Specialty Vinyls for Signs and More

VINYL IS SIMPLY A staple of the sign industry. We print on it, cut it into letters and shapes and try to stick it just about everywhere. Thanks to digital imaging, we tend to think of unprinted film as just being white, but vinyl can come in a rainbow of colors. A lot of specialty vinyls based on their coating or adhesives can open up some markets you may not have even thought of. So let’s take a look at some of the options and applications that make them unique.

Glass storefronts and office walls are common surfaces that can be a great avenue for new business. Instead of just opaque vinyl, several manufacturers offer frosted textured vinyl that looks just like etched glass. Iridescent films can also add a translucent shimmer to a message that can really catch the eye. This option can be a way to bump a standard window message into something special.

If you have a shop interested in dimensional signs but don’t want to invest in a CNC router just yet, then your vinyl cutter might be able to help. You can have pieces sandblasted for a fairly reasonable price — just get a roll of sandblast mask and cut the design. Check with the cutter manufacturer to see if you need to get a different blade. After cutting, weed as usual and adhere to the wood or foam which then can be sandblasted. Peel off the mask and you have a beautiful dimensional sign ready for paint. Speaking of paint, you can also get a cuttable paint mask for when you have a customer who insists on paint rather than vinyl.

A common application on emergency and police vehicles is reflective graphics. We also see this in road signage and the like. There are, of course, vinyls coated with reflective beads that need to be super durable. These films may need special blades for cutting so check with the manufacturer. The adhesives used with vehicle wrap vinyls are now being incorporated into some of these reflective films, making them much easier to install.

One of the more difficult places to add graphics is on exposed brick or cinder block. In most cities and towns, a lot of exposed brick walls from old buildings have been repurposed into new businesses. Sure, you could paint a sign on the brick if you have the in-house talent. You could mount a flat signboard, but that kind of kills the aesthetic and may be against code. Another great option is to use a vinyl that has been specifically designed for these types of applications. Just print the image, cut if necessary and mount directly to the brick. The adhesives allow for repositioning and final bonding.

We have to finish up with garments. You’re probably thinking about the usual materials you digitally print and iron onto a T-shirt. Well, not exactly. Some materials can be cut into letters and designs and then heat-pressed onto a garment. Since these are solid colors, the shirt color is irrelevant. In addition, you can get a variety of different effects including glitters, iridescent colors and even puff-ink effects. While you probably won’t be doing photos of the family dog, you can create some really incredible stuff for sports leagues and businesses.

So this is a reminder that vinyl is not just something white that you print on. You can do a wide variety of things with a vinyl cutter alone. This is just a small sampling of the many specialty vinyls out there.

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