Reverse Printed CAB Plastic??

[Apex Signworks]

I'm looking for some recommendations the best way to get a job for a new client done.
The client is looking for a new source for some signs inside of a car wash. The material is about a 1/8" thick CAB plastic with the print on the inside of the plastic with LEDs behind to backlight. I can't tell if the print is printed directly to the plastic with a white background on top of it, or if the print is printed on some sort of reverse printed vinyl. I can get the plastic and cut it to size, i just have no idea how to do the print.
Any thoughts or recommendations? My normal wholesale printer (signs 365) offers 2 way prints, but it's low tack. I don't think that will work.

Thanks in advance!

 

[henryz]

You can do it both ways, if you do not have a flat bed printer you can go with the reverse print on the inside we usually do a double print to enhance the colors when they are lit, and apply white translucent vinyl lastly.

 

[Apex Signworks]

You can do it both ways, if you do not have a flat bed printer you can go with the reverse print on the inside we usually do a double print to enhance the colors when they are lit, and apply white translucent vinyl lastly.

What material would you print it on? Are you just reverse printing on clear, or is there a film that prints on the adhesive side somehow? The designs have quite a bit of detail in them, i'm not sure the double print would work that well. They'd have to be lined up pixel to pixel.

 

[MikePro]

you don't have to line-up double-print layers pixelxpixel, but you want to be as close as you can
explained: if there is a transluscent white layer in between the two prints, then the pixels are diffused by the time the light hits the front layer. which is ultimately the goal of this process ...to change the color of the light before it hits the top print-layer, and causing it to illuminate as you would expect (rather than washed-out, from white light passing through a single print layer).

and no, you don't print on the adhesive-side. print on a layer of clear & laminate that layer with an identical print on white transluscent, 1st or 2nd surface doesn't matter.

 

[Apex Signworks]

you don't have to line-up double-print layers pixelxpixel, but you want to be as close as you can
explained: if there is a transluscent white layer in between the two prints, then the pixels are diffused by the time the light hits the front layer. which is ultimately the goal of this process ...to change the color of the light before it hits the top print-layer, and causing it to illuminate as you would expect (rather than washed-out, from white light passing through a single print layer).

and no, you don't print on the adhesive-side. print on a layer of clear & laminate that layer with an identical print on white transluscent, 1st or 2nd surface doesn't matter.

Okay... let me make sure i have this straight, since i've never done this. I've done backlit, but now i think i understand why I'm not getting very vibrant colors when i do it. Are you saying i should have 3 layers of vinyl? (Plastic>Reverse Printed Clear>White Trans>Reverse printed clear) Or just two layers (Plastic>Reverse Printed Clear>White Trans w/print). The existing prints appear to have a translucent white behind the print.

 

[MikePro]

if using clear plastic as your substrate, then 2 layers of vinyl, printed clear & printed white trans.
(unless you want to print on two layers of clear, and add a third-layer of white trans between them, but that seems like a waste when you can simply print on the white trans. BUT this could also be ideal if alignment becomes an issue, since)

if using white plastic as your substrate, then I apply my clear prints front/back instead.