HOW-TO
BY JIM HINGST
Printing
Cool Cure for Heat-related Issues
Test driving a new generation
A
cause tunneling of vinyl films on their release liners. High heat could also deform some films and discolor others. Today latex inks and printer technology have improved in several areas, but two key features set the Mimaki JV400LX latex printers apart from earlier generations of latex printers. They’re the first latex printers on the market with white ink (a huge development, because it provides the operator with the capability of printing on colored media, reflective sheeting, and metalized films). It also permits production of double-sided window graphics on clear films. The other significant difference is that the Mimaki latex printers cure at much lower temperatures than the first-generation systems. Those printers typically required curing temperatures of 100°C or 212° F. At these high temperatures, the water in the ink boiled and turned to water vapor. Heating also coalesces the individual latex resin particles into one mass and binds these particles to the substrate. All of this sounds great, but temperatures of the earlier units could fluctuate greatly. You could set the temperatures in the profile at 212°F, yet the
PHOTO: SHUTTERSTOCK.COM/STEPAN BORMOTOV.
of latex printers.
bout five years ago, latex inkjet printers were introduced to the sign market, rapidly gaining acceptance as affordable alternatives to solvent and eco-solvent systems. This novel technology certainly filled a big void in the market. Any of the curling issues that printers encountered when printing on some pressure-sensitive vinyl films with solvent and eco-solvent inks were resolved because latex inks are water-based. Latex inks also dry instantly, if cured at the recommended temperatures and printed in a controlled environment. That meant that you could laminate prints immediately after printing. Solvent inks, on the other hand, are not completely cured after printing. Before laminating printed vinyl graphics, shop owners had to wait for the prints to outgas. That takes time (a minimum of twenty-four hours under ideal conditions). Who has that time today, especially when you have an anxious customer breathing down your neck? As wonderful as the first generation of latex printers were, they weren’t without their issues. The high heat required to cure inks could
signshop.com
June 2014 // Sign Builder Illustrated
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