 or more years but who's gonna clean an wax or UV clear coat later which may make it curl later

if ya don't like my comments about vinyl well that's nothing compared to the lies vinyl people told or tell about a hand painted advertising

besides 3 years is fair .. since the price of sign advertising has dropped so low

 

[Gino]

I used this pic on my site to explain the effects of UV light on digital prints.
All printed at the same time I guess, the ones to the right copped more sunlight than the others.

I would like to know if YOU know for sure if this photo has been tampered with, because there are a lot of discrepancies here.

Generally red/magenta will fade or shift color first. In your sample here the pictures receiving the least amount of sun seem to be the ones that have shifted the least while those getting the most sun have changed dramatically. However, since the redness left the lettering portion…. why do you suppose the yellow is what is not lasting on the sunniest prints ?? Not to mention, if the yellow faded out of the last two prints…. how is it the yellow remained in the copy, but not the background ?? Oh yeah, and the yellow remained in the green leaf. How do you think that happened ?? I don’t know about ‘Down Under’ but around here color shift generally means that a color will be sucked out at the same rate across an entire print. When comparing that to paint or die cut vinyl, it will shift at various rates due to the nature of different elements comprising the different mediums.

That print looks mighty suspicious to me.

​

 

[BigfishDM]

I want this on a t-shirt!

Lol too funny! I want this on a shirt also!

 

[Border]

After reading the title of the post, All I could think of of is anything over 4 hours and you should call your Doctor.

But seriously, there are so many variables, that's a tough question to have a standard answer for.

 

[Bly]

II Jake - sure use it if you want.

Gino - I took the photo myself. Went past that shop every day for a couple of years and only took the pic a month before they finally reprinted the signs. It is what it is despite your suspicions. Nice theory though.

 

[Gino]

I'll take your word for it, but it still looks odd to me..... sorry.

 

[wildindian]

In enlish class once our teacher was asked how long was a book report. She replied "how long is a piece of rope". To which some wise acre replied "twice as long as a half".

 

[sfr table hockey]

I took the photo myself. Went past that shop every day for a couple of years and only took the pic a month before they finally reprinted the signs.

A post in another thread had yellow problems on trash can decals that faded to nothing. Any idea on the tme frame that those signs were up, to when the color faded?

 

[Bly]

I'll take your word for it, but it still looks odd to me..... sorry.

Don't be sorry, just admit you're wrong and move on..

 

[SignManiac]

Well the piece of rope I carry with me all the time is exactly 37" and hasn't changed length since I cut it off of a new roll 3 years, 4-1/2 months ago.

Hope this helps with the question.