HP 26500 weak printing on clear.

[juan45215]

We're trying to print on Orajet 3651 clear, laminate and put on translucent acrylic for backlit sign face. Caldera rip. Tried 3651 profile, then 24 pass, then orajet 3850 profile, then 24 pass. We just have no way to double ink like on our old Mamiki. We've had the 26500 about 3 months. What can we do?

 

[HulkSmash]

why are you printing on clear? Print on regular translucent

 

[jayhawksigns]

We print on clear when we are already using translucent faces.

We print two panels, one for inside the face and one outside. Best way we have found for getting good color on backlit jobs with our L25.

 

[P Wagner]

We're trying to print on Orajet 3651 clear, laminate and put on translucent acrylic for backlit sign face. Caldera rip. Tried 3651 profile, then 24 pass, then orajet 3850 profile, then 24 pass. We just have no way to double ink like on our old Mamiki. We've had the 26500 about 3 months. What can we do?

Printing on transparent/ clear media using a printer that does not have white ink, it is typically a challenge to obtain colors that pop. This is due to the fact that white print media provides a platform to bounce colored ink off. With clear media, there is no such platform, so colors typically look much more muted and washed out. This is true with all devices and brands that lack white ink, and this includes the HP latex printers.

One thing that can be done in the RIP software is to use what is referred to as the High Ink option (this is typically a checkbox). This is the latex equivalent of double strike on a solvent printer. Best practices should dictate that this be enabled when building the media profile. Enabling it later in a media profile that has been previously built will possibly (probably) cause over-inking of the media. The HP latex printers do a very nice job with backlit medias, due to the relative opacity of their inks (key word is relative to most solvent ink sets).

 

[juan45215]

THANK YOU ALL! We'll try it.

 

[brian_fellers]

BEST thing for printing backlit images, and getting the image to "pop" without washed out colors is this:

Print on clear vinyl (such as 3651) first, apply that to the white acrylic. 2nd, reprint the same image again on white translucent vinyl (such as 3850), then apply that directly over top of the printed clear piece. Turn the illumination on, then see for yourself. It's called a "double strike". I've done every which way, vinyl on the back, vinyl on the front, etc. etc. Best way I've found is both layers directly on top of each other!

 

[juststrummin]

Backlit Box Sign

This is a great thread and it appears there are multiple ways to accomplish printing and applying digitally printed graphics to a backlit box sign. From double-strike, to double graphics (overlaying one on top of another), using clear or translucent on either first or second surface or a combination of both. Then overlaminating or not (probably for indoor use).

I will be installing an outdoor backlit box sign which is 5' x 12'. The graphics will be digitally printed on a 26500 and will be a multicolor logo. The graphic size will be 48" x 112" and I'm thinking of contour cutting this, but that might not be the best option. I'd like to hear from those of you who have experience in outdoor signs of this size. Here are my ?

Would you print as one large sheet of 60 x 144 and apply to the lexan or would you contour cut them?

Would you print one on clear and another on translucent and apply to substrate - and would one be on the first surface (clear) and the other on the 2nd surface or overlayed on top of each other?
How do you maintain tight registration on both graphics given that vinyl stretches especially at this size?

Would you overlaminate these graphics? If applying to both surfaces would you overlaminate the first surface graphic even if it will be inside the box?

I want the colors on this sign to 'pop' and last at least 6 years. Any recommendations would be helpful.

Thanks

 

[J Hill Designs]

many ways work. but first things first:

FIRST surface is the face (outside)
SECOND surface is the back (inside)

 

[juststrummin]

Yep, I had it reversed - so now that's cleared up. Do you have any recommendations?

 

[chafro]

Why dont you print a backlight and mount it with a good clear ashesive to the lexan? Latex prints very good backlights.