Opinions on backlit signs with printers that print white

[Scotchbrite]

I really, really prefer to use cast translucent vinyl films for backlit signage. However it just gets to be such a battle anymore to convince people to choose a translucent color that doesn't exactly match the color some designer picked for their business cards but will look really good at night on their backlit sign.

In order to avoid these issues, we're looking to purchase a new printer that can print white. My understanding is the printer will lay down a full color pass, then cover that with white, and finally add a top full color layer. What I want to know is do they actually work well for backlit signage? As good as cast translucent films?

 

[Gino]

Consider how long they will last in the elements and sun. I would imagine you'll get a third the life with inks vs. translucent vinyl.

 

[Scotchbrite]

I don't disagree with that. I just hate how washed out the backlit prints look now and I'm hoping the layered print will help with that.

Although if we can get a good translucent print on clear vinyl, I would be tempted to apply them second surface on clear plastic.

 

[Billct2]

I get day/night prints from Wyld GFI in NJ, they are great and hold up well

 

[Superior_Adam]

We print them without an issue with our flatbed. Print a 40% color pass then 100% white the 100% color pass. Our signs have been up for 5 years and still look good. We print on the backside so that helps also. If you wanted you could run them through the laminator for added longevity and protection.

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

I sub those prints out and it's just like you said... Color, white and then color again.. three layers. They look good at night but not sure about longevity. I order from Indy Imaging.

 

[MelloImagingTechnologies]

Most of my flatbed customers print these.
Have been doing it for 15 years since uv printing was starting.
We’ve called it day-night backlit because it’s the right color with lights on or off. Before that, backlit was always too dark with lights off.
They mostly print color- white- color second surface on the inside of clear acrylics.
Bruce

 

[mim]

That's what we do here and it works great! We use the Epson s80600, I can't for the life of me figure out how to print color, white, color all in one shot. Apparently it's possible. What I do is make tick marks on the media + heater and print the first layer as a normal print. After it's had time to dry, I reverse the media back to align with the tick marks and print again with white + color on top. It works great when you get it right! Definitely had some fails before I got the right heat and ink density settings.

Like others have said, I can't speak to the longevity, but just wanted to say it's possible

 

[Bogie1of8]

We have been doing it for years with our HP FB500. Works great but the final product will never last as long as cut translucent vinyl. The other thing I like about the white on the FB500 is we can control the opacity of the white. We usually set it for 50% when graphics are lit with Florescent bulbs and 70-75% when lit with bright LEDs. How the print is being lit makes a difference in your color wash out.

 

[Bobby H]

Digital prints from printers that can print layers of white and color definitely look a lot better when back-lit than the output from printers that can't print white. They don't wash out anywhere near as bad. The color saturation still isn't quite as deep as cut translucent vinyl though. Some translucent vinyl colors are a little beyond the gamut range limits of printers. Of course cut translucent vinyl has its own serious limitations, such as a very limited range of colors and certain colors just not lighting up very well. Printers allow far more intricate designs, gradients, photo imagery, etc.

If you can print direct or apply the graphics to the sub-surface side of clear sign faces you'll get a bit longer life out of the graphics than if they're on the first surface and exposed directly to the elements.

 

[Scotchbrite]

Thank you everyone, very informative!

 

[P Wagner]

In order to avoid these issues, we're looking to purchase a new printer that can print white. My understanding is the printer will lay down a full color pass, then cover that with white, and finally add a top full color layer. What I want to know is do they actually work well for backlit signage? As good as cast translucent films?

If you are interested in seeing your sample file printed onto a transparent adhesive film using 3-layer Color-White-Color, please ping me. I would be using the Latex 700 W to produce this.

P Wagner

 

[Scotchbrite]

If you are interested in seeing your sample file printed onto a transparent adhesive film using 3-layer Color-White-Color, please ping me. I would be using the Latex 700 W to produce this.

P Wagner

My vendor is supposed to be getting me sample prints from the HP but I'll let you know if that doesn't work out.

 

[BigDogPrinterMan]

Ucjv300 can do this all in 1 step.

 

[Retro Graphics]

Ucjv300 can do this all in 1 step.

and it can do up to 5 layers in a single run. RasterLink is pretty garbage but if you set your files up right ahead of time or export directly to it, it's not too bad to work with. Can print on reflective vinyl too.