Pigment Ink Versus Dye-based Ink for Digital Printing.

Digital printing inks are similar to other inks and paints. All of these products consist of two basic components:  a colorant (dye or pigment) and a liquid carrier or vehicle.  The varieties of digital printing inks include aqueous inks, solvent inks, ecosolvent inks, latex inks and UV-curable inks.  With so many choices available in wide […] Read more »

Wind Slits in Vinyl Banners

Opinions about wind slits in banners vary. The purpose of these semi-circular cuts in the vinyl banner material is to relieve the wind load that can shred a banner to pieces. Sign makers often use anything from soup cans to coffee cans as templates for cutting slits with an Xacto knife or utility knife. To […] Read more »

Banner Care

Recommendations on Cleaning, Storage and Shipping of Banners If your customers want their banners, awnings or flexible sign faces to last longer, they should be instructed to keep them clean, by simply washing them periodically with a mild detergent and warm water. Flexible materials that are not properly cleaned on a regular basis are guaranteed […] Read more »

How to Apply Vinyl Graphics to Banners

Application of graphics to vinyl banner material requires slightly different surface preparation and application techniques than other applications. What follows is a compilation of some suggestions to make your job easier. Secure the Banner. Before applying pressure-sensitivevinyl graphics, tape or secure the banner to your work table surface using good quality, two-inch masking tape or by […] Read more »

Hemming Vinyl Banner Material

Sewing is the traditional way to hem the edges of a vinyl banner. Today, you have many other alternative finish methods. Many of these methods are just as reliable as sewing and require less skill. These include banner tape, adhesives, chemical welding, heat welding and RF welding. Each finishing method has its own advantages and […] Read more »

Guardian Laminator Price Reduction

Effective September 1, 2016 and running through December 28, 2016, Supply55, Inc. is pleased to announce promotinal pricing on Guardian 65” Cold and Heat Assist laminators. Part Number Description MSRP Promotional MSRP 55-LM1650CL01 Guardian 65” Cold Laminator $5,495.00 $4,995.00 55-LM1650HA01 Guardian 65” Heat Assist Laminator $6,495.00 $5,995.00 Guardian Laminators are an affordable, easy to use solution […] Read more »

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 »

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 »

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 »