Focus on Digital Printable Media
If you can print it digitally, you’ll find it covered in our look at the latest digital printable media to hit the market. Whether that’s vinyl, laminates, paper or banner material. Opening our showcase is APA with a recent project carried out in conjunction with Core Stickers.
The stardust effect C
ore Stickers’ owner Giorgio Fresco worked with the team at APA to develop and create a new metallised printing film for adhesive graphics for off-road racing motorbikes.
He said: “With our 16 years of experience in the creation of custom graphics in the off-road motorbike sector, we realised that there was a lack of support that would replicate as faithfully as possible the metallic paintwork of premium motorbike bodies.
“Over the years we had come close (chrome and holographic base) but for a customer type, that kind of effect was too flashy and not very elegant. The Stardust effect was what we felt was missing.” APA’s Motorbike-Pro is a metallised printing film with a very strong adherence, designed for labels and graphics to be applied onto plastic parts with a low superficial tension PP, PE and all apolar surfaces. Excellent printability and opacity ensure the film’s vivid and bright colours even onto dark backgrounds. Easy
application due to the glue with channels Air Free FTK System which allows the air to escape.
Excellent printability The characteristics that this new material had to have were the same as the APAMBKPRO line: excellent printability with both solvent and UV inks, extreme softness for ease of application and an adhesive designed for both painted and apolar surfaces. It was imperative the film had to comparable to a metallic paint, achieved over almost the entire colour range. The result was the AP/99-MBK (SuperCandy silver). The first application was carried out on a KTM motocross bike belonging to one of Core Stickers‘ in-house staff, so that the team could immediately subject the product to maximum stress and monitor its wear. Motocross is the most extreme test for a graphic: if the material withstands on a motocross bike, it can withstand any other condition.
A close up of the AP/99-MBK (SuperCandy silver) on the motorbike
Giorgio added that the team were fully satisfied with the result. “We have proposed this finish to other customers who, as soon as they saw the colour samples we produced, immediately turned to this product.”
Core Stickers did not encounter any particular problems during the processing of the graphics. Giorgio confirmed the new film is comparable to the other products in the APAMBKPRO range and is very easy to apply, adding it is perhaps even the easiest to process, at least on a par with APAMBK printing white with its lamination.
When asked about what the future of motorbike graphics looks like, Giorgio said this is very much dependent on customer tastes, but trends are often influenced by the evolution of printing presses and support materials. He added: “In recent years, the big news has been conformable chrome and holographic films, which have determined a lot of street style.”
The end result after the graphics have been applied | 48 | September/October 2024
www.apaspa.com
www.signupdate.co.uk
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