How long would these faces last?

[3Dsigns]

4x8 clear polycarb faces with translucent PRINTS on the backside. How long should they last? The cabinet is 20'' deep, Thanks!

 

[Gino]

What or how is this thing gonna be diffused ??

 

[3Dsigns]

Fluorescent tubes. and they are flat faces, but the cabinet is 20'' so I would think there would be no hot spots. No?

 

[Gino]

Not lit, but maybe my question wasn't specific enough.

When using clear faces the whole thing should have a uniform white something over the entire backside of the print (or face) so it diffuses the light evenly. I presume you are also printing to clear, since you're doing a reverse on clear. Most colors need a white background to light up properly.

As long as the face is 4" or more away from the lamps, you won't have any hot spots.

 

[3Dsigns]

Yes, there would be solid white vinyl on the negative space. My thinking on putting the print on the backside or "reverse" is that it would last longer. no?
Otherwise I would just use white polycarb and put normal translucent vinyl on the fronts of the faces.

 

[Gino]

An easy way is to put your vinyl on the front of white poly, laminate it, then for some added protection, put a thin piece of UV clear on top of that and slide it all in at once.

Is this thing at all possible to die-cut outta translucent vinyl..... or must it be printed ??​

 

[3Dsigns]

I would rather cut it out of translucent vinyl but my plotter only cuts 24'' and I would have to panel/seam it.

 

[3Dsigns]

I guess I could hire another shop with a bigger plotter to cut it for me.

 

[Marlene]

Yes, there would be solid white vinyl on the negative space. My thinking on putting the print on the backside or "reverse" is that it would last longer. no?
Otherwise I would just use white polycarb and put normal translucent vinyl on the fronts of the faces.

You would need to apply white to the entire backside, not just in the negative spaces. Have you seen painted faces done on clear? The image is painted and then the entire back is sprayed white. Same principal.

 

[petepaz]

so if you print a backlit panel direct to the substrate say with a UV flatbed you need to flood with white so when it lights up the light will be consistent through the whole panel?
can you also use a translucent white vinyl mounted over the printing?

 

[Marlene]

so if you print a backlit panel direct to the substrate say with a UV flatbed you need to flood with white so when it lights up the light will be consistent through the whole panel?
can you also use a translucent white vinyl mounted over the printing?

Yes, you could apply white translucent over the print.

Back to the how long will it last question. Prints depend on a lot of factors including the type of print, exposure to light and such so hard to say. If you use UV resistant clear polycarb and print on the back, it will most likely last longer than if you printed on the front and laminated it.

 

[signman315]

if using clear substrate then reverse print clear applied to back side and laminate it with white translucent...But if you double strike the ink the colors will be dark during the day and correct when lit, or if you don't double strike the ink it will look good when not lit and washed out when lit....

if using white/translucent substrate then forward print clear vinyl and laminate with a good laminate (i.e. oracal 3651 clear laminated with oraguard 215) and apply to front side...but you will still have the light/dark issues depending on if you double strike the ink or not...

solution is to apply the laminated/clear print to the face of the white/translucent and don't double strike the ink...then print the same design in reverse and apply it to the back side (I laminate the back side for ease of install but might not be as necessary on the back)...don't double strike the ink on either print. The end result is that the color looks correct when lit or not. And because the two prints are separated by substrate (white diffuser) you don't have to worry about lining up the two prints exactly. If you are within 1/8" or less then the line up looks good since the light is diffused after it passes through the back side anyway. I've done this many times on acrylic and polycarb and have signs out there that are 5+ years old and look like the day they were printed. Very important to use a good laminate on the print of the front surface that is your primary protection against UV.

You can do the same process with UV direct print but I typically avoid because you will still have to laminate the front surface or it won't last. I have a UV printer but haven't had a lot of success direct printing for this application...it works but not ideal and is less durable and really doesn't save a lot of time/money over applying vinyl (for this application). And you would still need to worry about getting a good line up and not scratching the print during transport/install. UV prints scratch more easily than laminated vinyl prints. Just my 2 pennies

 

[Sandman]

What's wrong with seams? I've done it several times. A 1/16 overlap cannot be seen from normal viewing distance. The only time I wouldn't seam translucent vinyl is for close view interior signs. You'll certainly get longer life out of quality cut vinyl.