> Vinyl Information
Total Concept Signs always use the highest quality vinyl including the Oracle, 3M and AVERY brands, however there are still a number of important issues to consider when choosing vinyl.
Choosing a colour for your vinyl
When choosing colours for your vinyl signage, it is better to choose a vinyl colour, as opposed to choosing a colour that can only be obtained through the use of digitally printing that colour. The reason for this is that if the colour is digitally printed, it will only last as long as the ink lasts and not be as intense a colour as if the colour was in the actual vinyl.
A vinyl colour will last many more years than a colour that is digitally printed onto vinyl. If your logo consists of flat colours (without a gradient) it is a much better option to use cut-out vinyl as it will maximise the vinyl’s life. Total Concept Signs have vinyl swatches available if you would like to see what colours are available in vinyl.
Different Types of Vinyl
Different types of vinyl last different amounts of time. Cast vinyl is a more expensive thinner vinyl which will last longer and excellent for internal and external use, whereas Calender vinyl doesn’t last as long and is a thicker vinyl that is more suitable for temporary solutions and especially internal.
Additional Things to know about Vinyl
1. Difference between Cast and Calendered vinyl
Cast Vinyl – Cast vinyl are manufactured using casting paper, PVC resin, automotive grade lead free pigments, polymeric plasticiser, heat stabilisers which resist process heat, UV heat & mold growth, premium grade UV inhibitors, additives and solvent.
Calendered Vinyl – Calendered vinyl films are made from PVC, pigments, plasticiser and additives. Calendered vinyl films are manufactured by producing a molten mass of vinyl in an extruder, then pulling the molten PVC through polished heated rollers and stretching to proper thickness and finally applying a gloss or matt finish.
2. Surface Preparation
It is crucial that the surface you are planning on applying vinyl to is cleaned and prepared before the application:
- remove all the dirt and grime using a detergent solution and water
- remove any grease, oil or wax by scrubbing the surface with a solvent wipe i.e. isopropyl alcohol. Test the solvent on the substrate to check for any potential damage.
- after cleaning wipe the substrate with a mild solvent using a clean rag- finally perform a dry wipe of the substrate with a soft, lint free cloth before the solvent evaporates.
Cautionary Note: While it may seem logical that a strong solvent will be the best cleaner for surfaces that are hard to stick film to - in the case of many plastics and paints this is wrong and can lead to premature sign failing due to embrittlement, cracking or loss of gloss. Use the ildest solvents possible and only clean until the surface dirt is gone.
Unsuitable cleaning solutions include:
- Mineral Turpentine
- Citrus based cleaners
- Abrasive detergents
- Windex
3. Paints and Coatings – Dry Vs Cured
All paints (water based "latex" or oil based) must be given adequate time to dry before installing any vinyl or poor adhesion, bubbles and eventual edge curl will result. Although "adequate" is a loose term, we recommend that if the painted faces cannot be stacked without sticking to one another, then they are also not dry enough for vinyl.
Paints should be well dried and cured before installation of signage. It is always better to use two lighter coats of paint rather than one heavier coat when painting signs that are to be covered with films, as drying and curing will be faster and more complete.
Flat latex paints are harder to stick to than others.
Some latex surfaces may be incompatible with pressure sensitive graphics. A prime coat may be applied before vinyl installation. A good on-site test for dryness of a painted vehicle surface is to press a thumbnail into the paint. If the nail edge leaves an impression the paint is still too soft to apply graphics upon.
Vinyl adheres better to surfaces that have been painted with a gloss or satin finish as opposed to surfaces that have been painted with a flat or matte finish. This has to do with the amount of surface contact available to the adhesive.
Vinyl generally sticks better to oil based paints than water based or latex products. There are some exceptions to this rule and we have found that vinyl modified acrylic latex paints receive vinyl better than straight PVA types.
If you are interested in putting vinyl on a painted wall it is important that the wall be primed before painting. This reduces the chances of removing the paint layer when the vinyl is removed. Vinyl removal from a wall should be done when the wall/vinyl are warm – either by increasing the ambient air temperature or by using "Mild Heat" from a hair dryer.
If the vinyl doesn't want to stick initially it can be made to stick a little better by using a heat gun and squeegee on the applied film before removing the application tape.
Alternatively the application tape removal can be made easier by lightly spraying the graphic with application fluid (soapy water), waiting two minutes and then peeling back the application paper at a flat reverse angle against the graphic.
4. Window Glass Applications
When designing the artwork for large plate glass applications which are exposed to a high amount of sun, be sure to avoid large areas of dark color next to a light or reflective color.
The difference in heat gain and glass expansion under films with extreme grey scale differences will cause glass fatigue and early failure of the glass.
It's best to break up the design and use lighter colours and non reflective colours than a grayscale design.
Very hot "on-site" applications
When the surface of a sign face reaches over 37°c, the tack of the adhesive can become unmanageable, especially if repositioning is going to be required. Before beginning an application on very hot surfaces, use clean water mist to achieve “evaporative cooling” on sign faces. This technique can bring the temperature down 20° to 40° depending on the starting surface temperature relative humidity and the amount of water used.
WARNING: Do not use this method for surfaces with rivets as water will become trapped under the rivet and eventually cause “tenting” around the rivet.
Frosting: definition
Frosting film is one of the most common types of signage products ordered by clients today. This is due primarily to it being such a versatile and relatively inexpensive product for increasing privacy throughout many offices building.
Frosting comes in a variety of colours, sizes, brands and finishes and is often hard to match to existing film, particularly in older buildings. One of the best ways to overcome this hurdle is to take high resolution images and send these to us so we can match these images to a product in our comprehensive frosting catalogue. The most widely specified types of frosting include Avery and 3M. Architects generally like to specify these two company’s frosting products because they are generally superior and are warranted to last at least 7 years internally.
Frosting: installation
When ordering frosting it is important to specify the dimensions of the window or glass partition and inform your rep of any modifications necessary to the frosting.
One of the most common modifications to standard factory frosting involves direct printing a company’s logo onto the frosting strip. This is very common in corporate offices and in safety strips which go over glass partitions in most building lobbies, so that patrons don’t accidentally walk through glass.
The other common type of modification involves computer cutting a particular shape or logo out of the frosting strip in order to allow people to be able partially see through the frosting film. You’ll find this type of effect most commonly in doctors’ surgeries and in certain types of retail service businesses such as real estate agents and financial planners.
