Cold laminate coming off printed vinyl decal during car wash whats the fix?

[srw101]

Hello all, I'm new here obviously so I'll introduce myself whilst I ask for advice to save time. I'm merely a hobbyist making decals and cutting small designs and have recently started making printed and laminated decals. I also dabble in t-shirt design using JPSS and Opaque. I have an Epson 1430 and a silhouette cameo (for now) that's gets the job done. I've made a few decals for the league and printed laminated and contour cut them and I think they turned out quite nice for an amateur but that's for you to decide.

I use cobra pigment inks and I think a 6 mil cold laminate on papalio printable vinyl that's seems to adhere well during application yet a few trips through the car wash and the edges peel a little bit and the ink starts to wash away. I have tried cutting a larger contour on the laminate to attempt to seal it but it makes the decal look like hot garbage and very amateurish also the laminate does lay down flat it has a slight crinkle to it.

Anyone have any workarounds for a more durable decal perhaps a recommended cold laminate or a technique that I'm missing? BTW the pic doesn't show the peeling, that came after a few car washes.

Thank you vey much for your time!

 

[player]

Use quality cast vinyl and laminate. Allow 24-48 hours to dry before laminating.

 

[srw101]

Use quality cast vinyl and laminate. Allow 24-48 hours to dry before laminating.

Thank you I did allow it to dry for 24 hours and it seemed dry. I'm not sure if papilio is cast or not. Guess I better look at a more premium cast vinyl and laminate.

 

[player]

Thank you I did allow it to dry for 24 hours and it seemed dry. I'm not sure if papilio is cast or not. Guess I better look at a more premium cast vinyl and laminate.

6ml lam is definitely not cast.

 

[player]

I use Roland solvent ink so I am not sure if your inks will adhere to vinyl really well or allow lam to stick to the ink.

I am not sure if the inks are good for commercial outdoor products, especially getting pressure washed on vehicles...

 

[Gino]

Basically, you're using the wrong materials. None of your inks, dye or pigment, are really for any exposure to sun or the elements, even with a laminate for more than a few weeks, if that. You can find all the data you want to back up your thinking....... it is the wrong way to go.

I sure hope you didn't charge these poor guinea pigs anything to ruin their windows. Being a hobbyist takes on a whole new meaning, when you wanna turn it into a business. Being a hobbyist, generally means you are doing it for a hobby, much like flying model airplanes or drones and ruining your own stuff when it crashes, but in the sign industry a hobbyist turned business venture is usually a ticket for disaster. Then, you are considered a backyard mechanic.

Try to find out the correct procedures BEFORE, you do the things. You can find the help here, but you'll need some thick skin as it becomes tiring tell g the same people the same things all the time.

Good luck ​

 

[Bill Modzel]

You're on the right track with cutting your laminate larger than your decal. Basically, your aqueous receptive vinyl has a coating so your epson can print on it. However, the cut edge is basically leaves that coating exposed to the weather and moisture is wicking under your laminate.

So, get yourself a cast laminate, usually around 2mils in thickness, and overcut your decal by 1/4" or so. It wont look as butt ugly as that 6 mil junk that you're using now. YOu will however, have a trapped air channel around the edge of the decal itself but it will be minimal with the good laminate. You may get a good year or so before significant fading depending on the quality of your pigmented inks. Back when I had an HP5000 I experimented a bit and what quite surprised at the longevity I could get with a good laminate and quality coated vinyl.

 

[player]

There are companies that can sell you those decals pre-made properly for probably the same cost as your materials and ink...

 

[Tony McD]

Like Bill, I also had an HP5500 with pigmented inks.
Encapsulating the decal by sealing the print down with the laminate is the only way
I ever got the laminate to stay on.
I tried several different vinyls and most were short term, the longest lasting I found was the 3m coated vinyl
and matching laminate. Think is was the 3m 8522 and 8519 laminate.
Actually had prints last 6/7 years, but it was pricey and hard to compete with solvent or ecosol printers with lower
material and ink costs.

 

[ddarlak]

I would say stop what your doing...

your not using anything that is needed to make an exterior product.

It's like your a fluffy kitten that just walked into a snake pit asking if someone will show you how to meow....

i get it, its signs101, a place to learn, but come on, isn't registration limited to people who are in the field of IDK, signmaking.....

just say no to hobbyists....

 

[0igo]

your laminate is probably too cheap. right now on fellers.com they have a 54in roll of Arlon for $100. it's the cheapest I believe in their site. get that which should work a lot better. it's 3.2 mil thick and last longer than any 6mil would. anyways hopes this helps.

 

[srw101]

I would say stop what your doing...

your not using anything that is needed to make an exterior product.

It's like your a fluffy kitten that just walked into a snake pit asking if someone will show you how to meow....

i get it, its signs101, a place to learn, but come on, isn't registration limited to people who are in the field of IDK, signmaking.....

just say no to hobbyists....

I wouldn't even call this call this constructive criticism because nothing about your comment was constructive.

 

[J Hill Designs]

I wouldn't even call this call this constructive criticism because nothing about your comment was constructive.

don't really think is was intended to be constructive

 

[ddarlak]

I wouldn't even call this call this constructive criticism because nothing about your comment was constructive.

correct, it was meant to be a full fledged flame...

sorry, next time i'll try harder to express my distain...

 

[srw101]

There are companies that can sell you those decals pre-made properly for probably the same cost as your materials and ink...

That may be true but I want to learn the proper way to do it. Which apparently pissed some people off but I don't really care because where else am I going to get real answers. Thank you though.

 

[J Hill Designs]

That may be true but I want to learn the proper way to do it. Which apparently pissed some people off but I don't really care because where else am I going to get real answers. Thank you though.

proper way would be to NOT use aqueous pigmented inksets, TBH

 

[Gino]

That may be true but I want to learn the proper way to do it. Which apparently pissed some people off but I don't really care because where else am I going to get real answers. Thank you though.

If you don't have the proper equipment, knowledge or at least sense to farm it out, then why help a self destructing fool ?? Why waste time on someone who wants to pretend to be a sign person when all you're doing is cutting corners left and right and handing out garbage.

Here, take some of these.............

 

[player]

That may be true but I want to learn the proper way to do it. Which apparently pissed some people off but I don't really care because where else am I going to get real answers. Thank you though.

Unfortunately "the proper way" cannot be done with your water inks. That is what you need to "learn".

 

[srw101]

If you don't have the proper equipment, knowledge or at least sense to farm it out, then why help a self destructing fool ?? Why waste time on someone who wants to pretend to be a sign person when all you're doing is cutting corners left and right and handing out garbage.

Here, take some of these.............

I'm not handing out anything, I made a few and that's all. My wife's one of the few and I have the rest so don't accuse me of anything with out proof. As far as cutting corners I did what I thought was the very best at the time and I have learned from that. You're personal negative feedback and calling my hardwork garbage was unnecessary. I sensed you disdain in your first post, its not necessary to run people down to get your point across.

I took the liberty of attaching a picture of you I had no idea you were so young.

 

[srw101]

Unfortunately "the proper way" cannot be done with your water inks. That is what you need to "learn".

Yes I get that. I was misinformed before and was told pigment inks was the right way to go.