Watch me: “Wrapping” an Office Chair.
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WHY THE CORRECT “STICKER” IS IMPORTANT –
BUT VERY BORING.
I’m giving you advanced warning, I find this stuff really boring. I don’t care if it is really important and imperative that we know it, otherwise it will cost us a fortune by selling the wrong product.
If you make it to the end message me because I don’t think anyone will read this.
Here Goes… Many Years Ago…
When we built our website our research led us to analyse the combinations of processes, stocks and inks. We studied a local commercial printer with an 8 colour offset perfector and various finishing equipment and we found they had 12,000 combinations.
We did the same in our business and we have 125,000 combinations.
Why am I telling you this?
We have different ink types and stocks that we print which are matched to laminates then… we have to cut, crease, fold, weld, stick… into a final product.
This is why we need a team of humans behind our website, not everyone is an expert, but our team are, and they are here to help you.
- Walls
- Vehicles
- Floors
- Windows
- Furniture
- Exhibition Panels
- Gadgets – Phones, Gaming Consoles
Applications – What Can Large Format Self Adhesive Vinyl Stickers Be Used For?
- Walls
- Vehicles
- Floors
- Windows
- Furniture
- Exhibition Panels
- Gadgets – Phones, Gaming Consoles
You will
get this time back… but you are going to be soooo clever!
Self Adhesive Vinyl (SAV, Stickers)
Okay, this is not as straight forward as you may think. There are 2 main parts to self adhesive vinyl:
- The Vinyl
- The Glue
That’s the easy bit.
The Vinyl
There are 3 main types of vinyl that we use. Vinyl is Poly Vinyl Chloride (PVC):
- Monomeric Vinyl
- Polymeric Vinyl
- Cast Vinyl
Each of the above have a different cost based on the complexity of the process of manufacture but each type has unique characteristics for different applications – this is very important.
Bookmark this
just in case you have no paint to watch dry.
What is the difference between monomeric, polymeric and cast vinyl?
- Mono – means one
- Poly – means more than one
- Meric – means a boy or unit
This is all to do with the way the molecules are bonded to each other and I don’t this it is important to understand this, it is more important to understand why they are different.
Monomeric Vinyl
This is popular because it is lower cost and ideal for flat surfaces (windows, flat panels of vehicles and stickers applied to a flat surface).
Why use Monomeric Vinyl?
- Ideal for flat applications
- Lower in price
- Short-medium term lifespan (2-3 years)
- Best for indoor use
Monomeric vinyl is bad for:
- Long-term use
- Uneven surfaces
- Can shrink
Keep reading you are almost
in Large Format Stickers.
Polymeric Vinyl
This is a vinyl used for both indoor and outdoor. It can be applied to a gentle curve. It has a lifespan of 5-7 years. It is more resistant to shrinkage but will shrink.
Why use Polymeric vinyl?
- Medium Term Lifespan – 5-7 years
- Less Shrinkage
- Can be used for gentle curves
Polymeric Vinyl is not great for:
- It’s a bit more expensive that monomeric but cheaper than cast.
- Cannot be used to wrap a vehicle
Cast Vinyl
Cast vinyl is the premium and it is priced accordingly. It is thin, soft and highly flexible making it great for wrapping a vehicle. It has the least shrinkage and returns to its original form when heated with a heat gun.
Why use cast vinyl?
- Longevity
- Great for vehicle wrapping
Cast vinyl is not great for:
- It’s expensive, so don’t use this for low value jobs or where flexibility is not required.
My goodness you have
Glue – The sticky bit on the back of you (SAV or Sticker)
There are loads of different types of glue and new technologies arrive annually from the manufacturers. I’ll try and simplify this for you. You should consider the following:
- What is the vinyl to stick to?
- How long should it stick?
- Who is fitting the graphic?
- Transparency – Waterbased and Acrylic Glues?
- Opacy
What is the vinyl to stick to?
So, have you seen that plastic on a motocross motorbike? Yea, well it’s a nightmare to get a vinyl sticker to stick to it because the surface has a “low tension” making it almost impossible to get anything to stick to this.
Oh, remember to test the surface of a wall for silicone. Many hospitals and pharmaceutical plants are painted with silone based paints so that “nothing” will stick to the walls. I have seen the highest rating of glue “fall off” a wall 2 weeks later.
The glues are rates by newtons per square inch. This is how the stickiness is determined. Most glues on self adhesive vinyls are activated by pressure (pressure sensitive) and they do not get to there full adhesive strength until 24hours after application.
Wake Up!
have almost finished!
How long should it stick?
Select the correct adhesive for the duration of the time the self adhesive sticker will be in use. For example a road traffic sign will probably require a 12 year glue. However and event graphic will need a short-term glue.
You should also be aware that some glues to do not want to leave the glue on the item you want to stick the graphic to. Can you imagine removing a floor graphic or window sticker for the vinyl to remove but the glue to remain on the surface. This can take hours to remove and be very costly in labour and chemicals.
Some glues are designed not to remain on the substrate (the item the sticker has been affixed to) but this will only last a specified period before the glue becomes brittle and difficult to remove.
Who is fitting the graphic?
I find this interesting, I know. Glues are becoming so advanced. Some do not stick when you affix them to the substrate and then add heat. Others have air channels to allow bubble to be pushed out (air release vinyl). This technology is great for novices and experts because it speeds up the time it takes to install/fit the sticker… sometimes they can be large!
Paying extra for an air-release vinyl can save you in labour and reduce the risk of damage when fitting.
Transparency – Waterbased and Acrylic Glues
Some stickers are transparent. I remember years ago not knowing about different glues and learning the hard way when fitting a window sticker. We stick to waterbased or acrylic glues. We prefer acrylic glues for transparent window stickers because water based glues go cloudy when applied with water. This can be a nightmare as big graphics end up looking terrible and the client rejects the job and it ends up in the bin.
Opacity
Finally, imagine you are fitting a new graphic to a window. There are already graphics on the window and there is no time to remove. In these occasions we us a grey glue backed vinyl. This will help block out the image below. This is more common than you would think. This can be useful for covering existing signs where the substrate can be used again.
Applogies…
No, honestly, I mean it, “Sorry”.
This is probably littered with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors but I just can’t face the prospect of proof reading this.
Most of this stuff has been packed away in my head for years and quite rightly so.
One Response
Great tips and info. Now I know the perfect vinyl to wrap my couch 😉
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