Paper / Film for Signage?

[Mike Guilbault]

I've been asked to produce a couple of window signs for our a local organization (they learned I had a wide printer).  It's basically going to be text, but is there any preferred paper for this sort of thing?  I was looking at the Enhanced mat - it's cheap and readily available.  Epson also has a Clear Film.  Has anyone used this?  Any comments?

[Randy Carone]

What type of sign and how will it be displayed? Inside, outside? Adhesive backed vinyl images well and can be mounted to a substrate such as foam board or Coroplast. Sihl offers some adhesive backed photo papers. Clear film may not be the best option as inkjet inks are transparent - with the exception of black, which has decent opacity - and there is no white ink, so any white space will be clear. In addition, light colors use the white of the substrate to combine with the transparent ink to achieve color so your image will look very different than they do on screen.

[Mike Guilbault]

Ahhh... good points on the white on clear film Randy.. thanks.

For now, they are to be used on the inside of a window, facing outside though - but never in direct sun (the shaded side of the street). 

[bill t.]

Have made pretty nice looking signs with text printed on canvas, then glued to 3/16 Gatorfoam with Miracle Muck.  Gator is a little expensive at $43 per 4x8 sheet, but the signs I have made have shown no deterioration at all over several years and the the black type on canvas texture is actually quite classy looking.

I mounted them with mating Velcro pads on wall and the Gator.

If all you're doing is text in a protected area, there's probably no need to coat the canvas.  But if you do coat the canvas it will survive most cleaning attempts.  Don't try gluing to foamcore or such, warp city.  Masonite is another possibility, but it's too heavy for Velcro.

[dgberg]

100 ways to do this. This is very similar to what Bill has explained.
I laid out everything in Word then printed on canvas. Miracle mucked the canvas to 1/2" Gatorboard and installed in frame with 1/4" plywood on the back for reinforcement for the gatorboard and screws.
I then made a 20" x 20" gallery wrap of my logo and attached it from behind with screws.
The canvas is over laminated with a satin matte laminate for protection.
I take this around to shows and it takes quite a beating and still looks brand new.
 Canvas is another option among many and looks great.

[Mike Guilbault]

The canvas is a good idea and I think I may try that for my own signage!  Thanks guys

[Sven W]

The canvas is a good idea and I think I may try that for my own signage!  Thanks guys

Guys! You must be the first signage makers I've heard of, making signs on canvas

As Dan spoke: 100 ways to do.
Most signage media are for solvent inks. To bear more strain, so to speak. But there are good alternatives for waterbased
inks to, e.g. polyester weave, adhesives, backlit film, scrim vinyl etc. Unfortunately most of it comes in larger rolls. Many
distributers do offer roll cutting service for a few bucks. I once ordered 11 inch rolls of 120g polyester weave, which was printed
as long 8 ft strips, hanging in a window. The weave is semi transparence so the effect was marvelous. A thicker, 210g polyester
is a poor mans canvas, is very strong and withstand everything. I can glue, sew, mount, make holes, attach grommets, roll and unroll hundred times, easily.

/Sven

[enduser]

(I put this in the wrong thread yesterday.)

We did a couple of low-cost signs for a friend on what Canon call "Thin Fabric Banner 2".  We went to cheap art shop and found a suitable Chinese stretched canvas at about 16" x 40" in size.

We then printed the sign using Poster Artist on a 24" roll, leaving 3" extra at each end.  We then wrapped the image without bothering to remove the canvas already on the frame. After that we went to a hardware outlet and bought a spray can of outdoor clear finish in gloss.

We sprayed the whole thing with about three coats of  the stuff and set it up outside their premises.  After three years we could see no color change, and it had been hosed off to remove traffic grime a few times.  We took this cheap and dirty route because the customer had little money,and didn't expect much, and so we thought we'd see what we could get away with.

Well after 3 years and just a few dollars we were all amazed at what we got for our money.  I guess it's all a bit more relaxed when doing signs because small color shifts or a bit of deterioration isn't noticed.  However a close up photo at the start and when it was taken down showed no change that we could see.

[dgberg]

I guess I should clarify that my canvas sign is an indoor piece before I get all the professional sign makers in a tizzy. It is also on canvas because canvas is pretty much what we sell here. Looks great and makes for a great conversation piece.

[Ken Doo]

A more expensive option (but good if for a somewhat permanent solution) is a backlit sign, attached by hangars to the inside of the window.  You can then easily print backlit transparency film (Kodak Universal Backlit or Epson) and swap out the signs as needed. 

Canvas does work surprisingly for temporary signage.  I use the relatively cheap Breathing Color 800M for outdoor banners.  I have banners that have been hanging outdoors for over a year now----they have held up very well against the elements, where the vinyl banners were blown off by the wind.  Here the concern was more can the banner hold up to the weather, high winds, storms, etc.  See, http://kendoophotography.wordpress.com/2010/06/26/wait-a-minute-real-canvas-for-banners/   The banners now show obvious signs of fading, but not bad for over a year's use outdoors exposed to the elements.  I'll be changing them out shortly anyway with new images.  Btw, I did use Lyve for one banner (I ran out of 800M), and you can tell the difference between those like the 800M with OBAs after only a few months of exposure to the sun  (Lyve is better---but 800M is obviously a better inexpensive choice for signage!).

ken