Printing on film today has many uses. Perhaps the main of them is outdoor and interior advertising, as well as the printing of various labels and stickers. Registration of any advertizing by means of the press on a film is economically and practically.
Equipment for this is represented by plotters and solvent printers. The former are used for cutting ready-made stickers, while the latter are used directly for printing.
Technical features
All existing printers for printing on film are classified by the number of colors. Four-color models carry out high-speed printing of images in average quality. And, for example, eight-color ones work a little slower, but the quality of the resulting product is at a very high level.
When choosing such a printer, you should pay attention to the following characteristics:
- Printing surface - a printer for printing on self-adhesive film must necessarily have a vacuum-type surface, otherwise the film will not adhere tightly to the surface.
- Brand - brand name popularity is not always guaranteed to provide long life and high build quality. The same China, contrary to popular belief, produces printers whose quality is in no way inferior to eminent European brands.
- Printheads - when choosing, you should give preference to heads with an extended service life for industrial use. For example, Epson heads have proven themselves well for interior printing. They work quite slowly, but they provide high quality resolution. For universal and outdoor printing, experts recommend choosing Konica, Seiko or SPECTRA heads. With a resolution of medium quality, they provide high print speed.
- Carriage - this mechanism is distinguished by the possibility of adjusting the allowable distance between the material and the print heads and the method of movement. The carriage can move along a beam with bearings or along. When choosing, you should give preference to the first option. It has a long service life and will provide more accurate positioning.
Plotter
This is a special wide format printer equipped with additional features. For example, it can be used for curly cutting. The plotter will allow you to print on a wide variety of materials - vinyl, film, fabric, paper, etc.
The plotter-printer for printing on film protects the resulting image from mechanical influences, and also increases resistance to the negative effects of ultraviolet radiation and weather conditions.
Types of films
According to the properties of the film are divided into several types:
- matte, glossy;
- one-, two-sided;
- translucent, transparent, opaque;
- self-adhesive and non-adhesive;
- waterproof and non-waterproof;
- thermal transfer or for printing at normal temperature;
- siliconized and with other types special coatings;
- colored and white.
Such a film is produced mainly universal. It is suitable for both laser and inkjet printers. But there are also films that are only suitable for inkjet or laser printing.
The most common version of the film is used most often in A4 format, but non-standard format material can be purchased on order or in specialty stores.
Film for printing on a laser printer appeared on the market a few years ago. Its capabilities exceeded all expectations, but its price is far from the lowest. Despite this, the variety and choice of such a film on the market is quite wide, as they say, for every taste and color.
Film printer
The Epson Stylus Photo 1410 model is perfect not only for printing large format photo images, but also for high-speed color and monochrome printing of documents. His distinctive feature is a high resolution photo print - 5760 x 1440 dpi.
This printer can print on the front surface of CDs, as well as on labels and special film for printing on an inkjet printer.
The printer uses Claria's proprietary dye-based water-soluble ink. Photographs taken with them will retain color vibrancy for 200 years when stored in an album.
Irreplaceable "employee" in design bureaus, a large format film printer has found its application in companies that are associated with large volumes of printing products - in advertising agencies, design and engineering offices. With it, you can easily and quickly display photos and texts on film and paper in color and black and white.
Four colors of proprietary HP pigment inks are used to produce images at the highest resolution. For film rolls, an automatic cutter can be used.
Plotter Canon imagePROGRAF iPF6400
Equipped with an innovative 12-color pigment ink system, this wide-format printer is designed for printing photos, labels, stickers and fine art. This device is used as a film printer in advertising agencies and retail chains. Special image processing technology provides smooth transitions tones, enhanced and improved scratch resistance.
The model features improved black reproduction and rich tones, which allows you to achieve the exceptional print quality you need when printing photos.
Economical and functional
With five separate ink tanks and a Wi-Fi connection, the Canon Printer is a productive printer for high-quality, fast printing of photos, banners, documents, films and CDs.
It is easy to connect to it from anywhere in the house from a mobile and stationary device. In terms of technical equipment, this printer for printing on film and paper guarantees its owners the following advantages:
- high quality and speed of color and black-and-white prints;
- long service life;
- extreme ease of use.
Magnetic vinyl is a material that consists of a mixture of various polymers and ferrite (magnetic powder). It is used for the manufacture of magnets, advertising stands, information signs, puzzles, chess, checkers. Types of magnetic vinyl differ from each other in thickness, the presence / absence of an adhesive layer, the color of the coating, the material is available in rolls or sheets.
Types of magnetic vinyl
Types of printing on magnetic vinyl
Methods for transferring images to magnetic vinyl
There are two types of transferring images to magnetic vinyl. This is either direct printing or printing on any other material, which is then glued to the vinyl. Consider two simple ways to create souvenir magnets.
1. Direct printing on magnetic vinyl for inkjet printers
In this case, the manufacture of magnets will not be associated with spending money on the purchase of special equipment. You can cut magnetic vinyl using handy tools such as a clerical knife, scissors or metal cutter, or use equipment such as a puncher or cutting plotter. Inkjet vinyl is not very dense, so you can use a thick paper cutter to cut it, but the cutter blade will need to be sharpened more often. If desired, the corners can be trimmed with a rounder.
2. Printing on blanks of magnetic vinyl for sublimation
If you have an inkjet printer with sublimation ink, as well as a flatbed thermal press, you can transfer the image to sublimation-coated magnet blanks. These blanks can be of different shapes and sizes. The process itself is very simple. It is necessary to print the image with sublimation ink on matte photo paper or special paper for sublimation inks. Then the image must be cut with scissors and glued to the workpiece with thermal tape. Then we finish the magnet with a heat press.
If you want to create a three-dimensional label, you can apply polyurethane resin to the finished product using the appropriate equipment. In addition, you can apply the method of lamination.
Summing up the above, I would like to emphasize that the process of producing souvenir magnets is quite simple and does not require additional skills or equipment.
Magnetic vinyl finds its application in the production of a wide range of products:
- souvenir magnets
- Bulk magnets
- Advertising stands
- Information signs and panels
- Magnetic puzzles
- And so on.
Besides, from magnetic vinyl it is possible to make magnetic business cards, calendars, notepads and many other things. If you need to produce such products in large quantities, usually used magnetic coated vinyl for solvent, eco-solvent, UV varnishes and paints.
The basis of any printing shop is the printing technique. Equipment for the production of stickers is the most popular and demanded equipment in the enterprise. Consider what types of machines are used in the manufacture of self-adhesive pictures.
What are stickers for?
Adhesive-based stickers have a very wide range of applications: from small barcodes on products in stores to branding various kinds transport. Vinyl base has good adhesion to any kind of surface: glass, wood, plastic, metal. Thanks to high level abrasion, excellent moisture resistance and color retention, drawings on an adhesive basis can be used not only inside buildings, but also on the street.
Production technology
The classification of vinyl stickers is made according to the principles of manufacturing:
- Full color - applying a color image on a self-adhesive PVC film. As a result, high-quality photo-quality stickers can be obtained.
- Application - the manufacture of individual elements of the designated form from a colored film. This job requires a decal plotter, a special machine that cuts thin and precise cuts into the vinyl to match the layout.
- Contour cutting is a symbiosis of two technological processes. The machine for the production of stickers performs the process of full-color printing on roll film, followed by cutting along the contour of the image. The shape of the finished product can be completely arbitrary. These labels are the most convenient to use.
Manufacturing Equipment
The simplest label making machine is an electronic scale in a supermarket that weighs items while printing a price tag. This type of technique is called template technology, because it is designed to print only one type of label.
In a professional printing company, an order for a large number of stickers containing several colors in their image is executed on offset printing machines. This is the most common type of technique, differing high quality print and high speed.
With a small circulation, it makes sense to use silk-screen equipment for the production of stickers. In this case, the transfer of text or image to the base material occurs from the printed grid (special form). The paint, forcing through microscopic cells, remains on paper in the form of a given pattern. This type of printing is called screen printing. High-quality printing of stickers is guaranteed when using no more than three colors.
Simple office equipment can be used to produce a minimum number of self-adhesive stickers. The label printer can be inkjet or laser. As a basis paper on a glue basis like Orakal or Xerox with an opaque or glossy surface is used. The color palette is represented by a wide variety of shades, so it is possible to produce black and white laser printing.
When using labels made with a printer, you should take into account the peculiarities of the printing technology. Inkjet printer inks are made on water based, so the products printed on it are suitable for indoor use only. To protect against external influences and increase the service life, the front side of the labels can be covered with a thin layer of laminated film.
Vinyl stickers for cars
Decorating cars with color film is becoming an increasingly popular service. The low cost of manufacturing and applying vinyl drawings also speaks in favor of the chosen method. Airbrushing or immersion printing are much more expensive. In addition, outdated or damaged self-adhesive film is easy to replace with a new one.
Taking into account the specifics of operating conditions, it is required to comply with certain requirements for the selected material and method of manufacture. For applying stickers to the paint surface of a car body, a special transparent or white vinyl film is used. The surface of the material (matte or glossy) is almost not exposed to aggressive external environment. When treated with care for the car body, stickers can last up to five years.
The equipment for the production of stickers for cars consists of a large-format printer and a cutting plotter. An image layout is created using graphic programs with subsequent transfer to a printing device. For better image quality and a longer operating life, print at high resolution(not lower than 720 dpi).
The use of plotter cutting is optimal in the manufacture of large format adhesive fragments. For example, colored letters are made in this way to apply textual information.
The process of applying a film on a car
In order for the sticker to get maximum adhesion to the surface of the body, the car, first of all, should be thoroughly washed and dried. The work surface must be degreased before gluing. Apply the film gradually, carefully separating the paper backing. It is convenient to smooth the surface with a spatula made of rubber or soft plastic.
In order for self-adhesive drawings to retain their original appearance for as long as possible, it is advisable to additionally apply a transparent protective film. A car with stickers is not recommended to be cleaned at automatic car washes, it is much better to wash it by hand.
Now various ways of self-realization are especially popular. People want to stand out from the crowd, show their individuality. And this, of course, applies not only to clothes, but also to a personal car. Stickers on the car are in particular demand, which make it possible to turn an iron friend into a real work of art. Stickers allow you to perform the original tuning of the car without large investments. In addition, they do not fade, are safe for transport and allow you to hide possible flaws. Stickers can be text, exclusive, sports, wedding themes, and also made to order. In addition, stickers are often used as advertising.
The car sticker business is very profitable because it is low cost and the production cost is low. The main issue here is the sales market, which can be well expanded by creating a popular online store in our time. Car stickers with home delivery will be in demand, and you will be able to find customers in different cities without organizing a distribution network, which will save on renting premises and paying staff.
To start a car sticker making business, you will need:
- Computer with special software;
- Image cutting plotter;
- Printer, if you plan to create a paper product catalog or show a preview to a customer.
The average cost of a computer is from 30,000 rubles.
If you plan to draw pictures yourself and process them, you will need special program like Photoshop. The printer will cost from 7,000 rubles. The plotter is the most important component. And it is best to immediately stock up on a set of cutting needles and a film of various colors, since the tastes of all customers will vary greatly. For more complex projects, you will need an expensive printer that can print high-quality vinyl film.
If you decide to organize an online store and offer vinyl car stickers through a global network, then you can limit yourself to renting a small office in your own city.
There are no special requirements for the production of car stickers. Of course, it must have electricity, good ventilation and running water.
For the production of car stickers from ready-made images, special skills are not required. However, if you plan to offer bespoke car decals for complex individual projects, then you will need a creative person who is proficient in programs such as Photoshop, Adobe Illustrator or CorelDRAW. These skills are necessary to create original images for stickers.
To set up a sticker production business, you will have to incur the following costs:
- Office rent - from 25,000 rubles per month;
- Price software- 20,000 rubles;
- The cost of a computer is from 30,000 rubles;
- The cost of the plotter is from 30,000 rubles;
- Consumables - about 15,000 per month;
- Payment for the creation of an online store - up to 20,000 rubles one-time + monthly payments.
- Additional expenses (payment for Internet access, advertising costs, and so on) - up to 10,000 rubles.
Rate article
Film for laser and inkjet printer
In the public domain, film for the printer appeared 5 years ago. And although its price still bites (from $ 1 per sheet), the possibilities that it gives are truly incredible. And what is good, there are many types of films that differ in properties, sizes, come in packs, in rolls, for large-format printing.
So, what types of films are there, and what kind of printer do you need to print on film?
Classification of films for printing
Most often on sale there are such types, depending on the material used:
- polyester;
- vinyl;
- polyvinyl chloride (PVC, etc.);
- polyurethane, etc.
Types of films
By properties, they are conditionally divided into the following groups:
- one-, two-sided;
- matte, glossy;
- transparent, opaque, translucent;
- white and colored;
- self-adhesive and non-adhesive;
- waterproof and without stability;
- siliconized and with other types of special coatings;
- thermal transfer and for printing at normal temperature, etc.
The most popular transparent film for printers among users is produced by many manufacturers, both little-known and mega-popular, such as LOMOND, XEROX, WWM.
The produced film can be used in inkjet and laser printers and devices, in color and black and white.
There are universal options and special ones, only for laser or inkjet printing.
Thin film (up to 100 microns) is designed for conventional temperature technologies, and anything thicker than 125 microns can be used for thermal printing.
In free sale, the A4 film size is usually found, roll options (1.05, 1.60 m) or wide-format options are sold in specialized stores. Under the order, material of non-standard width and any type of winding is produced.
Decided to make original gifts to your loved ones? Do you want to make an interesting magnet? Or are you planning to open your own small souvenir business? This does not require any supernatural skills and knowledge. The presence of some materials, equipment + a little patience and - voila! Bright emotions are imprinted on high-quality magnetic products!
In the production of vinyl magnets, various printing methods are used, such as digital and offset printing, silkscreen printing, and even simple inkjet printing.
So, first you need to prepare the vinyl for work. The material is cut and cut in almost any way. Here you can start with scissors and finish with more advanced options, such as a cutting plotter or a crucible press (option for business).
Next, you should go directly to the transfer of images to the material. This is done either by direct printing or by printing on another adhesive material, which is then transferred to magnetic vinyl.
You just have to choose a method for making a magnet:
For inkjet printing, you need to choose the right material. A vinyl magnet should have a “paper” layer on one side with a glossy or matte finish. The density of such material should not exceed the capacity of your printer (250-300 g/m2).
And now about the features of the printer - it must be with the top media feed. Due to the flexibility of the material, magnetic sheet pickup problems can often occur. You can put a regular sheet of office paper in the paper feed tray, so the printer will not “jam” the material. The corners of the finished print, if desired, can be made round using a special rounder.
2. Magnetic material without adhesive layer and drawing on self-adhesive paper.
The main task in such printing is to decide on the type of self-adhesive paper. Like regular photo paper, it comes in glossy and matte finishes. After printing the image, the “self-adhesive” must be glued onto magnetic vinyl, and then, using a knife or a special device, give it the desired shape.
3. Magnetic material with an adhesive layer and drawing on photo paper
The beauty is that you can use absolutely any material for printing: photo paper, film or cardboard. After printing, you simply need to overlay the image on the adhesive layer of magnetic vinyl.
4. Printing on magnetic vinyl sublimation blanks
Using a printer that supports sublimation printing, as well as a thermal press, images are transferred to magnet blanks. They can be of any size and shape. First, print the picture with sublimation ink on special paper. Next, cut out the image and glue it to the magnetic blank with thermal tape. Finish the magnet with a heat press.
To create a three-dimensional label, it is necessary, using special equipment, to apply polyurethane resin to the finished magnet. And you can also laminate the whole thing to give more shine and durability.
