Flatbed Direct Print on to Illuminated signs?

[HulkSmash]

Hey guys,
Im about to purchase a flat bed and was wondering if anyone has had experience in printing directly to acrylic or lexan for a lit sign.

Most of the time its going to be on a LED logo box or something of the sort.

I'm tired of spending $850 for a roll of translucent 3m vinyl to put digital prints on a illuminated sign.

Thanks for all the help.

 

[daveb]

No personal experience but I've seen some beautiful stuff done on a Mamaki flatbed down in St. Louis, prints second surface and back sprays white. Wish we could afford it right now.

 

[HulkSmash]

Hey dave thanks for your response.
I've heard good and bad things about the mamaki flatbed.
One great thing i heard is that the print quality is excellent. But most print shops wont touch it because it uses actual print cartridges and the cost for ink is off the roof for it. Also i heard its extremely slow.

If i was a fine art printer i'd buy it, but as for a workhorse in a sign shop i wouldn't suggest it.

 

[ConstantIllumination]

Absolutely! We do it all the time.

One of the best advantages to using a flatbed for lighted signs is that you do not have to double strike the face to get sufficient density when lit. You simply print the faces at 100% density, then print the back at 50% and, voila! You have a sign that looks great both day and night!

 

[Gino]

Ideally, you reverse print on clear and either put a second backer piece of white in or back spray it white with grip flex or some other sign face paint of your choice.

 

[HulkSmash]

most of the time we cannot reverse print for the fact that they use the cloudly colored lexan. So i guess direct print with an underlay of white? sounds like a winner.