DIGITAL PRINT MEDIA Digital print media feature
New and exciting substrates are enabling signmakers to create anything from wall coverings to floor decals to…coffins? Jemima Codrington spoke with industry leaders to find out more about the endless possibilities digital print media provides.
Michael Ingram, Sales Director, dorotape (UK), reveals that the digital print media sector has evolved significantly in recent years, particularly where vinyl is concerned. “Looking at digital vinyl specifically,
things have changed very much in recent years, and I’d say particularly the level of price has been the primary thing,” he says. “The technology has changed in the indus- try, which when combined with the reducing cost of some of the commodity products like the monomeric self-adhesive vinyls, has had a knock-on effect that’s ultimately resulted in cheaper prices for the end-user.” dorotape stock a number of products to
satiate increasing demand in a changing market, such as a number of bespoke win- dow and glass digital print vinyls. These in- clude a range of glass etch effect vinyls in both wet and dry apply. “We have a fantasti- cally optically clear polyester film with a sol- vent-based adhesive, which are commonly used for high-end corporate identity and branding jobs, as well as to create high-im- pact retail graphics,” adds Michael. For sign- makers with the capacity to print in white ink, there is the opportunity to print an image with a white background to make it really stand out. The product, called Perfectly Clear, is therefore ideal for such high-impact window graphics, and is applied with a solvent-based adhesive. “It’s so clear, you cannot tell it’s there - it looks like the glass itself is printed.”
Also available is a film
called Micro Tac, which is a dry- apply glueless film that doesn’t rely on cling or adhesive at all. In- stead, it has more of a nanos- tructure on the reverse side of the film that grips to the window. “Some people refer to it as a gecko film, because the technol- ogy is the same as the foot of a gecko that allows them to cling to smooth surfaces even on the ver- tical,” adds Michael.
Easy-change graphics
are all the rage With clients in retail and hospitality sectors particularly looking to use window and wall graphics for promotional purposes, there’s a keener interest than ever in products that can be easily installed and just as easily removed. “With anything applied to glass, if it’s
The ASLAN DFP 46 digital printing film is used for out- door floor graphics
got a regular adhesive on it can potentially be a problem to take off,” says Michael. To com- bat this, dorotape stock a number of niche speciality products that can reduce this prob- lem. The graphics have no problems stick- ing, but can easily be removed to allow for quick changeovers. “With a quick wipe down of the glass, the new graphics can go on.” For signmakers, vinyls need to look
good, be practical for application, and straightforward for removal.
Floor graphics created with the versatile ASLAN DFP 46.
These are not just where window displays are concerned, but also for another increas- ingly popular application – flooring. dorotape stocks Aslan floor graphic vinyls that can be used indoors, outdoors, and even on wet floor areas such as leisure centres. Reflecting on the current state of digital
print media, Michael not only discusses the quality of the products available, but also the variety. “It never ceases to amaze me at how hard it must have been in years gone by to create something quickly and cost-effectively compared with how easy it is today - things have just advanced so much,” he says. “There is even a market now for digitally printed coffins. Digital print media from the moment we’re born is impacting every part of our lives – and now deaths!”
Aslan DFP 47 is used to create indoor floor graphics. 62 Sign Update ISSUE 160 NOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2015
www.dorotape.co.uk
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