posted
What is the life expectancy of an image printed directly on Dibond? How long before the first signs of fading? Does UV lamination help?
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Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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posted
I think the biggest bit of misunderstanding here, where there's lots of sun & UV exposure, is that people think a UV print, is UV resistant.
Not so. IT's UV-cured.
I can't answer your lifespan question, but I've found UV-lamination of digital prints is good here. We have one sign nearby I did about four years ago- and it faces the hot western sun and is still in good order- mostly in red & reflex blue on white.
It also depends on who printed it, and the quality of their ink & laminate though. I know of digital prints on the highway about 30 miles from here, (facing the sun-north) that have not lasted three years but become all washed out pale very quickly. It looks worse because it was a photo. Now it looks like a splattering of mud.
All those are on vinyl, applied to dibond, not printed on dibond though, sorry.
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"...there are no limits when you aim for perfection..." Jonathan Livingston Seagull Posts: 7014 | From: Highgrove via Toowoomba, Queensland, Australia | Registered: Dec 2002
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There are lots of variables. In our area, probably like yours, north facing prints will last lots longer than those facing other directions. Yes, laminate definatly helps. I have had lots of success printing on Oracal or 3M with comply. Hope this helps
""Good judgment comes from experience; and a lot of that comes from bad judgment" - Will Rogers Posts: 3484 | From: Beautiful Newaygo, Michigan | Registered: Mar 2003
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posted
I'm not actually providing thge product, just trying to figure out a comparison for a client. The directly printed Dibond is cheaper, but will it last as long as HP vinyl and paint?
-------------------- “Did you ever stop to think, and forget to start again?” -Winnie the Pooh & A.A. Milne
Kelly Thorson Kel-T-Grafix 801 Main St. Holdfast, SK S0G 2H0 ktg@sasktel.net Posts: 5496 | From: Penzance, Saskatchewan | Registered: May 2002
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posted
I figure on 5 years MAXIMUM for a digital print - no matter what it is printed onto. (Of course, it could be LESS than that). Usually there's one color that will fade faster than the others (often it is the yellow), and so you get a color shift (everything become pinkish or blueish). If all the colors fade equally, it isn't as noticeable.
With paint or vinyl, you're probably looking at a 5 year MINIMUM and up to 10 years before you notice any change. Yes, there can be fading before that, but it probably wont be "noticeable". After that, you may have some fading, but it tends to be equal fading across the board, so its still not so bad.
-------------------- :: Scooter Marriner :: :: Coyote Signs :: :: Oakland, CA :: :: still a beginner :: :: Posts: 1356 | From: Oakland (and San Francisco) | Registered: Mar 2001
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posted
You can warranty up to 5 years... info here, info would be realtive to any ecosol inks and almost every company offers vinyls and laminates similar to those described by roland .
I've got prints out there for over 4 years now that are holding up well (some on economy vinyl)
posted
On another forum, a credible supplier of direct to substrate UV prints, stated that UV printed substrates would only last 3 years even with laminate.
-------------------- Weston Pulley WP Signs Plus Nova Scotia Posts: 44 | From: Nova Scotia | Registered: Jan 2009
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