Printing Ultramag on IonX - either streaks or flakes...

[oldgoatroper]

I'm trying to print Ultramag (I'm pretty sure its Ultramag) on our new Gerber IonX. I started by doing the usual wipe with 99% alcohol and some (not all) have unacceptable streaking in them, yet all have traces of streaking.

I then tried handling the mag very carefully by the edges so as to not get any skin oils on it and printed it without wiping and the image looks very good but then discovered when trimming that the ink just flakes off at the slightest provocation.

Has anyone figured out how to best prep auto-magnet for the Ion inks?

 

[SignManiac]

Give Gerber a call. If it's new they should be able to advise you.

 

[seaserpent]

The latest formulation of Ion ink seems to not stick as well to standard magnetic material we buy from Magnum. We now print on the "made for digital printing" magnetic and it works perfectly. Perfect prints, no streaks, print to the edge and we can scrape, cut, round corner and the ink does not flake at all.

 

[oldgoatroper]

The latest formulation of Ion ink seems to not stick as well to standard magnetic material we buy from Magnum. We now print on the "made for digital printing" magnetic and it works perfectly. Perfect prints, no streaks, print to the edge and we can scrape, cut, round corner and the ink does not flake at all.

Thanks SS -- What is the manufacturer of the "made for digital" magnetic?

 

[seaserpent]

Sorry, been on vacation. We get Magnum digimag from Fellers and Reece Supply.

 

[mmorse]

There is no good magnetic for the Ion, it all flakes, we started to laminate everything that comes off the Ion.
We've had our Ion about a year now, and in the last two months have had customers returning signs. They are fading and the ink is actually bleeding down the sign. All materials Coroplast, Aluminum, Duraply...pretty much everything.
Gerber is now quick to recommend a laminate for the Ion...defeats the purpose of spending so much on a UV printer in our opinion.

 

[SE SignSupply]

There is no good magnetic for the Ion, it all flakes, we started to laminate everything that comes off the Ion.
We've had our Ion about a year now, and in the last two months have had customers returning signs. They are fading and the ink is actually bleeding down the sign. All materials Coroplast, Aluminum, Duraply...pretty much everything.
Gerber is now quick to recommend a laminate for the Ion...defeats the purpose of spending so much on a UV printer in our opinion.

Are you talking about cold or liquid laminate?

 

[gnemmas]

How much is the UV ink cost?

 

[mapajabs]

Try The Magnet Source. We have printed on their wide format product and it worked very well.

http://www.magnetsource.com/

 

[mmorse]

Ink cost is about 250 per pouch. Depending on how you print it adds up pretty fast. Not to mention the tremendous amount of ink that is purged per every 40 hour clean.
As for laminate we use a 3M laminate that we use on our vinyl.