Hi,
I'm printing A3 signs to be used outside for a long period of time.
The last printer I used was very good at withstanding Sun/rain and signs printed on a PE Self Adhesive media would last at least 6 months. - That was an Oki Multifunction printer.
The company I am with has changed printers without asking my specifications and it appears the new printer (an Olivetti Multifunction printer) is no good at UV stability even though Olivetti have told me that the toner is UV reistant?
Does anyone know what is going on and if there is such a thing as UV Stable printers/toners?
Any ideas, help, info much appreciated.
Thanks
Sian
It's not just ink /UV stability, there are other factors. Try using photopaper and getting it laminated. Some laminates are UV filters.
I'm printing on media that is made to be UV stable because I dont have time to laminate everything I produce and dont much like the appearance of it.
This is the media; http://www.threefivesmedia.co.uk/threefives/files/07-durable-tearproof-and-waterproof-print-without-laminating.pdf
This is the printer; http://www.olivetti.com/Site/Public/product.asp?sid=&cid=355&iid=895
and this is the toner the printer uses; http://www.konicaminolta.eu/business-solutions/products/related-topics/technology/simitri-hd-toner/simitri-hd-toner.html
Nobody (our print management guy, olivetti, or the media company) seems to be able to give me any straight answers!
I love Olivetti design. I'm about to dump a typewriter I bought 20 years ago and it still looks like it was designed this year.
I can see why they purchased that from the specifications.
What were you using before that was better?
How much fade are we talking about? How much light exposure?
I think you need to do a fade test, something with measurable blocks of color where one copy is put in the dark and several other get different lengths of exposure and then get into these manufacturers.
When they do the lab test they use high intensity light for a much shorter period of time. So the test don't always mean as much as they claim.
Reading the specs I would have thought 6 months taped to a window that got a few hours of sun a day would be OK.
I get the impression from your clear disappointment that even a month is pushing it. If that is the case then it's not really up to the advertising. But it never is.
There are some chemical sprays that work on some things.
http://www.perfectiondistributing.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Store_Code=PDI&Category_Code=PPL
But they really stink! And you can't use them in high humidity or they go milky. We used that with a spray gun. You need a spray booth to handle it. That said there isn't a better lacquer, one of the photo shops will have it and you can buy a single spray can to test it out. It dries in about 10 seconds so it's mighty volatile. Don't even try it out without a mask with chemical filters.
It's what photographers use to get nice water beading on glass. Spray that on a glass then use glycerin and water 40:60 and the glass will still have beads on it the next day. ;)
I don't think you will like it. It's seriously toxin and stinks but there isn't anything that works better. If you try it use the lustre, the really glossy one needs prefect dust free conditions.