Just trying to get a cohesive idea of what I might be getting into with matte vehicle laminate here...

[ktwigger]

Forgive me guys, I searched through the forums and found individual posts but nothing cohesive on the subject so I just want to make sure I've got my bases covered before we try this...

We've got a very particular client who wants to match the plastic panels on a bunch of Ford Transit Medium Roof vehicles as closely as possible. We have not suggested the matte laminate idea yet but we are anticipating the gloss being strikingly different than the matte panels so just trying to head any problems off before he even suggests them, and we just discovered this morning that matte vehicle laminate is a thing. Problem is we've not once used matte vehicle laminate at my shop. What I've gathered so far from this forum is:

- Matte can scuff? Does this apply to just the cast vinyl or would I also have this issue with printed? There's a good bit of dark coloring in the design that would definitely show scuffing, if it is an issue.
- Does the printed stuff show any bumps underneath like the mono color stuff?
- What application notes do I need to know? Someone on another thread said that it can be harder to work with and possibly harder to match up? We won't be applying the majority of these so I will need to give detailed application notes to the installers.
- Is it honestly worth it? I also read a comment that someone flat out refuses to do this, along with several others stating that they charge a bunch more to apply. Before we even suggest the option to our client I'd like to know if it's going to be hell.
- Am I missing anything? Any advice would be useful. This will be a large order, wrapping up to as many as 40 vehicles and we need to know if this is worth taking the plunge.

Thank you in advance!

 

[johnnysigns]

Other than the struggle to dial in the color correctly, matte lam can gloss if the installers heat it too hot during installation. I'm assuming you're using cast media and cast laminate for all this. It can definitely scuff easier, but I'm not sure how much you should worry about that. If it leaves the shop in tip top shape and you've explained there may be wear issues to the client and they sign off on it, it's on them.

 

[ktwigger]

Other than the struggle to dial in the color correctly, matte lam can gloss if the installers heat it too hot during installation. I'm assuming you're using cast media and cast laminate for all this. It can definitely scuff easier, but I'm not sure how much you should worry about that. If it leaves the shop in tip top shape and you've explained there may be wear issues to the client and they sign off on it, it's on them.

Thank you for that, very helpful.

Our printer typically gets Pantone colors correct the first time, but should I be worried about that? We use matte laminate on our regular print material and I want to say the colors have always been right with that.

 

[hybriddesign]

I think the only issue you’re going to run into is that at least in my experience there matte lam adds a bit of a yellow tint to the print or at least ours does. We’re currently printing panels to go in the window cutouts of a few sprinters and we’re doing a black design on a dark grey background and trying to match the black to the trim panels. The matte cast lam is affecting printed colors and making it hard to match so it’s a lot of trial and error.

We use a ton of matte lam though for real estate signs and stuff like that although that’s usually not cast. We do a lot of cast matte lam for commercial building window graphics though and haven’t really had any scuffing issues.

 

[johnnysigns]

I think the only issue you’re going to run into is that at least in my experience there matte lam adds a bit of a yellow tint to the print or at least ours does. The matte cast lam is affecting printed colors and making it hard to match so it’s a lot of trial and error.

Yeah, that's the crumby part is the color shift you'll get after lamination. It's going to come down to how picky the client is, but it's definitely a small pain in the neck.

 

[AKwrapguy]

The issues with matte laminate that I have found...
If you use a torch or too high heat you will cause it to gloss.
Depending on the manufacturer it can tint the color.
Over time it is much more likely to show wearing.
It's harder to keep clean.

 

[SightLine]

Different brands and part numbers will also have a pretty wide variation in how "matte" it is ranging form more of a satin finish to a finish that just about resembles primer.... 3M for example has "Matte" and "Ultra Matte", 8520 and 8915. Of course since those are 3M there will be a definite yellow tint.