Digital Print Media

Wide Format Print Media Applications and Tips

How to Care for Your Vehicle Wrap

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How to Care for Your Vehicle Wrap

If you’ve invested in a vinyl wrap for your vehicle, you need to know how to care for it the right way. Insufficient maintenance can mean your wrap, over time, will deteriorate or degrade which is the last thing you want.

Here are some tips on how to care for your wrap and keep it looking like it’s brand new:

Cleaning the car

  • Dirt and acid are a vinyl wrap’s two worst enemies, so make sure your car is kept clean.
  • Don’t use brush type automatic car washes. They are too harsh and will rub or chip away your wrap.
  • Hand washing is the recommended method for keeping your car clean.
  • Use a soft, non-abrasive cloth and a mild cleaning solution.
  • Wash your car at least once a week, more if you notice it has become dirty.
  • Rinse off dirt using low-pressure water. No power hoses!
  • Soak stubborn dirt for a few minutes before wiping clean. Don’t use any abrasive scrubbing methods.
  • Rinse thoroughly.
  • Let the car air dry, or you can dry it off using a microfibre cloth, do not use a heat drying method.

Sun exposure

  • Prolonged exposure to the sun can fade and degrade your wrap.
  • Keep your vehicle out of sunlight when not in use.
  • Use a garage or covered driveway to park your car in at home.
  • If you don’t have a covered area, use a tarp to cover your car on sunny days.
  • When out and about, park in sheltered or in shaded areas.

Waxing

  • Most standard vinyl wrap can be polished using wax of high quality.
  • Don’t use any polishes that are abrasive or that contain any cutting compounds.

Perforated window film

If you have perforated window film, make sure you do not:

  • Open the windows.
  • Use heating or defrosting elements.
  • Use windshield wipers.

By taking care of your vinyl wrap the right way, you can ensure that you get to enjoy it for the maximum time possible and stop it from degrading even when exposed to dirt and pollutants. Regular maintenance and cleaning will have your vehicle looking like it just rolled off the showroom floor and keep heads turning when you drive on by!


Advantages of Using Royalty-Free Stock Graphics

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The most effective way to market products and entice new consumers is with visual graphics. Photos and artwork are a profitable business for companies and marketing firms. Using a subscription service software for royalty-free graphics is an innovative way to save money and add value to various marketing materials.

Note that the “free” in the term “royalty-free” refers to the copyright agreements between the purchaser and the supplier, deeming it to be in line with current national and international copyright laws. There are many advantages to choosing royalty-free images.

Thousands upon thousands of images are available and easily accessible royalty-free.

Think of any subject matter and an image will be available to use on your website or print advertisements. These images are high-resolution and continue to be updated each month so there is always something new to add to your collection.

Often, images are grouped together by category and can give your company a consistency in the graphics chosen. While your chosen graphics could be used by another business, using graphics that are a little more unusual will help you differentiate your imagery from other businesses. In most cases, using royalty-free images is unlikely to cause problems like brand confusion.

With a subscription service, you may have an allocation of a certain number of images per week or month. These types of high-resolution photos are perfect for larger-scale projects, vehicle wraps or outlines, and vinyl ready vectors. The sky’s the limit when it comes to professional-grade visual graphics for all types of applications. Each image is released for full commercial use in both online and print promotional advertisements.

Make sure not to be confused by the term “stock” photo versus royalty-free. They are terms often used together but do not mean the same thing.

Stock photos are typically more expensive. Their usage is controlled by the owner of the photo. Royalty-free photos, however, normally cost less than stock photos, but they can be used by anyone.

The main advantage of using royalty-free graphics is that you can take on the job of a graphic designer without doing any designing. Choose the images for your upcoming projects, rotate when needed by selecting from a vast library of files, and keep your website, social media, and marketing current without breaking the bank.

Wide Format Printing Industry Continues to Experience Dramatic Growth

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Wide format printing is nothing new, but the quality, affordability, and popularity of wide format printing are all growing. This is due to many developments within the industry itself and in the marketplace.

An ever increasing range of innovative products and increased demand is driving the industry toward increased profitability and creativity. Opening new horizons in the sign and display market, wide-format printing has broken into new markets such as textiles and functional printing.

Even though the 2016 to 2021 wide-format forecast tends to downplay this segments’ growth and adaptability (forecasting -1%CAGR from 2016 to 2021), there are several cues that point toward an upwards trend and increased adaptability within the segment.

Print providers are increasingly making use of newer technology, opening new horizons for wide-format printing. The widespread use of inkjet-based technology within the industry is creating new trends that are predicted to mature in the upcoming years, such as:

  1. Increased productivity and cost-effectiveness
  2. Wider media support
  3. Greater workflow and efficiency
  4. Availability for PSPs and applications

When comparing aqueous wide-format printers and multi-pass printers with single pass printers, the trend favors the latter. The popularity of single pass is on the increase. They lead the pack, while aqueous and multi-pass printers are seeing a decline now and in the projected future.

The versatility, increased productivity, and adaptability of single-pass printers are winning over the market and seem destined to dominate the immediate future.

Latex is experiencing healthy growth, in spite of slower than expected growth compared to its previous 15%+CAGR. Its alliance with HP and the use of its integrated PrintOS system is creating greater developments in workflow and productivity.

The same cannot be said of Solvent, facing stiff competition and loss of market shares across the spectrum. While aqueous wide-format is pushing Solvent out of the low-end, temporary signage segment, Solvent is still holding on thanks in part to its low-cost machines and inks segment, taking off in emerging markets.

UV is continuing to grow as its UV-LED technology spreads globally, making it a big pretender to Solvent’s high-end market share. The new UV flex inks are expanding applications allowing for a staggering 400% stretch, getting the fabric and vehicle wraps segment very interested indeed.

In conclusion, wide format printing is here to stay. Technologies are being phased out and replaced as we speak, creating a dynamic and growing market, today and in the foreseeable future.

Preventative Printer Maintenance

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Preventative Printer Maintenance

 

No matter the size of your machine, preventive maintenance is important. Neglecting equipment can damage your business and its reputation by necessitating more costly repairs and a potential loss of time and business.

Regardless of the cost of your machine, you need to consider the work hours lost and the impact on sales and leads while you repair or replace it. Clients like to know they work with reliable partners that keep to their deadlines.

Here is some advice to improve the longevity of your printing equipment.

Listen to advice

When doing your regular maintenance, take into account the manufacturers recommendations. They built it and know what the machine needs. Heed their advice.

Use a pro or something like one

Also, make sure the person doing the maintenance is either a professional or has the requisite experience or knowledge. Amateur repairs can often lead to damage and/or more lost work hours.

Keep necessary maintenance products in reserve

Collect the recommend products, such as the indicated cleaning products, maintenance fluids, cleaning wipes – such as lint-free wipes and swabs – latex gloves, and any specific tools indicated by the manufacturer. If you rely on your equipment, it relies on someone to clean it and perform minor adjustments. It’s better to have the tools ready than to have to scramble at the last minute.

Keep spares

It’s also not a bad idea to keep spare printer parts (as advised by the manufacturer or your printing professional).

Keep your supplies in one place for ease of access and keep a spare key just in case.

Keep it regular

Making a maintenance schedule with clearly indicated tasks is essential to ensure the work gets done properly. This schedule maintains a degree of consistency in your maintenance and gives you a useful tool to ascertain the general state of your equipment.

A schedule can also help create a sense of accountability, since the person doing the maintenance needs to sign off afterward. Signing will provide the necessary sense of importance that this task deserves.

Regular maintenance means daily, weekly, and quarterly maintenance. Indicate them clearly in your schedule.

Maintain relationships, too

Make sure to create an open and trusting atmosphere between the staff and any IT or maintenance crew. Staff is usually the first to notice that something’s wrong, so they should feel empowered and encouraged to report problems and potential problems early.

Know your machine

Get familiar with your printer. Learn its calibration and specs. Knowing your machine can help you diagnose issues faster and help guide your maintenance efforts.

Remember, maintenance may be onerous at times. And it might seem wasteful on a machine that seems just fine. Maintenance, however, will help keep your business functional and competitive.

Why Use Print Head Wipes

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Why Use Print Head Wipes

Watching a high-end printer at work can be very satisfying. Its fluidity can give us the illusion that it will never break down. The productivity and quality of the print, however, is dependent not only on the printer and materials, but also on proper maintenance.

Even the best printers need regular maintenance.

Regular maintenance is a prerequisite if you wish for your printer to perform optimally, and maintenance also increases your valuable printer’s life expectancy. It also reduces expensive technical interventions, wasted time, and missed production deadlines.

Daily print-head cleaning is essential. This part of your machine needs to be taken care of first. Dust particles, ink residues, and dirt can affect this very sensitive piece of your printing equipment.
Using the right maintenance tool is vital to make sure your operation runs as smoothly and cost-effectively as possible. The main tool for maintaining your print-head is the ubiquitous and humble wipe or swab. To ensure the utmost care for your machine, the print-head swab is a very highly engineered and technologically advanced piece of equipment in its own right.
The idea is to clean the print-head without accidentally introducing new contaminants. This is why print-head wipes are specially designed in cleanroom environments to ensure no contaminants are brought into your printer.

Printer-head wipes come in many formats, but they share some basic characteristics that set them apart from regular wipes. Whether the wipes are impregnated with cleaning agents or not, they are lint-free. Nothing is more common and damaging to a printer head than lint. Aside from the nasty effects it can have on the printed product, it helps deteriorate your print-head at an alarming rate.

Non-abrasiveness is another essential quality for wipes. We may not think of fabric and paper as abrasive, but they are, especially if your printer is producing in bulk and at high speed.

We recommend Da Vinci print head wipes. They offer a highly effective product at very competitive prices and come in a wide range of formats so you’re sure to find what you’re looking for according to your maintenance schedule and your machine.

By investing in the right wipes, you can help your printer run as smoothly and effectively as it can.

How to Choose the Right Overlaminate

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Overlaminate may seem like an afterthought compared to deciding the primary elements of your graphic such as color, materials, and design. While it is a finishing touch, it is a very important one to consider.

An overlaminate will prolong the life of your graphic and protect it from weathering, UV rays, damage, and scratches.

Types of Overlaminate Materials

The main types of overlaminate materials are cast, monomeric, or polymeric vinyl. Depending on the type of graphic you have chosen, one of these three will be the best option. Keep in mind that the substrate (the layer under the overlaminate) dictates the material for the overlaminate.

It is possible to mix materials in some cases. A better quality overlaminate can be used with a lesser quality substrate. However, the opposite is not true. A cast vinyl cannot be combined with a polymeric or monomeric overlaminate because it can cause edge curl or shrinkage. Cast vinyl must be paired with a cast overlaminate.

Think about the type, location, and use of the graphic.

Will it be a floor graphic, a sign, or car wraparound?

Is the image 2D or 3D?

This will help to decide with type of overlaminate material that is required.

For 2D graphics including signs, interior walls, or displays, a standard polymeric overlaminate is recommended. With 3D graphics, a cast overlaminate should be used. There is more of a stretch of the material with 3D applications, and any other type of material will not work correctly.

Cast vinyl and cast overlaminate are the most long-lasting combination of the materials available for graphics. While the cost is higher with the cast materials, the durability and stability are better. Over time this cost difference will pay off with a longer-lasting sign, floor graphics, or mural, especially those that are placed in outdoor spaces. Cast overlaminates can also have several types of finishes, including glossy, satin, matte, or luster to match the desired appearance of the project.

Overlaminates are an important finishing touch for any type of graphics or signs. Protect your investment with a quality overlaminate that will stand the test of weather, wear, and time.

There are several types of overlaminates to choose from, so consider the use, placement, and look that you’d like as you discuss the options with your vendor or graphic designer.

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