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 an applied graphic can function without failing after being exposed to that temperature for a period of 24 hours.

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Using Car Wax On Printed Dry Erase Vinyl

My story, How to Minimize Ghosting on Dry Erase Boards,  explains how to condition EZ Erase dry erase vinyl film with Rain-X liquid car wax.  After writing on the film with dry erase markers, you can also use the car wax to wipe the surface clean with no residue or ghosting. 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 »

Graphics Troubleshooting

Yesterday I received an email with a couple of pictures of applied vinyl graphics with what looked like bubbles underneath the film. See the photo below. The message that accompanied the pictures read: “Could you please take a look at the enclosed pictures and help us with your assessment.” 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 »

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 »

More on What You Need to Know About Rivets

Discover the ins and outs, dos and don’ts of installing vinyl graphics over rivets.  What you find out may surprise you. Dealing with rivets is the price you pay for greater profits.  But applying over rivets need not be a nightmare if you have the right knowledge and skills.  Read more »

Should You Buy Ink in Bulk?

Discover the pros and cons of buying ink in large quantities. Want to save money on your ink budget?  Barring using third-party inks, you have two options: buy in bulk or install a bulk ink system. Read more »

Adhesion to Powder Coated Paints

Why Pressure Sensitive Materials Fail to Adhere to Powder Coated Surfaces?   Adhesion failures of pressure sensitive materials, such as labels, decorative films, foam tapes and graphic panels, to powder coated substrates are quite common.  Just as there are several reasons for these failures, there are several steps that the fabricator can take to avoid […] Read more »

Sign Media & Floor Graphics

In Sign Media Canada , Jodie Sawyer of Flexcon writes: “Floor graphics have been used in the retail sector for years to help shoppers find products on shelves or to direct their attention to special merchandising promotions. Studies have shown they typically result in a seven to 16 per cent sales lift. Read more »