Can There Be Peace?

I remember sitting in my commercial sign company’s office in Charleston, SC, some seven years ago. My favorite distributor rep, Tubelite Co.’s Mike Paige, walked in with a full-color image printed on vinyl. It wasn’t the first time I had seen this, but, it was the first one that looked great. I remember thinking, naively, of course, that this was the beginning of the end for colored vinyl.

Needless to say, I was wrong.

Since non-coated-vinyl, inkjet-printing’s inception, several industry questions have loomed: Can digital, pressure-sensitive adhesive vinyl (DPSA) and colored, pressure-sensitive adhesive vinyl (PSA) co-exist? Will shops stock white-film rolls? Will colored film be relinquished to wrapping Christmas presents?

We’ll examine these issues, along with the vinyls’ benefits and drawbacks. We’ll also look at particular applications where one film may work better. Hopefully, we’ll take another step towards peace between these two sworn enemies.

Different, but the same?

From a manufacturing standpoint, both types are uncoated (no ink-receptive topcoat), PVC-based face films, with either a permanent or removable, pressure-sensitive adhesive system, which may be solvent or waterbased. That’s it for similarities.

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Release liners

DPSA films possess an extra coating on their liners, which prevents sili¬cone from migrating to the printing surface when the film is wound into rolls. For colored PSA films, silicone migration isn’t really an issue because these films aren’t generally printed on.

Manufacturing/coating speeds

Colored vinyl films tend to be adhesive coated and manufactured at higher speeds than their digital counterparts. Static electricity in the rolls may cause surface defects invisible to the naked eye. Surface defects and static electricity debilitate printing on digital vinyl, so these films move slowly to avoid both negative effects.

Adhesive systems

Digital vinyl films generally carry special adhesives for such applications as vehicle wraps or POP exhibits, where a graphic must be easily applied and re-applied. Many digital films offer a standard, grey adhesive for covering existing graphics or a substrate color. Pigmented adhesives require a larger manufacturing investment. Historically, colored vinyl is only available with permanent or removable, clear adhesives.

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Packaging

Colored vinyl’s common roll formats are 15-in. punched, 24, 30 and 48 in., whereas digital vinyl comes in sizes of 30, 36, 48, 54 and 60 in. Plotters and printers dictate what width of media they’ll accept.

A few manufacturing differences distinguish these two films. For a more complete comparison, see “Vinyl Showdown,” in ST’s January 2006 issue (page 20).

From an industry standpoint

Producing a colored, vinyl-film roll costs less than its digital equivalent.

Now, remember, we’re trying to determine if plotter films will even be around for another five to 10 years. Also, your new shop’s basic concept is to produce a sign for a customer, so which do you think has the least barrier to entry? Bingo! I told you I would get to the point. So, in this case, plotter films must stick around (forgive the pun) for awhile.

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The battlefields

Regardless of application, the film, whether it’s on corrugated plastic, acrylic or a vehicle, must stick. However, production considerations must completely evaluate each film’s strengths and weaknesses. Let’s look at two scenarios, see how each vinyl performs, then decide how each film might complement the other in these applications.

Scenario #1: A customer needs a backlit sign that will last six to seven years. The customer’s graphic contains no full-color images, but the colors must match the customer’s logo, message, etc.

With digital vinyl, simply choose a translucent digital media; then, verify color matches by providing proofs to the customer before final production. Once verified, hit “print.”

Negatives exist. For six- or seven-year durability, production may entail laying two graphics over each other. The graphic then needs a matching laminate to provide adequate UV protection. This increases cost and production time.

Use colored vinyl – as long as the customer agrees to standard, translucent colors. The sign can be produced without an overlaminate, because most high-performance translucent films have a seven-year or more outdoor rating.

However, if standard colors aren’t suitable, and you don’t digitally print inhouse, you’ll likely lose the customer. As for production, you must plot, weed and pre-mask your graphic. With multiple colors, this dramatically increases production time.

Scenario #2: A customer needs highly visible vehicle graphics for his delivery-truck fleet. The program must last at least three to five years.

With digital vinyl, you can offer a full-color, highly attractive advertising message. However, material costs are much higher compared to colored vinyl, because more material is needed, and, in order to meet the durability needs, a laminate must be applied. You may also encounter customer resistance due to retail cost.

With colored vinyl, material costs are much less, and the installation is much easier than for a vehicle wrap. High-performance colored vinyl won’t need an overlaminate to retain its color for the necessary five years. The retail cost may entice your customer.

You are, however, limited to colors and design. Again, production will include plotting, weeding and masking before applying the graphic.

The treaty

In each situation, both films have their place. But what about co-existence?

In Scenario #1, the customer’s artwork will dictate vinyl selection. If images and type appear, the sign face could use both a digital print and cut lettering. In Scenario #2, a customer can always be sold on a costlier graphic. So, if the customer doesn’t want to pay for a full wrap, maybe a half wrap with cut lettering, which is quite popular now, would suit his needs.

Now we understand each film’s attributes; both have their places in the sign and graphics industry. Some may think colored films will eventually be overtaken by digital printing; remember, digital prints can’t replicate etched-glass, transparent colors and chrome. Ultimately, decide which media suits your clients best.

Craig Campbell is the product-application manager for Oracal USA (Jacksonville, FL).