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Laminating Tips for Vinyl Graphics

Review the safety precautions outlined in the equipment manual with your employees. Never wear loose clothing when operating the machinery. Long hair should be tied back. Wearing a hair net could prevent hair from falling onto a print and being encapsulated.

Keep your hands away from any moving parts. If you’re wiping down the rubber rollers, disconnect the power — this prevents accidents from occurring, especially if the laminator is accidentally turned on. If you need to advance the rollers, reconnect the power. After you’ve advanced the rollers, pull the plug again. Use a clean, lint-free rag and a mild, non-abrasive cleaner to wipe down the laminator.

Compatibility of Printing Systems

The interaction of inks, printing systems and print media involves very complex chemistry. Incompatibility among components can adversely affect the ability of the overlaminate to adhere to the print and result in delamination.

TEST, DON’T GUESS. Always test and evaluate your raw materials (overlaminates, wide format print media, and mounting substrate) before a production run. When you find a winning combination, stick with it.

One recommended combination is using a calendered vinyl overlaminate with a calendered vinyl film. Similar films expand and contract at the same rate. Dissimilar films don’t. As a consequence, the overlaminate can delaminate from the base film or substrate. A tunnel could also form between the two dissimilar films.

Overlaminate problems can also result when a print is mounted to a substrate that expands and contracts at a high rate. The resulting tension between the print and the laminating film, can cause tunneling or delamination.

How to Properly Store Overlaminates

There are right ways and wrong ways to store overlaminates and other pressure sensitive materials, such as application tape and vinyl. The wrong way is to stack the rolls of unboxed overlaminates horizontally on top of each other. Doing this can create flat spots in the rolls, which can appear as a visible line, after the overlaminate is applied to the print. SEE: "Nekoosa's Overlaminate Films Portfolio"

The recommended way to store rolls is to keep them in their boxes, stacked upright, until you need them. Although the corrugated containers used for overlaminates are designed to withstand the rigors of shipping, stacking these boxes horizontally can result in their collapse, when weight becomes excessive.

The best storage area is the same one in which you print. An ideal temperature and humidity controlled room is at 70°F (21°C) at 50% relative humidity. Under these conditions, the expected shelf life of your overlaminates is +1 year(s).