Service Temperature Range and Thermal Degradation

Jim Hingst explains how extreme heat can cause the PVC resin of a vinyl film to break down. In selecting a film for an application, the “Service Temperature Range” is an important consideration. So what exactly is the service temperature range? As you might guess, this term refers to the range of temperature within which […] Read more »

Avoiding Edge Curling When Printing Full Bleeds

Why the Simplest Solutions are Generally the Best Printing heavy concentrations of ink to the edges of some films can result in edge curl. But there is a simple solution.  Read more »

Roland Service Technician for Contract Work

Supply55 is seeking a trained Roland service technician to service a population of printers in the Sacramento, California, Carson City, Nevada and Reno, Nevada area. If you’re a trained independent Roland service technician, please contact Supply55 at 734-668-0755 or sales@supply55.com. Read more »

Printing with Solvent and Ecosolvent Inks

Solvent and ecosolvent inks allow you to print onto various types of uncoated films, including RTape’s VinylEfx® vinyl print media. As wonderful and easy to use as these print systems are, you must test and evaluate the inks and your printer settings prior to production. Incompatibility between the ink system and the print media could […] Read more »

Removing Vinyl Graphics

Tips For Strippers I would love to tell you that I had an easy way to remove vinyl and adhesive, along with a sure fire formula to make millions in graphics removal.  Although I have a few tips to make the removal jobs more trouble-free, they are never easy or fun, rarely profitable and frequently […] Read more »

Screen Printing Acrylic Sheet

Painting is not the only solution for decorating plastic signfaces. For high-volume jobs, screen printing with either solvent or UV curable inks is an economical solution. In selecting an ink system, ask your screen print supply distributor for a recommendation. The ink manufacturers’ technical bulletins will give you printing specifications. The type of mesh, squeegee, […] Read more »

Accelerating the Curing Process

Printing and Cutting Heat Transfer Appliques Using Roland’s BN-20 Many T-shirt shops have purchased Roland’s VersaStudio 20″ BN-20 Desktop Inkjet Printer/Cutter so they can offer digitally printed heat transfer appliques to their customers. In addition to printing appliques, the BN-20 is also a nice entry-level machine for those shops expanding into the sign market. Read more »

Printing with Solvent and Ecosolvent Inks

Solvent and ecosolvent inks allow you to print onto various types of uncoated films, including RTape’s VinylEfx® vinyl print media. As wonderful and easy to use as these print systems are, you must test and evaluate the inks and your printer settings prior to production. Incompatibility between the ink system and the print media could […] Read more »

Tips for Cutting Flock Material

If you want to provide your customers the rich look of an embroidered emblem, but the cost of embroidery is too rich for their blood, consider using RTape’s VelCut™  flock material. This velvety soft material is a great alternative at a fraction of the cost. Flock heat transfer appliques are cut in reverse (mirror image). […] Read more »

Choosing a Translucent Vinyl

Which is Better for Backlit Signs: Cast or Calendered? Vinyl manufacturers, such as 3M™ and Arlon, produce a broad color selection of translucent cast vinyl films for backlit signage applications. In addition to backlit building signage, other applications include taxi-top signage, mall and airport-terminal advertising, menuboards and canopy fascias. Read more »