Full print film is nothing new to most people, especially for those who value advertisement or think a big deal of the appearance on a vehicle.
However, there are things you need to bear in mind before handling a full print film because if you did something improper as you were not aware of what you should have been, it would lead to the other direction of result that is against what you intended.
There are facts you need to consider beforehand in terms of the printing process, lamination and installation, because you are not only going to install but also have to mix a print layer and a lamination layer together before everything, so every relevant step matters.
To begin with, those who print the film on their own first will have to download the right profile of the printer. There are people who find their printed materials to be tackier than usual or oversaturated, which turns out only because they used the wrong profile during the printing process.
The best way to avoid this from happening is to check out the manufacturer’s website. There is usually a place where you can download the profile for your printer. Do this first, and you shall be one big step closer to your perfect production.
The second thing is to choose the right ink you use. There are three types of ink for full print film, solvent, eco-solvent, and latex. Each of them has both advantages and disadvantages. Just make sure you choose the one that suits your purpose the best, find the high quality one, and purchase from the manufacturer.
When the printing is done, you have then moved on to the next stage, where you will need to laminate the film. But before that, there is a crucial thing to do, which is to let the material outgas.
This is particularly for films that printed with solvent and eco-solvent ink (for the film with latex, it is ok to laminate right away). If you did not do it, the solvent would go through the adhesive layer, which makes the film become aggressive. This will very possibly slow down your install and even create problems. If the worst-case comes up, you might even have to re-do everything.
So let the material outgas first is especially important. You can check with the manufacturer in terms of how long you will need to outgas for the film you have because the length of time varies. Some take 48 hours, while others only need 24.
After you do this, you are ready to laminate your material. Although you do not necessarily have to do it because the ink in the market today are mostly UV protected. However, if the material is not laminated, it gets scratches very easily.
Not only this, a print film is usually only 2mm thick, so if you try to wrap around something like a hood, it will stretch easily too. There is a high chance that you will overstretch and distort the image. And this is going to be a fatal problem for you when installing full print film.
But with lamination, even if you get scratches or stretch it, its self-healing property is going to save you from problems. So always remember to laminate your film no matter what.
There are two types of lamination you can choose from, solid and liquid lamination. Liquid lamination is usually used by larger printing houses for a larger amount of productions, as it is cheaper compared to the solid one.
However, a print film with liquid lamination is generally hard to install as the lamination it is thicker – liquid lamination is usually 2.2mm thick.
But solid lamination is much more flexible compared to that. There are plenty of options where you can choose from gloss, satin, or matte finish. And it is usually 2mm thick.
Together with the print film, a full print film with lamination is around 4mm thick. So it is indeed thick to install. Thus, when you choose your lamination, remember this: the thinner the lamination you have, the better your install can be, as you have no stress to go around vehicle parts like bumpers, mirrors, or any recessed areas if your lamination is thin enough.
If you can bear all these in mind, you shall be confident enough to handle any full print film as you wish, and manage to get a high-quality finish.
