Tips for laminating 60x120" vinyl with a 60" laminate

[DylanBJS]

I am having to print and laminate vinyl to cover a 5x10ft ACM max metal sign for an outfield.
Equipment we use - 60" cold press royal sovereign laminator and roland TrueVIS VG3-640 roll to roll printer - using high performance 60" vinyl (needs to be done tomorrow)

We did one the other day in 3 panels and it looked good and lined up well but we feel like we should be able to print/laminate/apply in 1 full 60x120 piece to eliminate the seams. Being in the outfield it wouldn't be an issue but there are some bigger names that we are going to be doing work for and think it would look more professional to get them in 1 go so we are wanting to try with this job.

Issues i see are obviously the acm sign, vinyl, laminate are all the same 60" width so i could foresee issues laminating 10ft length and keeping it lined up and also having to use the vinyl to go straight to the edge of the acm sign without any extra to trim off. Also i am not confidant the roll to roll can die cut the logo well after laminating since it fills most of that space then we would have to weed and mask basically the entire thing anyways.

 

[signheremd]

Assuming you know how to laminate a 60"x120", to apply such to your substrate I have a suggestion. Place substrate on the laminator table. Center the roller. Two or more people needed, next align the four corners so they are even - tape the two sides. Drop the roller about 1/3 or the way down the 10' and remove the tape from the 1/3 side which you will lay first. Lift the vinyl over the roller and separate the wax paper. Cut the wax paper. Tighten the vinyl against the roller and roll out to apply. raise the roller and run it about half way down the applied vinyl and drop it. roll up the unapplied portion and put it over the roller onto the laid side. Separate out 2 on more feet of wax paper, grab the wax paper and the rolled up vinyl, one person per side of the table, and together lift over the unapplied side and hold it at about thirty degrees above the substrate. Roll forward to make contact with the vinyl and apply a foot or more with the roller. Keeping it tight to the roller, shift the unapplied back to the applied side and hold the wax paper as you roll forward to finish like laminating normally. We do this all the time.

 

[DylanBJS]

Assuming you know how to laminate a 60"x120", to apply such to your substrate I have a suggestion. Place substrate on the laminator table. Center the roller. Two or more people needed, next align the four corners so they are even - tape the two sides. Drop the roller about 1/3 or the way down the 10' and remove the tape from the 1/3 side which you will lay first. Lift the vinyl over the roller and separate the wax paper. Cut the wax paper. Tighten the vinyl against the roller and roll out to apply. raise the roller and run it about half way down the applied vinyl and drop it. roll up the unapplied portion and put it over the roller onto the laid side. Separate out 2 on more feet of wax paper, grab the wax paper and the rolled up vinyl, one person per side of the table, and together lift over the unapplied side and hold it at about thirty degrees above the substrate. Roll forward to make contact with the vinyl and apply a foot or more with the roller. Keeping it tight to the roller, shift the unapplied back to the applied side and hold the wax paper as you roll forward to finish like laminating normally. We do this all the time.

That would be a good way to apply it for sure, we do not have a table for the laminator unfortunately. Currently its just got a little 6" shelf in front of the rollers to get it started. I think we are just going to attempt to print sections of the logo and laminate then die cut and weed/mask and piece it together on the ACM. Little more involved but i think it will look better and i wont have to try to laminate 10 feet straight lol

 

[JBurton]

we do not have a table for the laminator unfortunately.

We do, but additionally, we have a pair of these:

We do just like signhere is saying, using one or two of these to support the rear end as it feeds out. 4 could support the leading and following sides in your case. The height is adjustable, it won't hold much, but for acm they're just fine. Look around for them on the cheap, we picked some up in front of a nursing home.

 

[DChorbowski]

We do, but additionally, we have a pair of these:

We do just like signhere is saying, using one or two of these to support the rear end as it feeds out. 4 could support the leading and following sides in your case. The height is adjustable, it won't hold much, but for acm they're just fine. Look around for them on the cheap, we picked some up in front of a nursing home.

Thats a fantastic idea! No more rolling trashcans falling over for me!

 

[MarkSnelling]

I have 61" laminates for exactly this reason

 

[citysignshop]

Lots of skilled folks can do it...but trying for the perfectly straight print, perfect lamination, and perfect alignment applying to the ACM is not reasonable for most shops. Build some tolerance into your design...as you say, it's an outfield sign, viewed at 100 yards.
some ideas:
Applying the graphic edge to edge is just beggin' for failure as the print inevitably shrinks and weathers over time.
Trimming 1/4" in from the edge and re-squeegeeing, or even using an adhesion promoter will make the print last twice as long.
If you don't like the look of a white border ( nearly imperceptible at a distance) then add a 1/2" black vinyl stripe around the perimeter...this will seal the edge of the print, and cleanup any trimming inconsistencies.

 

[DL Signs]

61" lam is the way to go. There are a handful of brands that offer 61", if you don't want to hunt for a vendor that stocks them, just contact MarkSnelling (post above) to see what he can set you up with.
Easy Peasy

 

[fuzzy_cam]

I would build tolerances/bleed into your workflow. Installing edge-to-edge is just asking for trouble. You could always trim an inch off the ACM so the ACM is narrower than your print - so when you install, you're trimming excess material off instead of hoping to get it to the edge.

 

[petepaz]

best way, buy a UV flatbed printer..haha. actually the way signheremd explained is the best way that's how we used to do it (till we got a UV flatbed). maybe you can set up tables on each side of the laminator just to run this job or if this is something that will come up again build some tables to use on the end of the laminator.