Laminating Roland UV prints, advice needed

[RONIN]

Hi,

I'm planning to laminate signs printed off a Roland MG-640 for some general outdoor signage. Originally, I was going to skip laminating all together but from what I could find online, EUV5 ink is only rated up to 2 years - maybe this is a conservative estimate?

What I've been looking into investing in, is a flatbed applicator but after more research it seems a lot of people suggest heat assist.

Ideally I'd like to be able to cold laminate on a flatbed application table but maybe it's not possible.

Any advice around this would be really appreciated.

 

[SGC]

UV ink requires heated lamination for proper outcome. The heat allows the adhesive to melt into the surface floating and mildly textured ink.

 

[MarkSnelling]

Most inks are only good outdoors for 2-3 years without lamination. A good outdoor laminate with UV inhibitors will double the life of the print getting you to around 5 years.

A flatbed application table is a great tool...but it is not a great laminator. If you have a decent amount to laminate, it will be a pain in the ass. Furthermore, the roll durometer is much too soft so you usually end up with a lot of silvering - much of it might not go away ever. Flatbed applicators are AMAZING at making easy work out of mounting adhesive vinyl to boards and applying application tape. They are very handy tools. They can laminate but aren't really laminators.

If you truly want to laminate, get a good laminator from Kala or Seal and you won't buy another laminator for 20 years. There are less expensive options if you don't see a lot of production.