DIY vs. Professional Window Tint Installation
Nothing changes a vehicle's personality quite like a dark smoky tint. But it can be expensive forcing you to choose between DIY installation and hiring a professional? DIY window tinting...
E. Adnan |
TeckWrap Digital Print Media - 5ft x 128ft (1.52 x 39m) / Printable White (PF52005) Polymeric Printing Film is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
TeckWrap Digital Print Media - 5ft x 128ft (1.52 x 39m) / Printable White (PF52005) Polymeric Printing Film is backordered and will ship as soon as it is back in stock.
Key attributes:
A print shop loses money in the gaps between steps, not during the steps themselves. Ink that outgasses too slowly, a laminate that tunnels at the roller, film that moves between the cut table and the van. TeckWrap Digital Print Media closes those gaps by running the whole job on one material system: a stable 70 micron polymeric base, a matched overlaminate at the same thickness, and one adhesive behavior across the stack.
The base film prints white and semi-matte. Final appearance is a laminate decision, not a print decision, so the same artwork ships gloss for a retail fleet, matte for a corporate fleet, or super matte for a show build without requoting the print. Gloss lifts saturation and hides minor banding. Matte kills reflection on flat panels and photographs cleanly. Super matte reads closest to a factory matte finish and is the tightest of the three to install.
Three years of vertical outdoor durability applies to the printed and laminated graphic, not to bare print. Unlaminated output carries no outdoor rating on this material. Service range runs -40°C to 80°C, which covers northern winter fleet work and a summer roof panel on a parked trailer. Rolls run 1.52 m wide, enough to cover most van and box truck sides in a single seamless panel.
How TeckWrap compares
Cheap film won't last a season. Legacy brands charge a brand premium. TeckWrap sits in the middle: professional-grade film at an honest price.
The cheap way
Saves money up front, then bubbles, fades and cracks within a season.
Print platform
✕Eco solvent only, and no profiles published to load.
Film grade
✕Monomeric. Shrinks back off the panel within a season.
Matched laminate
✕Source it separately and hope the finish matches.
Outdoor durability
✕One to two years, and less on horizontal panels.
Service temperature
✕Cracks in winter, lifts on a hot panel in summer.
Roll width
✕Narrow rolls. A seam down every van side.
Professional-grade film at an honest price. Reversible, paint-safe, and color-shifting.
Print platform
Solvent, eco solvent, UV and latex. All four platforms.
Film grade
70 micron polymeric PVC. Holds registration through the job.
Matched laminate
Same 70 micron base. 40 meters against 39 meters.
Outdoor durability
Three years vertical, printed and overlaminated.
Service temperature
Minus 40 to 80 degrees C once installed.
Roll width
1.52 meters wide. Most van sides in one panel.
See the finish in person before you commit.
The legacy way
Comparable film, but you pay a brand premium.
Print platform
Full platform coverage and a mature profile library.
Film grade
–Polymeric and cast options, at the legacy brand price.
Matched laminate
–Full laminate range, sold separately at the legacy price.
Outdoor durability
–Longer rated durability, at a materially higher price.
Service temperature
–Wide service range published, at the legacy price.
Roll width
–Wide rolls across the range, at the legacy price.
Printed film FAQ
Decide it at the end, not the start. The base film prints white and semi matte, so the final look is a laminate decision, which means the same artwork ships three ways without requoting the print. Gloss lifts saturation and hides minor banding. Matte kills reflection on flat panels and photographs cleanly. Super matte reads closest to a factory matte finish and is the tightest of the three to install.
On purpose. Print film runs 39 m against 40 m of laminate on a 1.52 m width, so the laminate never runs short before the print does. If you have ever had a job stall because a laminate roll ended one panel early, that is the reason for the difference.
Usually, at 1.52 m (5 ft) wide. Most van and box truck sides go on as a single seamless panel, which is the difference between a graphic that reads as a finished vehicle and one that reads as applied stickers.
Yes, if it goes outdoors. The three year vertical outdoor rating applies to the printed and laminated graphic. Unlaminated print carries no outdoor rating at all on this material. Skipping the laminate to save a step is how a fleet job comes back in eight months.
Long enough that the solvent has left. Laminating over ink that is still outgassing traps it, and it shows up later as tunneling at the roller or bubbles under the film on the vehicle. Give the print time in a warm ventilated area, and test a strip before committing a whole job.
Yes, the adhesive is air release and pressure sensitive. Channels let trapped air out across large panels, and the film repositions during placement instead of grabbing on contact. That is what makes single sheet van sides practical.
Solvent, eco solvent, UV and latex, without profile gymnastics. The 70 micron polymeric base holds registration through printing, lamination and install, which is where multi panel jobs usually go wrong.
Minus 40 to 80°C (minus 40 to 176°F) in service. That covers northern winter fleet work and a roof panel on a trailer parked in full summer sun.