Seeking opinion on machining vinyl with minimal startup cost

[Brittany]

Hi there. I'm finishing up a product at the moment which requires a four colour graphic to be adhered to the underneath of a transparent acrylic panel, with the graphic colour facing towards the material panel (Like the glass shop window vinyls placed on the inside)

I am entirely new to anything relating to graphic work, but have been advised to look up a process involving vinyl. Although my results won't have to be professional quality, I will need to use machining to cut the vinyl purely because I'll be turning out enough of these panels not to have the time to do it myself with a knife.

I would appreciate being steered in the right direction, in terms of what machine I would need to get to cut the vinyl for me, and if there are any steps other than placing, cutting and sticking different types of vinyl, as I'm not sure where I start with something like this. Any information would be appreciated.

 

[OldPaint]

are you turning out these panels for MONEY??? or are you giving them away???
you dont say how big these things are and your gona stick vinyl to the BACK SIDE and view it from the other side of a clear panel? so your gona see the adhesive of the vinyl..............if you giving them away
buy a CRICKET
if your getting MONEY FOR THEM........ look at a 24" cat cutter from china............or go on ebay and by a good used ROLAND, SUMA, GRAPTEC.

 

[Fred Weiss]

Have you considered outsourcing your needs to a professional sign maker/digital printer?

 

[Brittany]

My apologies, I am selling these, and they're 280x280mm each.

 

[Fred Weiss]

My apologies, I am selling these, and they're 280x280mm each.

Your size is ideal for an outsource vendor who has a Gerber Edge. The Edge can produce 4 color process with a spot white overprint in reverse on clear vinyl. The same outsource can produce black and white print on mirror silver vinyl.

 

[bob]

Hi there. I'm finishing up a product at the moment which requires a four colour graphic to be adhered to the underneath of a transparent acrylic panel, with the graphic colour facing towards the material panel (Like the glass shop window vinyls placed on the inside)

I am entirely new to anything relating to graphic work, but have been advised to look up a process involving vinyl. Although my results won't have to be professional quality, I will need to use machining to cut the vinyl purely because I'll be turning out enough of these panels not to have the time to do it myself with a knife.

I would appreciate being steered in the right direction, in terms of what machine I would need to get to cut the vinyl for me, and if there are any steps other than placing, cutting and sticking different types of vinyl, as I'm not sure where I start with something like this. Any information would be appreciated.

Assuming you're wanting to apply a rectangle of printed vinyl to the back side of an ~11"x11" square and you want to find some mechanism to cut the vinyl to size, is that about it?

With that assumption you have one major problem with the production of these prints and a lack of understanding as to how to apply the prints to the panels.

To produce the prints you need either the aforementioned Gerber Edge, someone that can print actual usable white on clear vinyl, or someone who can print on vinyl and then apply adhesive over the print.

Having solved that problem, if you ever do, then on to application. A further assumption is that you're applying these prints to the panels with a full bleed. In other words then vinyl comes right to the edge of the panel. Operating on that assumption, if you cut the vinyl to exactly the same size as the panel you're going to have a most frustrating time trying to apply the vinyl with anything resembling a reasonable fit, let alone a perfect fit. Even if the vinyl were dimensionally stable, which it isn't, you'll screw up far more applications than you will succeed at. The way to do this is to make the prints a 1/4" or so oversized, apply the print locating it as best you can, flip it over and trim the excess vinyl with an Xacto knife.

If you're not doing a full bleed, you can apply the vinyl with reasonable accuracy if you cut both the panel and the exact rectangle where it's going. For this you'll most definitely want to be using a vinyl cutter. Once cut, weed the border between the edge of the print and the edge of the substrate [what you call a panel], trim the print leaving 1/4" or so of vinyl all around the outer cut, mask it, lop each corner off at 45 degrees just close enough that you don't cut the corners of the print. Where the corner cut intersects the outer cut gives you a pair of registration marks in each corner. This makes it fairly simple to locate the print on the substrate.

All in all, you have no idea of what you're getting into, good luck.

 

[Zendavor Signs]

This would be most cost effective to outsource to a shop with a flatbed that can direct print to acrylic. You are saving all the vinyl and application cost.

 

[player]

Instead of getting into decal manufacturing, buy what you need and mark them up. It would be hard for you to produce decals cheaper and of the same quality as a volume shop. Plus no capital outlay, inventory and labour.