PUBLICATION CENTER

Quick tips for printing backlits using UV-curable, aqueous, and solvent printers.

Clearly in Reverse

Dexter Roberts, vice president of Louisville-based Don Meredith Reprographics, says the company found a great way to produce vibrant and consistent backlit signs with its MacDermid ColorSpan 72UVR.

Because the company's ColorSpan printer doesn’t utilize white ink, which is typically used in UV-curable printers as a kind of primer/backer to prepare the substrate, they print in reverse on a clear substrate and back it with white vinyl.

The key is to use a vinyl that doesn’t have the gray backing or adhesive. Use one with clear glue so that the light shines through the material, the inks, and the material.

“We’ve been using this method a lot for backlit outdoor signage, and it’s been very effective. It looks good in the daytime when it’s not backlit, and looks really good when it is backlit at night. The white vinyl allows it to backlight without showing the bulbs. It consistently diffuses the light,” says Roberts. “It’s also a good way to produce it to protect against vandalism since the image is printed on the reverse side of the clear, protective substrate.”

Aqueous on the Menu

Printers have found an innovative way to display menu board applications by combining LexJet Water-Resistant Polypropylene w/ PreLume and 5 Mil PreLume DisplayFlex to create a backlit solution.

When printing the contents of the menu onto the polypropylene with an aqueous printer, the user is provided with a fast drying, sharp image enhanced with LexJet’s PreLume whitening technology

A layer of 5 Mil DisplayFlex on the back of the polypropylene provides protection from degradation and allows the print to be placed in the menu board slot for use as a backlit application.

The finished product provides the customer with an all-in-one solution that allows light to be transmitted through. It can also be used with several other backlit options, such as trade show signage and light fixtures.

Core Compatibility

Ever notice how most of the backlit films available for solvent printing ultimately produce dull images? Many of the backlit films currently in the market for solvent printing are either modified cousins of aqueous-based coatings or direct substitutions. Having been developed for water-based inks the coatings tend to muddy up and dull the image, especially in the darker areas.

There are some new alternatives available that utilize coatings and treatments developed specifically for solvent printing. These coatings are a lot more scratch resistant than aqueous coatings and provide true photographic image quality.

You will find these solvent coatings developed for backlit printing mostly on rigid PVC films like LexJet’s 9 Mil Solvent Backlit Film SR, but don’t be fooled by the term rigid PVC.

The new backlit films are not what you would typically think of in regard to vinyl. These rigid PVC films have very similar properties to polyester, which has traditionally been used for backlit applications. The films are rigid enough for the application, but flexible enough to print, transport, and install easily.