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Crosby: The world of digital print equipment has
allowed every person that would like to get into the printing business
the opportunity to be able to print anything and everything for
anyone. Whether you're a screen shop, litho shop, sign painter or just
some guy with extra space in your garage, you can now offer
signs, posters and banners to the world. With pricing on digital
printers ranging from $25,000-3,000,000, it's a game anyone can enter.
Magraw: Yes, the market has reached a solid position. It is
at what I would consider a point of saturation. I am not so sure
there is enough marketplace now that existing print companies can
feed the equipment market.
Edwards: There certainly are a lot of players, despite
the recent flurry of amalgamation. In recent years, we have seen
the emergence of Canon/OCÉ, Hewlett Packard, FUJIFILM,
Agfa Graphics and other significant brands in wide-format. These
large companies offer multi-national or even worldwide distribution
and service, as well as a wide variety of products, services and
expertise. I would say that we are certainly not over-saturated from
a digital printing equipment perspective. DC
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Rob Ivers, Rob Ivers, Inc.
Looking back at 2011, I picked up some new
tools, learned a few tricks and installed some awesome
new vinyl films.
New Tools Hitting the Market
One of the most innovative ideas the graphics
installation industry has seen in years is Knifeless Tape, invented and
developed by Garry VanDenBerghe, owner of Knifeless Tech Systems
in Canada. When he stopped by my office to show me his new
product, I was instantly sold. The tape comes in three widths. It has
a "cutting wire" embedded exactly in the center of the adhesive
side. It allows you to cut the vinyl from the inside out. You never
have to worry about cutting the paint again.
Another tool I like is a black magnetic squeegee created by
my new friend, Ole "Sunshine" Ravn, from Denmark. It slides
nice without a cover and it's not too soft or too hard. It has a magnet
in each end so you can "stick" the squeegee on the car when
you're not using it for quick easy access. It also comes with
self-adhesive felt to cover the edge(s) if you prefer.
My favorite new tool is the Bodyguard Knife by
Yellotools (yellotools.us). Michael Althoff, the owner of Yellotools, gave
me one in Munich and I've been using it ever since. It's used to slit
the liner paper without cutting the vinyl. This allows you to choose
the ideal spot on any graphic to begin removing some liner and start
to squeegee. I've used many tools for this purpose over the years,
but this one works better than any of them. It's easier to use,
more reliable and there's no "oops" factor.
I mention this last tool only because it is becoming so
popular in Europe and it works so well for some of the new techniques
I'll be describing. Unfortunately, it is not yet available in the
US because of the difference in voltage. Hopefully, that issue will
be resolved soon and you'll be able to purchase them in the states.
It's an infrared lamp for heating larger areas very quickly and
evenly, mostly used for bumpers and mirrors.
Innovative Installation Technique
I first saw this technique in Germany and have seen it
used very successfully by installers from all over Europe. I'm very
upset I didn't think of it myself years ago, because it follows
directly with my main application axiom, "Stretch the vinyl the
absolute minimum possible for the shape." Try this new technique
for extreme convex curves, mirrors and bumpers.
When faced with a concave (recessed shape), there is
simply not enough vinyl and, therefore, it has to be stretched.
Convex curves, on the other hand, cause an excess of vinyl that can
easily lead to wrinkles. Since we cannot "shrink" the vinyl,
conventional wisdom tells us we are forced to stretch the excess past the edge
so it can be wrapped around or trimmed off. Think of a mirror.
With this technique, we apply the un-stretched vinyl first to the
easiest part. Then we heat and stretch the vinyl for the rest, making
the vinyl and adhesive thinner where we need adhesion the most
around the edges.
European technique does the opposite. Heat the vinyl first
and stretch it about 10-15 percent in both directions. For a mirror,
start with a square of vinyl approximately 18-24 inches in size.
Roll down the driver or passenger window and tack the vinyl across
the top of the door. Attach the bottom edge of the vinyl to a ruler,
pipe or tube for more even stretching. Warm up the vinyl evenly
and stretch down. Hold until the vinyl cools. Un-tack the vinyl
and rotate 90 degrees and repeat the stretch in the other direction.
After it cools, begin the application. Now you are putting the
stretched vinyl on first. Sure it's a little thinner, with a little less
adhesive. But this is the area where you don't need as much adhesion
because it is surrounded by other vinyl and away from the
edges. You'll still have the excess you had before, which is
naturally caused by the convex shape. But when you warm the vinyl,
it shrinks, removing much of the excess and restoring the vinyl
and adhesive to full thickness, right where you need it the most.
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