Waste Not, Want Not Adversity brings out the best and the worst in people. In some parts of the country, the theft of aluminum signs has risen dramatically during this protracted recession. Is it any surprise? With rising raw material costs, aluminum is valuable as scrap. To thwart criminals, traffic sign manufacturers are replacing aluminum […] Read more »
Getting Ready to Wrap a Boat?
Wrapping boats isn’t rocket science-and you can learn a lot from your vehicle wrapping endeavors-but installing vinyl on a boat is different than applying vinyl to a vehicle. Find out why. Before you set out to apply vinyl to a boat, be sure you have all your templates, materials and tools in a row. So […] Read more »
Difficult to Transfer Vinyl Graphics
Pick Up Tips Who hasn’t had the occasional problem in transferring vinyl graphics from its release liner? In many cases, the solution may be as simple as selecting a higher tack tape, or making a slight change in your application procedure. Here are a few pick up tips to make transferring vinyl a more uplifting […] Read more »
Priming and Painting for Wall Graphics Applications
Drywall Preparation, Priming and Painting In my story, Preventing Wall Graphics Failures, I mentioned that new drywall must be primed and painted properly to ensure good adhesion of pressure-sensitive vinyl wall graphics. You wouldn’t think that applying vinyl wall graphics to newly painted drywall should be a problem. Of course, problems can and do happen. Especially when […] Read more »
Printing Claritex® Top-Coated Polycarbonate Films
Tips for Digitally Printing & Laminating Top-Coated Polycarbonate Films RTape’s Claritex® 10 mil bright white velvet-matte polycarbonate films feature a specially formulated ink-receptive coating for solvent, ecosolvent and latex inkjet printers. The good hold out characteristic of the top coating keeps the colorant of the ink on its surface for brilliant color reproduction. The coating […] Read more »
Painting Flames
And Other Uses for Application Tape. Protecting and transferring vinyl graphics aren’t the only uses for application tape. Here are some other uses for paper application tapes. 1. High tack application tapes, such as RTape 4075, are also used by painters and artists as a paint mask for custom painting of motor cycles, cars and trucks. […] Read more »
Choosing the Best Ink to Print on Vinyl
Some digital print shops stick to the ink their printer manufacturer offers. But that might not always be the best choice for your vinyl print job. Your overarching goal is to match your ink to your media. Find out what you need to know. There are enough ink options on the market to make your […] Read more »
Applying Vinyl Over Curves, Body Creases and Molding
Installing graphics on vehicles or wrapping entire vehicles for that matter presents some unique challenges rarely encountered on other substrates. Find out how to get around these difficult issues. Need some practical tips, tricks and techniques for applying vinyl over curves, molding and body creases? Read on for information that will add to […] Read more »
Take Me Out to the Ball Game
Cincinnati’s Great American Ballpark offers proof positive that effective sign design can inform, entertain, commemorate and stand out in a crowd. Signs speak volumes. But signs in hustling bustling environments often speak too much, too loud, or perhaps even too subtlety to communicate the message. Let’s face it. Poorly designed signs breed a sense […] Read more »
Applying Vinyl Graphics to Aircraft
Are you ready to let your business fly high? Applying vinyl graphics to aircraft may be your next big opportunity. There are opportunities to apply vinyl to aircraft, but it takes special materials and a steady hand to get into the business. Read more »
