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Need Help Laminate makes black washed out

M

MiguelGonzalez

New Member
When i make decals for motorcycle black looks washed out and not deep black when laminate and small silvering wont go away even after 2-3 days, without lamination black has a bit of tint but it is black enough i think comparing to laminting it, i used a manual laminator and what can i do to fix this, printer epson sc40670, vinyl ij35
 

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JBurton

JBurton

Signtologist
What flavor of printer are you using. On an hp 560, 20 passes, 100%k looks better than a rich black, but then you're waiting a good little bit for it to print.
 
H

Humble PM

Mostly tolerates architects
That looks like a matt laminate - it will always(?) drop the blackpoint down, as the matt surface is deigned to scatter the light and reduce reflections.
 
JBurton

JBurton

Signtologist
MiguelGonzalez said:
its a glossy lam, and as I mentioned that silvering is nightmare
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You're going to have a hard time making any wrap laminate work with a manual laminator. A roll to roll is expensive, but it really steps up your game and can also be used for mounting prints to panels.
 
C

CanuckSigns

Active Member
I've gotten the best blacks by using RGB black, it converts to a beautiful deep black on our epson s80600.

The laminate you are using sounds like an inexpensive general purpose laminate, if you step up to a 2 mil wrap laminate you won't get any colour shift, and the gloss level is so much nicer! Also ij35 is a cheap vinyl for things like Coloplast signs, use a decent cast vinyl for vehicles.
 
DL Signs

DL Signs

Never go against the family
MiguelGonzalez said:
Will auto laminator removes silvering completely
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You'll always get way better results on a machine than by hand.

Like others are saying too, the better quality of lam (and vinyl for that matter), the better your results will be. I've done tons of black background and outlined graphics, and as long as you choose materials to match the application, the results are great. Using a matte sheen laminate on black will always mute it out to a point, even using a gloss lam on a matte vinyl will change the appearance slightly of some colors to the muted side, matte lam on matte vinyl will really mute colors. So unless it's called for, and that's what they want, I usually reach for gloss vinyl and lam to keep blacks and other darker colors looking as rich as possible. I love the look of matte, but it doesn't always... showcase the colors as well??? Experiment with different materials, and color settings, you'll find a winner.
 
R

Ronny Axelsson

New Member
MiguelGonzalez said:
Will auto laminator removes silvering completely
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Some laminates are very difficult (impossible) to hand laminate without getting noticeable silvering.
Using a roll to roll laminator with some heat will probably make it better.
In your case, if you don't want to buy an expensive laminator, I suggest trying other laminates.
See if you can get samples of different materials.
 
DL Signs

DL Signs

Never go against the family
MiguelGonzalez said:
but will heat not stretch/ deformed or add tention on the graphic which can lead to failure??
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Fails like that are operator error.
With laminators, the rule is always "less is better" with tension & pressure, and you control that by how you run your machine. Heat assist machines just add enough heat to wet the adhesive out for a better bond to the vinyl, and less chance for silvering. You can laminate with less tension and pressure with a heat assist, with better results, and less chance of failure.
 
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