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Reflective Color Decals

Neu2Signs

New Member
If I wanted to print color reflective decals on my Latex 115, can I just get a roll of Oralite 5600 in white and print on it? or is there other recommended material for full color reflective decals?
 
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Smoke_Jaguar

Man who touches printers inappropriately.
Putting ink on anything reflective tends to at least dull or negate the reflectivity, but if that isn't an issue, you should be fine.
 
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ikarasu

Active Member
You print on the reflective yes.... Your method is how every single shop does it. We print hundreds of rolls a month this way, printer ink is translucent and it reflects fine.

You can buy pre colored reflective if you're just die cutting, but most vendors no longer make glass beads colored reflective.


Printing on oralite 5600 is traffic certified, and while it's true different colors reflect at different amounts.... The same is for the pre colored reflective.
 
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Mike Paul

Super Active Member
Eco-Solvent inks prints great on 5600 or 5650 which has air egress. Reflects nice in color.

I Use to sell it as an upgrade but the material costs are out of control for that material so I don’t even stock it anymore. Not many buyers.

Not sure how Latex prints look but they are are CMYK.
 
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ikarasu

Active Member
Eco-Solvent inks prints great on 5600 or 5650 which has air egress. Reflects nice in color.

I Use to sell it as an upgrade but the material costs are out of control for that material so I don’t even stock it anymore. Not many buyers.

Not sure how Latex prints look but they are are CMYK.
Look into Nikkalite - we mainly use Nikkalite, they're cheap and it works great.
 
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Bengt Backhaus

New Member
I print on 5600 with my HP 310.
It loses some color when reflecting, but none of my customers are unhappy with the result.
As long as you tell them how it works so they know what to expect.
Only the IAL-logo is printed, the rest is blue 5600 and some other stuff.
1776069404734.png
 
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Stacey K

I like making signs
Has anyone printed on VViViD Deco65 reflective vinyl with latex?
No, but I've used their products on a number of short-term projects with success. The one thing I would worry about is tunneling...as shown from Amazon in these pics. Not sure how much you need but if you can "untunnel" it I would assume based on my previous experience it would work fine.
1776097354910.png
 
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Humble PM

Mostly tolerates architects
Untunnel, like unscramble, like with eggs.
I'd not put anything like that near my printers, which are far from the bins, for a good reason (I like to keep the big bins between 8' and 18' away, based on the random lengths of barge poles).
 
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VizualVoice

I just learned how to change my title status
Would not a solvent type ink be better for reflective since the inks themselves are more translucent than the latex inks?
 

Smoke_Jaguar

Man who touches printers inappropriately.
I can tell you UV inks, which tend to be on the even thicker side are basically anti-reflective.
 
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ikarasu

Active Member
I can tell you UV inks, which tend to be on the even thicker side are basically anti-reflective.
Depends on the UV. I'm not sure about consumer / digital units most people use, but dhurst makes a traffic certified UV printer and it uses translucent ink and passes all the ASTM tests for reflectivity.

I know when we print with our flatbed UV it still reflects,but it turns it into a sparkly print - my guess is it's more dependant on how opaque the ink is for each brand
 

ikarasu

Active Member
Would not a solvent type ink be better for reflective since the inks themselves are more translucent than the latex inks?
Not really. We use both and both reflect the same amount, at least by eye.


3m only certifies latex ink (and a special set of UV ink) for their reflective and traffic signs. I know Avery and orafol certifies specific solvent printers.

But every year we have to print samples and send it off to 3m for them to test the reflectivity - it has to meet certain ASTM standards that are set out by the government, and not by 3m .... so if latex is less reflective than solvent, I imagine 3m would have went with a solvent printer
 
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