Kawasaki Sportsbike Riders Club - Australia - Online Forum

Bussa wrote:[quote (nothing stupid, like a bike brand label or something) also, any suggestions as to what i should use? Cheers!quote

If you choose to have design labels or (stickers) made by a signwriter or digital label printer, ensure the inks are UV resistant (stops early fading.)

Dude there is no such thing as UV resistant inks....... I use solvent & UV cured inks in our wide format printers & the UV cured ones dont last as long as solvent inks ...... read they are cured by UV light not as many would think UV resistant.
The longest lasting would be Screen Printed & overlaminated with clear. all our vehicle wraps are done with solvent ink & overlaminated I give a guarantee of 3 years. anyone thinking a digital printed sticker with overlaminate will not fade after 3-5 years is being taken for a ride.

You will notice that most bike stickers are screen printed overlaminated & die cut....... its as good as you will get

Well the large rear window stickers that frank sorted out a few years ago is still on my car. ever so slightly curled around some of the edges and the green is a litttle faded, but very much intact. That's been what, three years or so now?

mike-s wrote:Well the large rear window stickers that frank sorted out a few years ago is still on my car. ever so slightly curled around some of the edges and the green is a litttle faded, but very much intact. That's been what, three years or so now?

Mike they were cut vinyl, & that is a solid colour right through so they would tend to last longer, any self adhesive vinyl will shrink a little over time & the really cheap PVC vinyl can shrink as much as 3mm in a year.
As for the edge curl, could be that the surface might not have been cleaned properly
Minium prepsol, wax & grease remover or Alcohol, & no beer does not count
The vinyl used for the window stickers is rated at 5 years basically if installed correctly & depending on exposure conditions

I could have been a bit more descriptibe as the edges aren't lifting off as i made sure the window was cleaned well before the sticker went on. It's more the vynil has split slightly and the surface layer has curled a little. Mind you the car gets parked outside due to the woefully small quantity of space i have in the garage :-\.

Anyway, this is going off topic.

mike-s wrote:the vynil has split slightly and the surface layer has curled a little

Yeah the sun will do that over time its inevetable
So Mr Rook any plans yet?

Curious then Rob. What is it that they use in the original stickers? is it the same as is available through people like yourself or is it some special brew specifically for the manufacturers developed between the manufactures and the likes of 3M (or similar)?
On my 9 all the decals were perfect until I smeared them on tarmac other than the tank decals where the clear coat was cracking away - too much polishing.
Or are they subject to the same materials available to the sign industry?
Curious is all.

Adrian, the manufacturers use Cast vinyl rated at 7-10 years most of the stuff sign shops use is 5 year calendared vinyl, the cast is far superior & twice the cost. We use cast vinyl in situations where the client demands longevity & are prepared to pay the price.
Oh & there is better stuff than 3M available, the main thing 3M has going for it is the adhesive they manufacture not the vinyl itself

robracer wrote:

Bussa wrote:[quote (nothing stupid, like a bike brand label or something) also, any suggestions as to what i should use? Cheers!quote

If you choose to have design labels or (stickers) made by a signwriter or digital label printer, ensure the inks are UV resistant (stops early fading.)

Dude there is no such thing as UV resistant inks....... I use solvent & UV cured inks in our wide format printers & the UV cured ones dont last as long as solvent inks ...... read they are cured by UV light not as many would think UV resistant.
The longest lasting would be Screen Printed & overlaminated with clear. all our vehicle wraps are done with solvent ink & overlaminated I give a guarantee of 3 years. anyone thinking a digital printed sticker with overlaminate will not fade after 3-5 years is being taken for a ride.

You will notice that most bike stickers are screen printed overlaminated & die cut....... its as good as you will get

Robracer(Dude)... I agree with all that you have stated in regards to UV and Solvent inks, clear laminates, clear varnishes, quality and lengths in time life,material types etc.

The statement I had written "ensure the inks are UV resistant (stops early fading)which should have been written as"UV light resistant (reduces early fading) was a very broard reference to resistance against Ultra Violet Sun Rays.

In the future I will endevour to be more technically thorough and politically correct when requested.

no worries & no requests
You coming riding next Friday?

I luuuurve STICKER'S

You be the sticker whore Dave

robracer wrote: no worries & no requests
You coming riding next Friday?

It's

Friday arvos' are awkard, I'm an the Label printing game and the industry is all over the park. The earliest I could get away
would be 1pm. Weekends are more suitable, will meet up again when possible.

wow, you guys know alot about stickers... im usually just happy if its sticky and looks cool... =P i've got limited access to the net so i dont really get back on here to read up on all this stuff but yeah... wow. Nehu, i've got a remus exhaust so im trying to track down a cool sticker with them, ive got shift gear but i cant sem to find a shift sticker ANYwhere, i dont think i'll bother with getting one custom made though... i dont really have a particularly artistic head. haha