Stick with Oracal or switch to 3M?

[SellersSign&Design]

I am currently using Oracal vinyl for almost everything that goes through my Edge. I use a lot of Oracal 751 with 290GF lam when doing my hand-laid gold work. I recently tried to switch to the 951 clear, but it doesn't print well on the Edge. The spot colors have ragged edges and don't seem to be bonding to the material as good as the do on the 751. The whole reason I wanted to switch to the 951 was for better durability, even though the 751 has been great it is only rated as a 5-7 year material. The hand-laid gold lettering and graphics are premium products, so the last thing I want to be doing is using anything less than the best vinyl for that process.

So now I am trying to decide whether I should just stick with the 751 or make the switch to Gerber/3M materials. I am looking at the 225 clear enamel receptive, 280i reflective, and either the Gerber Guard or Gerber Guard UV 9 laminate. It looks to me like the 225 with the Gerber Guard UV9 laminate would be hard to beat as far as durability. The laminate is a big deal for me also, the 290GF really works great for edge sealing Real Gold/Sign Gold lettering, will the Gerber lam work as good or better for that? I don't mind paying the higher price for Gerber/3M, I am more concerned with the quality and longevity. So for those with Gerber Edges, what is your opinion? What brand do you prefer?

 

[Mike Paul]

For Edge printing Gerber brand vinyl all the way. It's 3M vinyl but goes through an extra cleaning process to remove contaminates on the film before it's packaged. Prints great, no dust, punch chads etc...

 

[Fred Weiss]

The Gerber/3M Imagecast Clear is a better choice than the enamel receptive clear.

 

[SellersSign&Design]

I didn't realize the Gerber material went through an extra cleaning process, I like the sound of that. I get dust spots in my prints fairly often with the Oracal.

As far as the clear enamel receptive vs. the Imagecast, will I have any issues laying down gold size on the Imagecast? The only reason I was looking at the enamel receptive was for the ability to paint on it, and also the fact that the 225 has a clear liner which would be nice for lining up the multiple layers. Also the more "clear" the material is, the better it will work for me. I know some clear vinyl isn't 100% clear.

 

[Fred Weiss]

I didn't realize the Gerber material went through an extra cleaning process, I like the sound of that. I get dust spots in my prints fairly often with the Oracal.

As far as the clear enamel receptive vs. the Imagecast, will I have any issues laying down gold size on the Imagecast? The only reason I was looking at the enamel receptive was for the ability to paint on it, and also the fact that the 225 has a clear liner which would be nice for lining up the multiple layers. Also the more "clear" the material is, the better it will work for me. I know some clear vinyl isn't 100% clear.

Imagecast Clear is noteworthy for its optical clarity and its edge readiness. I cannot speak to the ability of Imagecast to hold paint which, one would assume, is a notable feature of the enamel receptive clear.