Outdoors as in northern Ohio. Speed limit signs will be side of the road obviously and the business sign will be above their entrance.
Hi Kapelskic,
Thanks for the additional info. OK sure; in N-OH you have less sun to fade the vinyl, as compared to Death Valley, for example. But, I think you're focused on climate when you should be thinking in terms of how it's being used.
Forgive me if this is not new information. But here are the basics:
Cast
Liquid PVC is poured onto a casting line into a thin, flat sheet where it solidifies. The molecules are reasonably happy in that form, and thus it shrinks less. Nothing is forever, and indeed time and environment breaks it down, fades it, etc. But it lasts a long time; typically 7-9 years.
Calendered
A big block of PCV goes through rollers, making it a sheet that's pretty thin but not as thin as Cast. However, the molecules want to go back to being a block; so it shrinks faster than Cast. Much faster. Also, being thicker, it doesn't conform to creases in car bodies or compound curved sufaces as elegantly as Cast. But it's cheaper to make, and great for flat applications, simples curves and temporary signage.
That's the face stock. But underneath it is an adhesive layer; attached, but still separate. Cast, being a longer lasting film often has a more long-lasting adhesive. Calendered being a shorter term film, doesn't need as long-lasting an adhesive. But both adhesives are weather-resistant, for indoor or outdoor use.
With Cast film, which shrinks less, the face-stock and adhesive remain the same size, for the most part, over the life of the product.
Calendered face-stock shrinks faster than the adhesive, exposing the adhesive layer at the edges of the graphic. Then dust carried on the wind collects, and it creates a thin border of dirty-looking adhesive around the image, which can be unsightly and fairly apparent on cars and windows, close up.
Also, Calendered being thicker, is tougher to press into crevices and such and thus tends to pull out of them over time. That creates a potential for peeling up as water, dust and air gets between the adhesive and the car, or whatever surface.
So it's a balance between savings and potential problems; keeping in mind that problems cost you money (if the customer demands you fix it) or your customer goodwill (if like most, they say nothing, but write you off as mediocre.)
To avoid blowback, some sign-makers sell cheaper stuff, with a strong disclaimer. But it's anyone's guess what the customer goodwill loss might be when selling a poorer product. Often customers experience the problem after forgetting they saved money and understood the disclaimer. Perhaps. It's a crap-shoot.
So I'd just advise sellng the good stuff to be safe, unless it's down and drity banners, temp signs, etc. You'll not have to replace stuff and hopefully earn high customer satisfaction.
In short, you'll sleep better, which you can't even buy with MasterCard. Truly priceless :^)
Best Regards,
Jim
