Material strengths
Cost and environmental properties join the creative possibilities and quality and durability criteria required by today's media, as Sophie Matthews-Paul reports.
In the early days of wide-format there were limitations because of the ink technologies being used so, in general, users always started from a white base onto which they applied colour. Translucent and clear products began to find their way into the marketplace and now, of course, the acceptance of white ink has led to the use of coloured materials as well as some which don't fit the conventional remit for digital print.
The wide-format print applications currently being produced involve a vast range of media, both flexible and rigid, and there is always a steady stream of new products coming to market. Their developments are reliant on providing consistency and stability with the printers for which they have been designed, and the days should be long past when the opprobrious performance of some materials led to embarrassing, costly and time-consuming re-prints having to be carried out by the print producer.
Users constantly demand lower prices so companies, such as Colourgen, are addressing this sector with good quality media that won't break the bank. As a clear example of the need to combine consistency with an attractive cost, this distributor has launched its own brand Elite range which includes its Essentials portfolio that includes a broad range of roll-fed solutions for different ink types. Materials such as these fill the need for everyday use and users want to be confident that they can wander off the path of manufacturers' own products and into the wider pastures offered by independent suppliers.
This downward cost drive is being felt across the board yet there is the danger that compromising too much can affect end results. Andrew East, regional sales manager for Seal Graphics in the UK and Ireland, confirms: "In the current economic climate, the overwhelming demand is, again and again, for more economical consumables. But there is a limit to how far you can go and still deliver a quality product - as many printers and print finishers are finding to their cost. In this climate, our consumables business is on the increase as customers find they can actually gain in production terms regarding reliability, speed of output and low, if any, returns. Those are tangible benefits which translate into real profits."
Neschen UK's managing director, Sarah Janes, is also concerned about the need to drive down costs as well as to create new markets. She cites an example with the implementation of savings driven by the use of a single film, such as the company's recently introduced Solvoclear UV laminate, which is capable of meeting a wider range of end-user requirements and, thus, of reducing stock-holding.
The Color Alliance coatings, developed by Neschen, are intended to provide better colour properties and digitally printed media. Again, on the topic of cost, Janes states: "The single overriding consideration when developing the universal CA coatings was to provide printers with a revolutionary plug-and-play solution for print media regardless of coating machine, material or location anywhere in the world.
"In itself, this represents a colossal breakthrough and a massive step forward in technology," she continues. "It enables considerable cost savings to be made both in the number of diverse media that need to be stocked and a reduction in ink usage."
Diversification as well as cost is a key parameter in choosing substrates. Materials used for more specialist printing ideas are often linked with experimentation when a new kind of application is reliant upon a media which isn't found listed in the original supplier's catalogue. Yet printer manufacturers strive to continue to offer matched options which will suit their user bases, only offering products which they are certain will behave properly when put to the inkjet test. Certainly, with HP's latex printing technologies this is true, and the approved material list grows continuously as more of its own and third-party offerings are tested with this ink formulation.
With solvent-based printing machines there is considerable latitude when it comes to their ability to handle different types of product, their dependence being on their drying ability as well as ink adhesion. Specialist options designed specifically for this technology have tended to have a coating which enables the surface to key readily with the ink and this, along with the versatility engendered in many instances, has enabled considerable flexibility to be inherent so that applications with irregular surfaces, such as vehicle wraps, have become increasingly popular.
Many materials' specialists appreciate that a print company might not have the first idea about the right media for a specific job. 3M has a useful selector option on its web site which lets users select the application before coming up with suggestions for suitable products. For example, picking 'backlit sign' and 'blockout' will result in a list of the films' features, including opacity options, durability and permanence. Other manufacturers and resellers have followed suit in an attempt to demystify the myriad choice available currently.
The supply channel is largely responsible for promoting to its customers what is newly available in materials and which best-selling products continue to rate highly amongst the wide-format digital fraternity. Again, the Internet comes into play here, with customers being able to browse websites by media type or brand plus examples of applications and complementary technologies, thereby simplifying the route to successful production.
Companies that have invested in UV-curable printers have, in general terms, a wider range of options than those using alternative ink technologies as rigid substrates can be readily accommodated on flatbed and hybrid machines. More commonly-known products are joined by others which might have started out being intended for screen- or offset-litho printing but which are proving to be suitable with some of today's wide-format digital solutions. For example, Priplak 100 is an astonishingly versatile material which can be cut, creased and folded with ease bring with it a wide range of end uses within the packaging and display markets. Because it is a polyolefin, and free from plastifiers and phthalates, its polypropylene construction has enabled this product to undergo a complete carbon audit. Yet it holds great appeal to designers and is being used increasingly in the production of point-of-sale and promotional packaging; being available in a range of colours and weights adds to its attraction.
Also new, and following a greener route, is G3S's range of BioMedia materials which state they will stop waste graphics clogging up landfill sites or being incinerated. These products will biodegrade in dark, warm, moist conditions in a matter of months or, as an alternative option, can be recycled.
"BioMedia has the potential to turn the wide format graphics market green," claims G3S sales director Mark Sanderson on the launch of these new materials. "Imagine being able to produce wide-format graphics that do not fill landfill sites once they are finished with, massive exhibition stands that can be recycled in a sustainable way and huge event banners that can biodegrade to dust once finished with." Sanderson adds that BioMedia will help display producers and their clients to meet their environmental objectives for presentation and outdoor graphics.
This new range of biodegradable and recyclable printing substrates and laminating films for the wide-format graphics industry will biodegrade to dust in a micro-organism present environment in less than five years, meeting the requirements of both ISO 14852 and ISO DIS 15980 composting tests.
The composition of the BioMedia material is an extruded plastic incorporating an enzymatic micro-organism which, in dark, moist conditions, cuts through the polymer chain resulting in rapidly accelerated breakdown of the product. Thus, by using BioMedia media to print graphics, the waste products will either be sustainably recycled as plastic products or biodegrade to dust within a few years in compost or landfill conditions. In addition, these products can be recycled to produce plates, cups, light switches and insulation.
With design parameters extending, and the growing desire to produce graphics which cover as wide an area as possible, it was inevitable that the principles of one-way vision materials would become ever more popular. However, its original concept was largely thanks to the ingenuity of one man who developed a product which wasn't even intended for the display industry. Roland Hill, the inventor of Contra Vision, naturally is highly protective of his original patent - and with just cause. "In the quarter of a century since the formation of Contra Vision Ltd, we have created 25 inventions, either patented or patent-pending, in the field of see-through graphics. These are now visible in some countries on a high percentage of shop windows," Hill comments, emphasising: "The UK and Europe still has this untapped opportunity to be realised. But one thing a printer must avoid is embarrassing his customers by causing them inadvertently to infringe a patent and so become liable for litigation or even the disruption of an advertising campaign."
The main new additions to this stable are Contra Vision Performance perforated materials, including those with its proprietary Grayliner which provides a more realistic view of the printed image than the conventional white liner, and Contra Vision ORS. This latter product features an overlap registration system of printing on non-perforated clear media, such as polyester, vinyl films or any transparent sheet substrates, including glass. Both technologies have the option of producing see-through graphics which do not disappear with rear illumination, and have the benefit of allowing inside application, generally preferred by retailers.
The majority of perforated Contra Vision materials on the market fall within an ongoing patent which is licensed to many companies, including 3M, Avery Dennison, Orafol and Madico. This latter company's range of digitally printable window graphic films is claimed currently to be the largest available on the market today and has the benefit of being 100% non-PVC. Included in the Madico portfolio is Contra Vision Digital XR one-way vision material which has been design to simplify and improve the production of this type of media for promotional, display, privacy and corporate identity applications. The full colour printed graphic is vibrant and highly visible on the viewing side and provides a clear tinted outlook through the reverse view.
Clear window films, too, bring display producers the opportunity to incorporate innovative design and graphical elements into wide-format. For example, Madico's family of glazing enhancement products is diverse and, as well as Contra Vision Digital XR, the company's ClearLite is an ultra-clear digital and screen-printable polyester film for transforming windows into effective advertising, design and corporate identity opportunities, whilst TextureLite textured privacy film enables designers and architects to combine privacy with decorative printed images. Lumisty is another speciality product being a view-control film which allows users to block unsightly views, create unique privacy effects or draw a customer's attention to a product in a retail display. All of Madico's inkjet printable films are coated with defect-free, clean-room coated adhesives for superior optical performance.
Andy Voss, director of Madico, comments: "We are finding that there continues to be a significant move towards very high-end optical films; the reasons for which are twofold. Firstly, environmental legislation has led to a move away from the use of PVC-based films, which were, hitherto, the product of choice in glazing enhancement applications. As a result, we are increasingly learning that printers are asking for green alternatives. Secondly, proving that quality remains critical to winning business and maintaining existing contracts, these very high-end optically clear eco-solvent and UV-curable inkjet printable materials are catching the attention of the market and are knocking some of the cheap and cheerful products for dead."
Some materials and their corresponding applications still need additional protection and can be improved with an over-laminate. According to Seal Graphics, one way it is helping printers and print finishers combat the effects of the recession is by offering them lower-cost alternatives to some of its best-selling products which not only produce a tougher finish but can also enhance the print beneath.
Chief among these is PrintShield Pro Gloss Anti-graffiti. Seal Graphics believes the low take-up of anti-graffiti films has more to do with their perceived price than their suitability in applications. So the company has come up with an obvious remedy, and this is a lower cost film. The new gloss product is a solvent-based, pressure-sensitive laminate for use with a wide range of digital media and is especially suitable for outdoor applications such as those using rigid PVC or aluminium composite panels.
In addition to providing excellent protection against UV exposure, this tough film also resists degradation by cleaners and chemicals commonly used to remove vandalism caused by marker pens and even aerosols. Seal Graphics claims the film provides an excellent bond when used with UV-curable directly printable panels and offers a life expectancy of around 24 months.
It is impossible, within the confines of this article, to include all the materials which are now available for the wide-format digital printing sector and it is even more difficult to track down every new and emerging products as it becomes reality. With this technology jobs that weren't possible yesterday are achievable today and much of this conversion into practical results is dependent on the media which is now on-stream in the catalogues of suppliers. What remains clear is that manufacturers and convertors are all too aware of the exigencies of good pricing, performance criteria and consistency of output mixed with ever greener principles.
Aslan to the rescue
Aslan has introduced a high opacity double-sided white blockout film which has been designed so that the print cannot shine through, even when lit from behind. As a result, this product is particularly well suited to applications used on glass panels and doors.
The manufacturer claims that, up until now, most users have had to use a white film and enhance the opacity with a grey or black adhesive. Aslan's DFP 25 is a double-layer white PVC film which is completely opaque and has the added advantage that its white reverse can also be used for the application of digitally printed, transparent film or computer cut lettering.
With an outdoor durability of three years, this material is suitable for printing with all types of solvent-based machines as well as by those using UV-curable inks.
Dibond on the movie
Following a new agreement between Amari Plastic and 3A Composites (formerly Alcan Composites), Dibond ACM aluminium composite sheets are now available via Amari Plastics service centres. These panels are manufactured in Germany under a stringent quality management system which ensures that the products offer excellent batch-to-batch consistency, superior processing characteristics, long life expectancy and exemplary environmental credentials.
Dibond digital and Dilite panels, part of the Dibond range, will also be available from Amari and this move brings together the complete range of 3A Composites products for the UK sign and display sector into Amari Plastics' expanding portfolio. This includes other premium brands including Kapa, Forex classic, Forex smart, Foam-X and Gatorfoam.
Antalis Printall has also been appointed a UK distributor for the Alcan Composites range.