Screen Printing Acrylic Sheet

Painting is not the only solution for decorating plastic signfaces. For high-volume jobs, screen printing with either solvent or UV curable inks is an economical solution. In selecting an ink system, ask your screen print supply distributor for a recommendation. The ink manufacturers’ technical bulletins will give you printing specifications. The type of mesh, squeegee, [ ]
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Rotator Tape Dispenser

If you regularly use several different types or sizes of application tape, a tape dispenser called the Rotator could be the perfect addition to your shop.  As the name implies, the Rotator is a rotating tape dispenser. Designed and manufactured by Waterford Signs in Delaware, Ohio, the Rotator is available in a variety of different models in [ ]
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Mold Growth on Application Tape

Mold spores are everywhere. You can’t see them. They just float around in the air, whether you are indoors or outside.  When these invisible spores land on a wet or moist material, they can begin to grow. In nature, mold serves the function of breaking down dead organic matter, such as leaves or fallen trees. [ ]
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Printing with Solvent and Ecosolvent Inks

Solvent and ecosolvent inks allow you to print onto various types of uncoated films, including RTape s VinylEfx® vinyl print media. As wonderful and easy to use as these print systems are, you must test and evaluate the inks and your printer settings prior to production. Incompatibility between the ink system and the print media could [ ]
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Accelerating the Curing Process

Printing and Cutting Heat Transfer Appliques Using Roland’s BN-20 Many T-shirt shops have purchased Roland’s VersaStudio 20 BN-20 Desktop Inkjet Printer/Cutter so they can offer digitally printed heat transfer appliques to their customers. In addition to printing appliques, the BN-20 is also a nice entry-level machine for those shops expanding into the sign market. The [ ]
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Tips for Cutting Flock Material

If you want to provide your customers the rich look of an embroidered emblem, but the cost of embroidery is too rich for their blood, consider using RTape’s VelCut™  flock material. This velvety soft material is a great alternative at a fraction of the cost. Flock heat transfer appliques are cut in reverse (mirror image). [ ]
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Introduction to Acrylics

Acrylic sheet has been on the market for more than 75 years, ever since Rohm & Haas introduced it as Plexiglas® in 1936.  Yet, as commonplace as acrylic is, its chemistry has evolved. Sheet manufacturers typically modify the Poly Methyl Methacrylate (PMMA) with additives to change the performance properties of the plastic. Today, a wide [ ]
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Choosing a Translucent Vinyl

Which is Better for Backlit Signs: Cast or Calendered? Vinyl manufacturers, such as 3M™ and Arlon, produce a broad color selection of translucent cast vinyl films for backlit signage applications. In addition to backlit building signage, other applications include taxi-top signage, mall and airport-terminal advertising, menuboards and canopy fascias. When subjected to baking heat, cheaper [ ]
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Outgassing and Health Concerns

I have received several letters from those who have read my story about outgassing. I certainly did not intend to cause alarm. Plastics outgas (also referred to as off gassing or degassing). The rate at which this outgassing occurs depends on the resin type,  time, temperature and atmospherics. The good news is that outgassing of a [ ]
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Accentuating Contrast in Your Chip Carving

Woodcarvers use several different techniques in staining their chip carving. Many will take a small brush, such as a #8 quill, to stain the entire panel with a very light colored stain, wiping the excess stain from the wood with paper toweling. After the lighter stain dries, the next step is to apply a darker stain. [ ]
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Safely Working with Pigment Powders

Making your own paint is a relatively easy process. All you need is powdered pigment and a binder. Depending on the type of paint you are making, you have a variety of choices for a binder, including linseed oil, acrylic emulsion, egg yolk and animal hide glue. The one ingredient that is common in all [ ]
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