Suggestions for a 14" wide job...

[SellersSign&Design]

I guess I have just been lucky so far, but I have never had any real gold graphics that I couldn't break down to fit the 11.88" print width of the Edge. Sometimes it is a pain and things have to be broken down in awkward ways, but I have made it work. But now I have to replicate this maltese cross at 14" wide for a different truck. My process for real gold basically involves laying the leaf on one layer of clear and then covering that with a second layer of clear with the areas in the design where the finished gold will be left clear. I use the Edge to print because of the opaque colors that keep the gold from showing through the top layer. So my question is what options do I have to make this work? Is finding someone with a Summa DC my only option? Or do you think a solvent printer can lay down an opaque enough black on clear? Or maybe there is another solution I'm overlooking. I was actually looking at Summa printers a while back, but decided to hold off and eventually get a latex instead. I'm starting to regret that decision now.

 

[Jase]

Can't you just cut the black from a cast vinyl and stick over your gold leaf? Doesn't look that complicated? No restriction on size then.

 

[J Hill Designs]

double hit rich black from solvent should be opaque enough

 

[Marlene]

I would do a contour cut on the black rather than have all that clear extending past the print area. I'd break the graphic apart where I did show the blue line so I have the top with the outter black border the printed letters and would cut it away where the edge meets the inner circle. the black printed area would be two pieces and butt the top to the bottom with not overlaps needed.

 

[SellersSign&Design]

I am trying to stay away from cutting black vinyl and layering over top. All of the other graphics on the truck will be one piece laminated clear, so it really wouldn't look right to have one that was layered with cut vinyl.

 

[SellersSign&Design]

I would do a contour cut on the black rather than have all that clear extending past the print area. I'd break the graphic apart where I did show the blue line so I have the top with the outter black border the printed letters and would cut it away where the edge meets the inner circle. the black printed area would be two pieces and butt the top to the bottom with not overlaps needed.

There isn't enough "black" area there to be able to break it up. There has to be a decent sized border around the gold in order to seal it and prevent any delamination issues. But you are right, I don't necessarily have to have all that clear around the edges. I normally keep it around 1/8"-1/4" depending on what I'm doing.

 

[BIG EASY DOES IT]

couldn't you just take the top cog of the cross off. Then and run as two separate pieces. You wouldn't see a cut line if it was between the black and gold. Just a little half circle. Then layer with a single piece of clear overtop.

 

[jfiscus]

Our Mimaki JV3 printers will print a rich black that light cannot penetrate just fine.
Use a double-strike or increase the saturation in the rip to achieve your desired results.
Oh, by the way; print this on clear.
Laminate it and laminate that onto the gold or install it as an overlay on the truck if your gold product requires the 1.25" edge extension around the outside.

 

[jfiscus]

couldn't you just take the top cog of the cross off. Then and run as two separate pieces. You wouldn't see a cut line if it was between the black and gold. Just a little half circle. Then layer with a single piece of clear overtop.

We just did this the other day for a print that HAD to match an existing one (wrecked one door). It works "ok", but in this case I would go with a solvent print on clear overlay.

 

[SellersSign&Design]

Our Mimaki JV3 printers will print a rich black that light cannot penetrate just fine.
Use a double-strike or increase the saturation in the rip to achieve your desired results.
Oh, by the way; print this on clear.
Laminate it and laminate that onto the gold or install it as an overlay on the truck if your gold product requires the 1.25" edge extension around the outside.

Thanks for the info, I send all of my large format prints out to a bigger shop so I will have them try to print it for me with one of their solvent printers. It will have to be printed on 3M/Gerber clear enamel receptive. I will be laying 23 kt. gold by hand, turning, then encapsulating with the top layer. It is a similar process to what Pierce Mfg. uses on their fire trucks at the factory.