![]() Varnish, which is quite easy to add when using an UV printer, will extend the outdoor durability. So, in short, my experience tells me that the colors are as good as solvent inks when it comes to fading, maybe even a little bit better because of the thicker ink layer. I have seen curling starting to appear after some months, especially on stickers with yellow ink along the edges.Ī layer of varnish seems to hold back the effect a little, but I'm not yet sure how much. The ink is indeed more flexible but not as scratch resistant as the rigid UH21, and it is less durable against solvents. My guess is that this is due to expansion of the aluminium sheet when exposed to heat, where the ink isn't flexible enough to stretch along with it.Ībout six months ago, I switched to the more flexible US11 ink set, to see if I could broaden the area of use for the printer. Some of my tests were also printed directly on prepainted aluminium, and I could see small cracks all over the surface over time in areas covered with ink. I know the UH21 ink isn't really suitable for soft or stretchable materials but this was much worse than I would have expected. This friability is something I have seen also with stickers stored indoors over time. The UH21 ink also became very "crisp" and the vinyl would break when folded. Some of my tests objects were vinyl stickers, and it didn't take more than a couple of months before stickers covered with ink started to curl and eventually more or less fell of the test panels (painted aluminium sheets). Instead, the real problem with UV inks (Mutoh, or in general?) is that there seems to be some kind of over curing when exposed to sunshine (UV light and/or heat?). ![]() These were put on a wall facing south, but I suspect my conditions here in southern Sweden can't be compared to Pennsylvania (should be more like Spain or Italy I guess).Īnyway, my tests shows that colors have faded but areas covered with laminate (you may need a laminate with special adhesive to adhere to the UV ink) or with varnish still look good after three years. I started making some print samples with VJ-626UF when I first bought it three years ago, to see how colors would fade over time. In some cases, they last really long, in other cases they wear out quickly.įrom what I've read "Outside durability is 3 to 5 years" Same with printers, same with cars, same with shoelaces. The customer just has to buck up and buy another one. Sorry to say, when the sign wears out, it wears out, whether it's from sun, rain, or any other variable. Many years, and they throw themselves on the ground and have a hissy fit: go figure. They'll spend $400 on a really nice dinner.Īsk that same customer to pay $400 for a sign that will advertise their business and make them thousands, may tens of thousands of dollars over a period of It's funny but a customer will go out to dinner with their mate and in laws. By the time it's figured out for your particular location and situation, theĬompany comes out with a different printer with a different ink set. Under what weather conditions, is a fool's errand. Trying to figure out which printer ink, on what material, with which laminate (or not), in which environment, facing in what direction, for what period of time, Maybe a more modern test now would be using 24 hour indoor UV lighting to accelerate the process to weeks, not years. They leave them out there for years and then compare it to original swatches to test fading and durability. To determine the outdoor life of their paint. When you look back you see hundreds of 1 ft sq paint samples in hundreds of different colors. ![]() ![]() Have you ever driven down an interstate and seen a field full of 45-degree panels facing the sun? Outside printer ink durability is a rabbit hole.
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