Easiest way to make these?

[G-Artist]

Attached is a not to scale layout of a 2-color decal I may have to make in quantity.

The background is white high-performance and the border and the letter
are to be 3M reflective.

I will be using my 48" Graphtec to cut them and I'd prefer to gang both colors but I have trepidation on matching them due to the outside white border which is approx. 1/8". Not much room for error. I've done numerous 2 and 3 colors before but they were one or two and applied to windows and such on-site. Here I may have a run of 40 or even 250 at a time.

Just do a few at a time or take a chance and do a dozen up at a time?

Or...

I was thinking that maybe there was a way to use sections of the cut reflective material as registration marks my Graphtec would see and 'fool' it into thinking it was cutting a print. Whereby I'd apply the cut and weeded reflective to the HP white then put it all back in the cutter to cut the white similar to cutting a print. Since I never cut a print I am a bit clueless in that area. Could it be done? If so, advise best way.

Thanks.

 

[chasegraphics]

My best shot at this one would be to cut the white and the green with a box that is the same size on both. I would then weed and mask the green and cut to the box. Then weed the white and apply the green by lining up the boxes, tape one edge once lined up and apply, then you are done....Hope this helps...

 

[johnnysigns]

I'd call someone that could screen the white onto the green reflective.

 

[signmeup]

I think someone with an edge might be able to help you.

 

[jiarby]

Print & Cut!

or...

Silkscreen:
Gang up the pieces into 18x24 sheets with registration marks.
Cut the circles, reg marks, and 18x24 outlines on the plotter.
Trim into 18x24 sheets
Silkscreen the Green onto the sheets.


If you have to layer....
How big do you feel comfy mounting/registering at once?
Make 24x48 sheets oe maybe 24x24.


How would you cut/reg and mount a 48x72 sheet!? Make a video if you do it!
It might be easier if you had a nice smooth wall and could do it vertically then top hinge like doing a trailer or semi.

 

[d fleming]

yep

Print & Cut!

or...

Silkscreen:
Gang up the pieces into 18x24 sheets with registration marks.
Cut the circles, reg marks, and 18x24 outlines on the plotter.
Trim into 18x24 sheets
Silkscreen the Green onto the sheets.


If you have to layer....
How big do you feel comfy mounting/registering at once?
Make 24x48 sheets oe maybe 24x24.


How would you cut/reg and mount a 48x72 sheet!? Make a video if you do it!
It might be easier if you had a nice smooth wall and could do it vertically then top hinge like doing a trailer or semi.

 

[sjm]

Attached is a not to scale layout of a 2-color decal I may have to make in quantity.

The background is white high-performance and the border and the letter
are to be 3M reflective.

I will be using my 48" Graphtec to cut them and I'd prefer to gang both colors but I have trepidation on matching them due to the outside white border which is approx. 1/8". Not much room for error. I've done numerous 2 and 3 colors before but they were one or two and applied to windows and such on-site. Here I may have a run of 40 or even 250 at a time.

Just do a few at a time or take a chance and do a dozen up at a time?

Or...

I was thinking that maybe there was a way to use sections of the cut reflective material as registration marks my Graphtec would see and 'fool' it into thinking it was cutting a print. Whereby I'd apply the cut and weeded reflective to the HP white then put it all back in the cutter to cut the white similar to cutting a print. Since I never cut a print I am a bit clueless in that area. Could it be done? If so, advise best way.

Thanks.

I don't know about Graphtec Plotters, though we would generally Digitally print that artwork and contour cut it out on our Summa.

We keep it under 10' per run just to be cautious, in the end a little forward thinking saves a whole lot of un-needed labour.

 

[gbarker]

Does your customer specifically not want the white reflective? If they don't care or you can upsell them on the benefit for making both colors reflective you could print, laminate and contour cut them, or have them done somewhere. Would make it a lot easier and you would be using less material.

If they are dead set on no white reflective. I think you have it right, a few at a time. Not sure about screening them. I thought screen ink was translucent.

As for contour cutting with a Graphtec, it's easy but it's my experience the rip software need to set up the file. I set up the contour in Flexi, send it to production manager and PM separates it into two files for the proper machines. PM also adds the crop marks so the plotter understands what it is looking at.

Hope this helps.

 

[scarface]

I'd just print/cut it. I know customers are picky but i would simply say it's going to be print/cut or nothing cause hell if i would layer decals now that i have a printer lol

 

[Malkin]

A reflective color on a non-reflective, white background is usually a mistake. The end result reflects poorly at night. This is because the white still reflects, but only a little, and this interferes with the contrast. All reflective would be better, screened or digi printed green ink onto white reflective would be the easiest for production, they could be machine registered, not by hand.

Also, layered vinyl decals tend to produce bubbles on the background piece (near the edges of the top piece) when applied.

 

[G-Artist]

First, my apologies. The box isn't supposed to be there. The finished decal is a circle.

Down the road the green shown could be red or yellow as well. But the color, be it red,
green or yellow HAS to be [3M] reflective. That is the only important part. The white
background is really only for contrast and ease of application (no tape) where the end
user can just peel back at a corner and apply to where ever it is going.

 

[G-Artist]

Does your customer specifically not want the white reflective? If they don't care or you can upsell them on the benefit for making both colors reflective you could print, laminate and contour cut them, or have them done somewhere. Would make it a lot easier and you would be using less material..

I could use both a color and white reflective. I don't see how that is going
to matter except to boost the production cost(s). We don't lam. I don't see
a need for that with reflective even for outdoor use. The Engineering Grade
stuff should have a useful life of 7 years.

As for contour cutting with a Graphtec, it's easy but it's my experience the rip software need to set up the file. I set up the contour in Flexi, send it to production manager and PM separates it into two files for the proper machines. PM also adds the crop marks so the plotter understands what it is looking at.

OK!!!! So using Flexi's PM will set up the crop marks so rerunning it through
the plotter after it has been removed once will do it.

Thanks!!!! Since we don't lam (cut vinyl only) I had completely forgotten about
that feature. Now I have to learn something new.

 

[signage]

The white
background is really only for contrast and ease of application (no tape) where the end
user can just peel back at a corner and apply to where ever it is going.

I do not know how you are going to make these without tape! Once the green is cut how do you plan on getting the cross and circle to stay when placing on the white

 

[signmeup]

You'll have to use one of those funny transfer film frame thingies.

 

[Bill Modzel]

I could use both a color and white reflective. I don't see how that is going
to matter except to boost the production cost(s). We don't lam. I don't see
a need for that with reflective even for outdoor use. The Engineering Grade
stuff should have a useful life of 7 years.


You are going to REDUCE production costs. Print white on the green reflective, whether by the Edge or Summa or by screen printing. You are saving a bunch of production time by not messing with this double application that you're wrestling with and also the cost of the premium white vinyl. Reflective is thick enough by itself to apply without premask. You are way overthinking this job.

 

[gbarker]

I could use both a color and white reflective. I don't see how that is going
to matter except to boost the production cost(s). We don't lam. I don't see
a need for that with reflective even for outdoor use. The Engineering Grade
stuff should have a useful life of 7 years.

If done properly you will be REDUCING production cost and time. Take white printable reflective material and print the green on it, sub it out if you have to, you will still save money. If properly set up you can contour cut the outer circle. Laminating is to protect the print not the reflective material. You will end up with the same product as described with the additional benefit of cutting your cost and providing an all reflective product to your customer. I just shipped a set using the same process. It works great and is SO much easier.

OK!!!! So using Flexi's PM will set up the crop marks so rerunning it through
the plotter after it has been removed once will do it.

Thanks!!!! Since we don't lam (cut vinyl only) I had completely forgotten about
that feature. Now I have to learn something new.

Not quite. Flexi sets up the crop marks when you send it to PM. I honestly don't know how you would set up the marks on your own. I don't think it is possible.

 

[ABPGraphics]

Print green on 3M white reflective!!!!!

 

[Fred Weiss]

Were it me, I would Edge print transparent green onto 280-I reflective. The Gerber transparent series emulates and matches the 3M transparent film used to create the dedicated green reflective 3M sells. Then if the client still requires portions of the decal to be non-reflective white, I would print standard opaque white foil to achieve the effect.

My educated guess would be that if you were to quote the job with and without the spot white impression, the client will drop his requirement for a portion being non-reflective when he sees that it will cost more.

 

[bob]

...I honestly don't know how you would set up the marks on your own. I don't think it is possible.

I do it all the time. All you have to so is print or somehow get the registration marks in the media. Then use the plotter's auto sense feature. It will read the marks and will then map the plot data into that region. Make sure the job has 0 margin and no weed box in the the cut dialog, thus making the rectangle described by the registration marks the largest object on the panel.

When the plotter finishes sensing the marks it displays the X and Y distances it read and allows you to adjust these to their logical values. This being the case it behooves you the setup the registration marks at the corners of a known rectangle. Then you can adjust the dimensions sensed by the plotter to the actual dimensions of that rectangle.

I do this with larger contour cut jobs that I think might have a real possibility of not properly sensing using Flexi's internal methodology.

It has the added charm that if the plotter's auto sense feature might fail, you can do it in manual mode and position the blade manually at each mark.

One way or the other, it works every time.

 

[G-Artist]

I could use both a color and white reflective. I don't see how that is going
to matter except to boost the production cost(s). We don't lam. I don't see
a need for that with reflective even for outdoor use. The Engineering Grade
stuff should have a useful life of 7 years.


You are going to REDUCE production costs. Print white on the green reflective, whether by the Edge or Summa or by screen printing. You are saving a bunch of production time by not messing with this double application that you're wrestling with and also the cost of the premium white vinyl. Reflective is thick enough by itself to apply without premask. You are way overthinking this job.

I get it now. Thanks. We are sort of in the market for a
Summa. They seem to be very large and heavy and are not
exactly cheap.