Motocross graphics

[watsondesigns]

wanting to try a few different things....

What is the thinnest chrome vinyl I can get and where?

also what experience have you had in printing straight onto laminate?

[BadAss]

Welcome,,, And you might want to start by introducing yourself in the new members section. You will get more help if you start out that way. Enjoy the show....M*

[watsondesigns]

just did ;) thanx!!!

[watsondesigns]

any takers? I'm curious about overlaying chrome onto a print but my concern is when I laminate it, the chrome will be too thick and the end result will be the graphics not being smooth or air around the edge of the chrome.

[Flame]

Explain your equipment? Chrome ain't gonna work, period. Printing on laminate, sure. You can print on anything... BUT, will it look right?

[watsondesigns]

roland xc540 and just your typical summa platter

[watsondesigns]

well i know when printing on clear your wanting to use a printer that has the capabilities of using white ink so that you can print the layer of white, and then the color so that it does look right, but this is a timely process as the ink needs to be pretty saturated and have plenty of time for drying. so i guess i answered my own question lol

[Flame]

Exactly. :) and any layered vinyl under laminate looks like **** :(

[watsondesigns]

that's what I was afraid of. so how are people getting that chrome? screen printing? i haven't used a Gerber edge in a while, and i know some of the foils we had for it were metallic (only slightly) but you can't pull of a chrome on the Gerber?

[SOA]

Hi waston, i was always wondering the same thing and still am! We have the new roland VS-640 and its a beauty!! we can now print chrome & loadsa other metallic colours which is awesome for MX applications & everything else too. I still want to now how people have/still are doing it? it must be screened?
Ive attached some pics of some kits we just printed with metallic, its rather hard to photograph & the camera on my fone is pants. enjoy. Steve

[SOA]

Also, we can print white too, but dont like the sounds of all that printing on laminate etc....you gotta use the right material for MX decals, what you using now?

[watsondesigns]

those look good!! is that achieved by printing onto reflective? that was another thing i wondered... i haven't "got" materials yet but was looking at convex.

[Mader Design]

I'd go with either Convex or Substance Media. I've been using Convex now for awhile and the Substance Material is as good if not better. it has a better gloss finish and thicker laminate that conforms just as well as the thinner convex.

[SOA]

No its the new metallic ink roland have made, our machine is C-M-Y-K-Lc-Lm-MT-W

MT = metallic

W = White

so those silver bits were just pure metallic, pretty awesome!

not tried the whole printing to reflective thing? trouble with MX stuff is it gott stick proper, so use convex! Ive not heard of substance??

[signswi]

You can also go back to basics and use a Gerber Edge thermal printer.

Printing solid tones on reflective using a solvent printer works really well by the way, and if you print a 50% grey it turns into a silver-ish looking tone. Experiment with it, it's rather fun.