Benefiting from trends in lamination

by all | 24 September 2013 8:30 am

By Jerry Hill and Luigi Cristicini
Any experienced producer of wide-format displays knows lamination is a valuable step of the process, as it can increase the durability and enhance the visible colour gamut of high-end printed graphics. Lamination equipment and consumables can also boost profits, however, by answering the needs raised by current trends and new opportunities in the world of graphic finishing.

Roll-to-roll lamination
Many sign shops today are producing vehicle wraps, for example, and given the competitive and time-sensitive nature of the market, they are looking for equipment that can simplify the process. One way they can upgrade their capabilities is with a roll-to-roll laminator.

Simply put, roll-to-roll lamination involves overlaminating a series of printed graphics and rolling them onto a core at the back of the laminator. This requires a machine with sufficient unwind and take-up shafts to complete the process, which is generally a cut above an entry-level laminator because it ensures better tracking.

For this reason, when shopping around for a new, upgraded laminator, it is important to see an actual demonstration of the unit as it completes the roll-to-roll cycle and verify it offers tension control on the supply and take-up shafts, as well as a repeatable pinch-point pressure control and gauge for measuring purposes.

Another feature to consider is a heat-assist top roller, which can speed up the curing rate of the adhesive. This helps answer the market demand for more immediacy in service.

Further, when laminated graphics are rolled onto a core, they can more easily be transported to their installation site without suffering from kinks, damage or dirt. Typically, only one person is required to set them up.

For all of these reasons, using roll-to-roll lamination allows jobs to be completed with reduced manual labour costs, in a shorter timeframe and with a much higher chance of success, yielding higher profits.

Face-mounting graphics
Another trend taking off today in the graphics marketplace is face-mounting graphics, which involves applying an image to the second surface (i.e. inside face) of a clear substrate, such as acrylic. This way, a passerby looks through both the clear substrate and an optically clear adhesive to see the graphics.

The production process has been around for many years, but there has lately been a surge of inquiries across the sign industry. Face-mounting graphic applications include standard and backlit menu boards, damage-protected directional signs and wall décor, whether framed, hung or mounted on standoffs.

Face-mounting graphics involves a high degree of difficulty. The images and adhesives must be perfect, free of any dirt or bubbles.

This need for perfection has caused many graphics producers to shy away from the process, but this just leaves more potential profit on the table for those who are willing to endure the steep learning curve. That said, there are some basic steps to success:

1. Make sure the work environment is very clean. Dust is the graphics’ enemy—one speck can ruin the print.
2. For the best results, print the images on a very smooth-surfaced type of media.
3. Use a roller laminator to apply an optically clear, double-sided adhesive to the face of the printed image.
4. Mount the image to the substrate by progressively removing the second release liner as it passes back through the laminator.

The complete procedural details are more involved, of course, but worth the time and effort to learn. Face-mounting graphics can put a lot of extra money in a signmaker’s pocket, as the completed images can garner three to four times the profit margin of an average print, if done well.

Specialty finishes
Another option is to branch out into non-traditional or ‘specialty’ overlamination films to create a unique signature look for custom graphics. Taking the time to understand each customer’s needs will help determine the most appropriate surface finish. Gone are the days of simply using whatever lamination films are sitting on the shelf.

Traditional finishes include gloss, lustre and matte. Non-traditional varieties range from dry-erase and anti-graffiti films to anti-slip and scratch-resistant pebble finishes. Specialty products include canvas, linen, leather, three-dimensional (3-D) holographic, food-contact-approved and biodegradable films.

By offering a wider variety of finishes, a sign shop can satisfy its customers with a wider variety of jobs, which will help create a longer-term income stream and higher profits.

UV-cured graphics
Ultraviolet-curing (UV-curing) inkjet printers have made their way into signs shops over the years. Their popularity is driven in part by the ease of direct-to-board printing.

There is nevertheless a need for special lamination films for UV-cured output, to provide greater protection against the elements and to enhance the printed graphics. Although better and better UV-cured inks continue to be developed, they still encounter difficulty with low-surface-energy substrates like styrene, so lamination is helpful as a scratch guard and to help seal the inks more permanently to the surface. Additionally, most UV-cured inks have a relatively dull appearance, so lamination is often needed to ensure a glossier look.

Signmakers will need to consult with their suppliers, as the special laminates that are compatible with UV-cured inks are not yet widely available.

Window graphics
Window films continue to represent a growth opportunity for signage, as well, fuelled in part by customers’ desire to find more real estate for their display graphics. This trend is especially noticeable in retail environments. While grocery stores have long used their glass windows as an effective area for visual marketing, today many other ‘genres’ of stores are also using their windows for advertising purposes.

With the growth of such demand, a wider variety of printable films and mounting adhesives have been specifically designed for application onto glass. To choose between these, it is important to consider the characteristics of the customer’s graphics and where they are to be applied.

Local regulations and codes, for example, may dictate whether the graphics are mounted to the inside or outside surface of the windows. The choice between wet- and dry-application films may rest on whether graphics professionals or local store employees will be installing them.

Further, the films may be clear or opaque, perforated or non-perforated, with single- or double-sided graphics, depending on whether or not the retailer wants customers and staff to be able to see through them from inside the store. And based how long the graphics need to last, the materials may be repositionable or ‘permanent.’

Beyond the media, another option to consider is a double-sided mounting adhesive formulated specifically for use on glass. For this type of job, the adhesive and the printable film are separate, so the customer can first choose his/her preferred substrate. Then, the printed graphics can be mounted to the ‘permanent’ side of the adhesive using a laminator. The resulting piece is taken to the job site and installed on its repositionable side. Many of these adhesives today include special air channels on this side to ensure bubble-free results when applied by hand onto dry glass.

Liquid lamination
Beyond film-based laminates and adhesives, liquid lamination is one of the latest trends to make waves in the sign industry. Most liquid laminates are available in gloss, lustre or matte finishes and are compatible with solvent-based inkjet-printed output, while newer UV-cured inks and durable aqueous ‘latex’ inks need special formulations.

There are also liquid laminates manufactured for specific types of graphic applications. Car wrap liquids, for example, are designed with maximum flexibility and UV resistance in mind, while wall décor liquids are formulated with moisture- and mildew-resistant additives. Liquid coatings for fine-art reproductions are produced with extra flexibility to help prevent edge cracking.

Liquid laminates can be extremely profitable for a sign business. Their special characteristics can add significant value to a printed graphic, while themselves costing as little as four cents per square foot. Also, offering the option of liquid lamination can set a sign shop apart from most of its competitors.

Liquid laminates can be applied through a variety of methods, including by hand with a roller, brush or mop, with a high-volume low-pressure (HVLP) sprayer or via a roll-to-roll liquid coater. They are perfect for standard cut-vinyl signs and printed graphics, especially when there is a need to change an existing finish from matte to gloss or vice versa.

Not all liquid laminates are created equal, however. It is important to check how much protection they will offer graphics, if they are fortified with UV radiation absorbers and light stabilizers, and how long they will take to dry. Some newer liquid laminates will be dry to the touch in less than 30 minutes, while others may take hours.

Odours must also be evaluated. Liquids that are high in volatile organic compounds (VOCs) are not only likely to drive customers out of a sign shop in the first place, but also may not be permitted in some customers’ installation sites, such as food-service environments, hospitals and daycares. It is increasingly important to find a supplier of low-VOC liquids who can back up any claims with data.

A winning combination
In today’s sign industry, it is all the more important to become smarter, better and faster than the competition. This means taking time to analyze market trends and then to decide how to respond to them, whether through roll-to-roll lamination, face-mounting graphics, a wider range of non-traditional and/or specialty laminates, finishes for UV-cured graphics, custom window films or liquid lamination. A winning combination of equipment and consumables will help a sign shop continue to succeed today and tomorrow.

Jerry Hill is vice-president (VP) of new market business development and Luigi Cristicini is business development manager for Drytac Canada in Concord, Ont., which manufactures pressure-sensitive and thermal overlamination films and supplies mounting adhesives, backing films, inkjet media, finishing equipment, liquid laminating systems, related accessories and banner stands. For more information, visit www.drytac.ca[7].

Source URL: https://www.signmedia.ca/benefiting-from-trends-in-lamination/

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