Digital Printing for the Sign Industry

Transcription

1 Digital Printing for the Sign Industry by Ray Wilson, Oxford Graphics, Inc. Brief History of Digital Printing Getting started into Digital Printing Choosing the right process for the Job and Production Tips. Substrates used in Digital printing. Maintenance & Finishing Merging Markets and future of Digital Printing Sign Careers.com Questions and comments 1

2 History of Large Format Digital Printing for the sign industry November 2011 We only have to go back about years to find the beginning of this new Industry, Large Format Digital Printing; but only about years if we only want to look at the effects on the sign industry. One of the earliest large format ink jet printers was the Iris Model 3047, introduced in It was produced as a proofing machine for the printing industry. Since proofing was a short term product, the light sensitivity of the ink was not a concern. This was a very expensive machine costing $126,000, and was not intended for the reproduction of fine art or advertising as a production machine, but was the start of the large format digital revolution. Graham Nash of the 1960 s rock group Crosby, Stills, Nash & Young, a photographer and collector, along with his road manager Mac Holbert, first recognized the potential of the Iris printer for fine art printing, and on March 14, 1989 watched it print the first color poster, 16 x 20 photograph of pink roses. The Iris Model 3047 In April of 1990, Peter L. Duffield & Arthur Cleary patented the first inkjet head for vinyl use, which was the beginning of Vutek, Inc. in Meredith, N.H. In 1991, they patented their first printer used for the printing of billboards which was a 5 meter (16.6 ft) machine, but it only printed about Nine (9) DPI, you had to be 50 feet from it to see what the image was. This was great for the Billboard industry, but would be the beginning of the end for the sign painter. 2

3 In the early to mid 1990s these large format printers began to appear at trade shows, and even though they were limited and very slow they were starting to make an impact. In 1993 Gerber introduced the Edge, thermal transfer printer. This technology was one where color ribbons are used to transfer the image in spot color as well as process color. Even though it is limited by its 15 width it has exceptional outdoor durability, as well as a cut and print application. It is still in use today and is a very popular in many shops. Gerber EDGE FX TM The other technology offered was Electrostatic printing. These printers were used in the blueprint and engineering industry to make color drawings. Companies started putting RIP computers on these E-Stat Machines and selling them to the graphics and sign industry. The pro s of these printers would be 1. They were fast, 1-2 per second, 2. The inks were high pigmented, 3. They were inexpensive to run. The Con s were 1. Had to be in a controlled environment, 2. Expensive, over $100, Everything had to be mounted or laminated. Xerox Electrostatic Printer Xerox had a 36 and 44 machine powered by SMARTcolor, from C4 Network, Inc.,3M ScotchPrinter 2000, 54 wide printer, and Raster Graphics had one by Encad. We decided to go with the Xerox 36 printer, our first entry in to the digital printing business. The thing about this technology is everything had to be transferred to the substrate, so you had to purchase a laminator that would go to at least 220 degrees. Posters were the easiest, just print them face up and mount onto foamcore or encapsulate with clear laminate. Banners and decals were a different story, first you printed them face down on the paper, then run them through the laminator to transfer them to the banner or decal, then you lay them out and wash down with water until the paper would release from the substrate, let them dry, then laminate and trim or hem and grommet. This process was once touted as the future of digital printing began to crash in the early 2000 s as inkjet begin to takeover. We had 4-5 years of good operation, until July of 2000, when we replaced 3

4 it with an 80 Vutek 2360 inkjet. This machine would image directly on vinyl, decals, mesh and other flexible substrates Model Vutek 2360 Inkjet Printer The early 2000 s was a booming time for Inkjet printer manufacturers, as the mid range printers started to arrive (60 wide and smaller), the inks were getting better, and prices were in a range that people started to consider them. The grand format (60 and above) had gone to 360 & 600 dpi, and the world market broadened. The mid-2000 s brought the Flat-Bed UV printers to the markets. Direct imaging on flat substrates would be the next big market, and it was. All the big players were trying to get machines ready for shows, and taking orders on machines that would take time before they would do what they say would.it s too bad we don t have digital printing police. Vutek QS2000 Hybrid flatbed Printer Today the industry has gone through its learning curve and doing well. There is equipment in all price ranges and fits many needs in the sign industry. Mimaki Roland 4

5 Getting started in Digital Printing The DP industry can be overwhelming, especially if your just getting into it or going to the next level. There are certain things to consider: 1. How much digital printing am I currently selling? or If this is a new product, you might want to start by outsourcing, but either way plan on a learning curve. 10 years ago, the learning curve was 6 months to a year, now maybe 2-3 months. The good news now is, most of the printers come ready to print out of the box. 2. Is this something you will be committed to? Digital printers like to be used, as they tend to have more trouble when they are not producing. Starting off your graphics person should have time to run the printer. 3. Make sure your environment is clean and stays at a livable temperature. 4. When making the purchase, remember you will need the following: a) Inventory of different materials and substrates b) Extra supply of ink and maintenance supplies, including rubber gloves, white cotton gloves, 91% isopropyl alcohol, lent free wipes, other recommended items from the manufacturer. c) Enough space to layout jobs for extra drying, and finishing. d) Laminator the larger the better. e) Grommet machine f) Slide cutter (the longer the better) g) Sewing machine, thermal welder, or seaming tape. h) Lots of razor blades, stencil knifes, & Band-Aids. i) Larger Trash Can 5. Always figure the machine will produce less than they say and cost more than they say to operate.. 6. Finished product pricing. Everything is figured by the square foot on the finished size. When figuring your cost always keep in mind that you have time loading the material, running your jet test, ink cost, material waste from webbing and empty space on the edge. Figure 6 hours per day print time is 100% capacity on each machine. Some of the larger producers are going back to the old manufacturing way of pricing, which is time & material, overhead, etc. 5

6 Types of Equipment InkJet - Solvent Large Format up to 63 wide dpi, speeds from sf/hour shops producing sf per day price range $20,000 - $40,000 Grand Format wide dpi, speeds from sf/hour shops producing 1000 sf per day and up price range - $80,000 - $500,000 InkJet UV Grand Format Roll-to-Roll up to 198 wide dpi, speeds up to 3200 sf/hour shops producing billboards, large volume banners, etc. Price Range - $350,000 up. Flat Bed / Flatbed Hybrid True flatbed 50 x 98 or 60 x 120 Flatbed Hybrid (switchable from flat to roll) 63 to 126 wide dpi, speeds up to 700 sf/hour $80,000 - $500,000 Other type printers & Inks Eco-Solvent, Latex, LED UV, Pigment, Dye-Sub, Ribbon, Aqueous, Laser. Small Format Digital/Laser/Offset Production of Brochures, flyers, Business Cards, Etc.-High volume scanning Xerox 700 Digital Color Press price range $60,000 up. Toner and maintenance paid for through a per click charge dpi, 13 x 19 max size sheet, up to x 11 sheets per Hour. Handles up to #110 cover Stock or 300 gsm. optional finishing- Booklet, saddle stitch, hole punching, collating, and folding. Additional equipment needed: Electric or Hydraulic paper cutter, offline paper folder/scoring machine, manual paper cutter, small spiral binder 6

7 Choosing the Right Process for the Job and Production Tips This industry has brought us new technology and has given us options in the way we do our jobs. Many companies have purchased digital printers lately with the idea that it will be answer for all of their production needs. You should always be thinking about what your customer is expecting. If you have been selling them cut vinyl on coroplast and you change to digital UV, it s not going to look the same. However, you can sell them on digital by offering more colors and faster turnaround, but don t expect all of them to convert. I have listed some changes you may expect to make in your processes: 1. Most of your cut vinyl banners will go to digital. You will find that you can produce them faster and cheaper. 2. Some solid colors do not produce well in digital. Plan on vinyl cutting these on short run sign jobs, or have them screen printed. 3. Printing on color substrates can be a problem, unless you have a UV printer with white ink. ie: purple on gold coroplast, will turn burgundy. 4. Some of your flexible sign faces can be switched to Digital if your printer will print in double pass and is wide enough to handle the job. Remember your ink cost on double pass gets expensive, and solid areas will be darker during the day. 5. UV printing on flat substrates requires extra care in handling before and after production. Must be free of dirt or finger prints. 6. Decals for vehicles or applications for curved surfaces should be printed on solvent machines. Some UV inks are more flexible than others, but inks for flat substrates are normally harder for adhesion purposes. 7. Your coroplast and styrene have shelf lives for adhesion, so try to always inventory for no more that 3-6 months. 8. Direct UV imaging on Plexiglas or lexan will work fine as long as the surface is clean and material is flat. Wait 24 hours before laminating. 9. Gang as many jobs on the same substrate together as you can. 7

8 SUBSTRATES TYPE USES PROCESS COMMENTS Solvent UV Front-Lit Banner Banners/billboards X X 10-16oz most common Mesh vinyl Banners, Fence advertising X 7 oz, some printers require backing to catch ink. PS vinyls - Calendered Decals-flat surfaces X X Laminate for longer life. PS vinyls - Cast Vehicles/wraps/perm signs X Laminate with recommended clear vinyl Flexface vinyl Backlit signs X X add Liquid UV coating Reflective vinyl Truck graphics/signs X X Laminate for longer life. Magnetic Truck signs X Laminate for longer life. Aluminum signs X Laminate for longer life. Plywood/omega board site signs X Laminate for longer life. Static Cling-white Temporary window signs X X material has shelf life Static cling - clear Temporary window signs X X Must have white vinyl or ink under image Styrene POP, or short term signage X.020,.040 &.060 thick - yellow a little with time fluted Polypropolene Coroplast - signage X has shelf life - adhesion problems after 6 month PVC - Sentra Signage X Prints well - 2mm - 10mm Plexi-glass Backlit signs X prints well - let cure before laminating Lexan/polyester Baclit signs/display signs X use thinner film for trade show booths Fabric - polyester backdrops/tabecovers/banners X X solvent requires coating on fabric, uv doesn't - double pass Fabric - Canvas large reproduction/awning X UV prints better UltraBoard indoor signage X Prints OK - Some streaking on UV 6 ply poly coated board yard signs X Prints well UV Foamcore indoor signage X prints well UV Window film Vehicle/store front window X X Laminate with optical clear over lam Print Heat Transfers with InkJet printer Use Solvent Heat transfer paper to produce T-shirts and other fabric products. Also use a solvent printer to produce dark shirts, with a print and cut transfer paper. Requires Heat Transfer Machine. (see Picture above right) 8

9 Inks Most ink types are good for some applications but can't print on all substances. Solvent ink looks better on vinyl and is more flexible. The first ink that can print on everything is UV-cured and now is the fastest growing wide-format printer ink in the industry. But, this ink requires expensive curing lamps. UV ink works best in expensive print heads (that cost about $3,000 - $5500, per individual print head). In comparison, the wholesale value of an Epson head is probably less than $300! A company in Austria has been secretly creating an even more innovative new ink, named Sepiax AquaRes, a resin water-based ink. Not only does this remarkable ink print on anything and everything it turns out that it can be sublimated onto coffee mugs (though it is not originally designed to be a dye sub or disperse dye ink: it is pigmented and is made to cure without heat transfer. Nonetheless, the resin chemistry is so adapatable that it can also be transferred to coffee mugs! (Reprint from FLAAR report) How Can I tell When my UV ink is Properly Cured? The most important test is the Cross Hatch and Tape test. This is normally performed using a cross-hatch tool, which is like a glorified hobby knife with a special blade that makes multiple cuts at once, but a regular art knife can be used as well. Make multiple vertical cuts in the print area, then multiple horizontal cuts. There should be at least five cuts in each direction in a checkered pattern at least one inch across. The cuts should go through the ink film without cutting through the substrate. Place a piece of strong adhesive tape (such as 3M Scotch 600) across the cut area, burnish it down well, and then rip the tape off. If properly cured and properly adhered onto the correct substrate, the ink will remain on the substrate and not come up on the tape. Curing is usually considered acceptable if not more than 10% of the ink film lifts with the tape. If the job requires several layers of ink to be printed, simply print and test multiple layers. The cross-hatch test is most effective on plastics, and can be somewhat difficult on paper because the paper itself tends to tear and split as the tape is removed. Keep in mind that all UV curable inks exhibit some degree of post-cure, where they will continue to harden somewhat for several hours after they are out of the UV reactor. Sometimes adhesion that may be marginal right out of the reactor may improve significantly after several hours. It never hurts to run the cross hatch and tape test again later, especially if several layers of ink are to be printed and intercoat adhesion becomes important. Over-cure can present its own set of issues. Reprinted from Sericol - If you have coroplast or a plastic you are having trouble with adhesion you can precoat it with a product called Production Clear from Clearstarcorp.com. 9

10 More about inks and color: Using an x-rite Densitometer and calibrating different substrates will help if you are seeing color shifts in your printing. Calibrating creates a profile that the printer uses to adjust for the different white background it sees, so one type of vinyl may be different than another. You can also create certain CMYK colors to use in the design phase to help consistently hit the color you want. Maintenance 1. Always keep printer clean wipe down often. 2. Clean platen after it cools down. 3. Keep all media sensors clean. 4. Clean the wiper blades per factory recommendation. 5. Make sure your jet test is good every day. 6. Most machines run though purging cycles when not being used, make sure power and air pressure is always on during this period. 7. Use only lent free cloths when wiping heads. 8. Make sure environment is controlled and clean. 9. Do Not use Spray Silicone, Spray adhesive or anything that will travel through the air. (ie: spray mounting a board.) Finishing Inline Hot Air Welder by Miller Weldmaster Wedge Welder for Hemming by Miller Weldmaster We use a 20 inline hot air welder to seam panels together, and a Wedge welder with a puller for hemming vinyl banners. 10

11 Sewing Machines Two different types of sewing machines are typically used in the finishing process. 1. Standard Interlock machine This machine has a bobbin and is good for sewing Fabrics and light weight vinyls. 2. Single or double needle Chain machine Used mainly in high production shops, sewing banners or pockets. Electric pullers can be added for pulling heavy vinyl through machine. Sewing machines can be difficult to operate, until you understand the basic principle of their operation. Here are few things to remember when running a sewing machine: 1. Let the machine do the work, forcing the fabric will only jam the machine up. if you have to pull on the fabric stay at the same speed. 2. Do Not start turning tension knobs if the machine doesn t sew correctly. Usually it s a thread path issue. 3. If you have to change needles make sure the vertical groove is facing towards you or away from the hook or looper. 4. Oil the machine weekly or after large jobs. 5. Blow off machine with air hose. When finishing large banners that are paneled together, if you will go ahead and hem the top and bottom and even grommet first, then seam panels together it will save you time later. 60 x 93 Mesh Banner 11

12 Merging Industries, the future, and opportunities! In today s world the desktop publishing business has gone to another level, as you are aware anyone with a computer can buy any output device and compete in any number of industries. You have offset printers, screen printers, quick print shops, Display companies, Packaging companies, Engravers, shirt shops, online companies, etc, all getting into the sign business and vice versa, and a lot of older businesses are having an identity crisis. In my opinion the sign industry is still in a good position, as very few of these newcomers want to commit to the equipment they bought and they don t have the background knowledge needed to provide long term products and services. Most cannot build a sign, hang a sign or service a sign, so think about providing those products and services you now offer to these newcomers. Also don t let change stop you moving forward and considering new products to offer from these merging industries. It looks like UV inkjet technology is where the industry is headed over the next decade, as most of the big players are now offering equipment with this type of ink. Web Sites to consider: Heat transfer paper for inkjet makers of equipment for seaming and hemming banners Cardboard easels Weldable & Sew in Webbing for banners Banner frames all kinds of magnets plastic extrusions Clear UV coatings 12