In this article we explain how the problem of humidity affects the various stages of Sign Graphics work, what impact it has on your company’s results and reveal solutions.
Interested? Then read on.
1. Waving in printing:
a fight against time and waste
The waving generated by humidity turns printing into a real fight against time and contributes both to the waste of vinyl and inks and to accelerated wear and tear on equipment.
print preparation
The clock starts ticking when the roll is removed from the packaging and placed in the machine, beginning the process of preparing the image for printing using the RIP (Raster Image Processor). Waving appears on the vinyl during this waiting period and, when the machine starts printing, the print heads will scrape the material.
The negative consequences multiply in the short and long term. Immediately, you’ll have direct losses of material, inks and products to clean the print heads. Later on, the wear and tear on the print heads will mean that they need to be replaced.
With regard to the amount of material wasted, if it’s disconcerting to think about what happens in a single job, imagine how much you throw away at the end of a month and, consequently, the impact this has on your company’s annual accounts.
Temperature differences
Temperature differences in the heating period of the equipment also affect the dimensional stability of the vinyl. The results will be far from what you want with the strong possibility of altered colors, stains, strokes and more open or more closed spots appearing in different parts of the job.
It is in latex printing technology that this problem generated by the humidity of the vinyl is most evident, since it involves temperatures between 100 and 120oC. The same happens, albeit on a smaller scale, in solvent printing technology, with temperatures varying between 40 and 50oC.
UV printing technology, despite its low temperatures, is also not immune to this problem, but it is the one that least disappoints professionals’ expectations.
Time between jobs
Another time when waving appears on vinyl is when the roll is left in the machine between prints. About an hour is enough for the part of the material that is exposed from the printing area to the first turn of the roll to have to be thrown away.
The same happens when the same roll is used for different jobs. We know that it’s not possible to get the most out of a roll, but one thing is certain: humidity indirectly affects the investment.
Storage rush
Just when it seemed that the limitations had been overcome, the fight against time and waste continues with the rush that, at the end of printing, the roll must be immediately put back in its original packaging and stored in a humidity-free place.
2. Waving and curling in the finishes:
When the simple gets complicated
If you thought it was time to catch your breath when it came to the finishing touches, don’t be fooled. Humidity continues to be a problem and complicates what appeared to be simple at crucial stages such as lamination and cutting.
Color cutting
However, before you get to those stages and if you use solvent printing technology, you also face the negative effects of humidity at the moment when the so-called “color cutting” is done.
As you know, it is sometimes necessary to leave the solvent to evaporate for at least 48 hours in an airy environment after printing and it is during this period that the vinyl curls.
Laminating
If the jobs involve laminating, the curling generated by the humidity makes what seemed to be a quick process difficult, i.e. placing the vinyl on the laminator.
Once this difficulty has been overcome, it is the waving that influences the good results as it can lead to the appearance of stains, creases and bubbles.
Material cutting
When vinyl has to be cut, placing it on the equipment also becomes more complicated if it is curled. The problems are doubled when the waving joins the curling during the reading of the cutting records, forcing unnecessary procedures such as holding the vinyl until the machine can read the crosshairs.
The cutting pressure is also disturbed, oscillating between points where it is not enough to cut the vinyl and others where the cut reaches the liner.
3. Application curling:
multiple demands and patience
Ok has managed to overcome the challenges in the printing and finishing phases. Now it’s time to apply the vinyl and the humidity is once again “attacking”, making it time-consuming and demanding.
Despite your experience (or dexterity), you’ll soon realize that in some cases you’ll need more than one person to guarantee a job well done.
Ventures and tears
The first hurdle is getting the rolled-up vinyl off and into position. Even the most experienced professionals despair at the creases and tears that often appear.
When applying the next panels, the difficulty makes paper tape the “best friend” to ensure precision in matching the image between them.
Local temperatures
Another constant concern is the differences in the relative humidity of the places where the vinyl is applied, but beware, curling doesn’t only occur when we’re talking about different countries or regions.
You may have managed to overcome the challenges of humidity during printing, finishing and application and, after a while, your customers complain about the curling of the vinyl caused by temperature changes, day and night, in the same place.
Don’t (wait)… there’s a solution
Now that you know how vinyl humidity hinders the various stages of sign graphics work, don’t (wait) any longer and find out the solution to this problem.
In fact, not “the solution”. The various solutions that currently make it possible to counteract the extra bills for time and waste caused by waving and curling vinyl.
It is with this in mind that decal has developed the new vinyl anti-humidity collection range, which includes monomeric, polymeric and PVC Free products. Diverse options to ensure that each job (and your company’s work) stands out for its cost-effectiveness, speed and quality.
