Posts
35
Joined
10/19/2013
Location
Granada Hills, CA
US
Edited Date/Time
11/15/2013 9:22pm
FYI - my bad I guess.
Stockpiled some custom graphics for my bikes.
Broke out a set about 1.5 years old and tried to apply to new plastics.
1. They would not form with heat as newer sets will
2. They will not adhere to the plastic well and come off
3. Worse yet, the clear cover is separating from color graphic base
This backup bike in the garage still not used 3 months after application of graphics.
Factory Backing informed my that after such a long time they are unable to send a free replacement because I waited to long to apply them.
I had no idea graphics go bad with this age level.
Bummer
Stockpiled some custom graphics for my bikes.
Broke out a set about 1.5 years old and tried to apply to new plastics.
1. They would not form with heat as newer sets will
2. They will not adhere to the plastic well and come off
3. Worse yet, the clear cover is separating from color graphic base
This backup bike in the garage still not used 3 months after application of graphics.
Factory Backing informed my that after such a long time they are unable to send a free replacement because I waited to long to apply them.
I had no idea graphics go bad with this age level.
Bummer
I'm not sure what you could do about the separation between the colour and the clear, but i used a spray on adhesive that worked well. You spray both sides, let it dry and then join them together. It wasnt noticeable when i had finished and they came out good as new....Any residue came off with solvent.
I've had some screen-printed graphics sitting around for a solid 7 years and they still look great, though it looks like they've shrunk just a little.
That is why you only buy from reputable companies... DecalMX, Enjoi, Factory Effex, ONE.
This is called laminate. 99% of the mom and pop graphic companies out there do this and it is a very shitty way to make graphics, yet the public just eats it up because the company is local (don't get me started on the quality of the artwork or the printing).
I already posted in the last graphics thread about how REAL graphics are printed, but suffice it to say that if they are laminates then the company is substandard.
The Shop
I have to say in all honesty that this set of graphics that failed started out in a garage in upstate NY and went down to like 15 degrees, then, across to our new home in So Cal and went through 100+ degrees in the garage.
A little smarter after all of your comments above
68 degrees dry and dark they'll be as good as new.
Since every company that he included in his post laminates, they must all be sub-standard, right, lol?
Bottom line is, if you get custom graphics expect for them to be lower quality than a set of team graphics from a major company. There are reasons why mom and pop graphic shops pop up and disappear on a daily basis...
Your best bet is if it was custom digital work and has been in the garage, or on the shelf for more than 6 months; get a new set.
Screen printing can produce colors that will not fade as quick and/or be a little more saturated, but there's nothing about the vinyl, the overlaminate or the adhesive that a new inkjet printer cannot produce with superior quality.
UV cured, Resin based or latex inks don't have the same impact on the base vinyls that solvent based inks do. There's also thermal ribbon transfer that possible, but it has the same crappy screening that screen printing has.
Inkjet based manufacturing has superior print quality and much more manufacturing flexibility. If you want to produce 3000 sets of the exact same graphics, then screen printing is the most economical method (for now). This doesn't mean it's the way to produce the highest quality or the best durability. It's just the fastest way to bang out that many.
Pit Row
Nowhere did I say that screened graphics won't break down.
And ya probably could have done better by excluding the word "real" when referring to graphics... graphics are graphics up to a point, but in the end my bet is on those which are not laminated.
And I'd say that I do know a bit about how various heavy duty stickers are made as I ran a company making them and worked closely with a local 3M distributer sourcing the products needed to run an operation such as DecalMX... I've also owned and ran a creen printing company, have much experience with UV-dried inks, automatic presses, etc.
And Dennis, I'm not anyone that you might know, unless you raced at 59th/Mosier Valley/Whitney throughout the 90s.
I am sure if I had to do it now I would just order them up like you guys all do now, but things are definitely different than they were 20 years ago.
Screen printing is the way to go if you want more than 25 sets of graphics. Digital printing is good but as stated by the OP the laminate shrinks, starts to delaminate, and adhesive loses it's luster. Yes screen printing will shrink but it all shrinks together and the adhesive will last much longer.
And MCP, trust me adhesive will not have a finite shelf life. Unless you got some nasa adhesive or something that will peel the color off of the plastics, which you would never want something that strong, it will go bad after a few years. I deal with graphics anywhere from 10 years old to a day old, trust me they go bad.
ˈfīnīt/
adjective
1.
having limits or bounds.
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