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Substrates: choice, choice and more choice
Foam-X New suits screen and digital printing
Talk about substrates and there’s plenty to choose from. This can make it hard to find the right substrate for the job. However, choice is good because ultimately you can find a perfect fit for your application. Here we review some new substrates to add to your portfolio by Tracey Rushton-Thorpe
The fine art market continues to grow in popularity. Naturally, the ultimate goal is to sell art but it is not as simple as just picking an image. Art is predominantly sold as a result of its aesthetic appeal and emotional derivative of the image presentation. The only way to guarantee visually appealing canvas prints is to test different canvases for colour gamut, optical density (DMAX), resolution, texture and weight.
Simply offering great colour reproduction is not enough. You need to offer the best colour reproduction. Although precise colour gamut measuring tools, such as calorimeters and spectrophotometers can (and should be) used, the naked eye is usually enough to distinguish a superior canvas. Print a colour target (comprising several individual colour patches) on each canvas you are evaluating. These targets can then be used to compare each colour to determine which canvas produces the best colour gamut.
Optical density (DMAX) is also important because it measures maximum colour density and, more specifically, the density of black in the image. Precise measurements can be taken with a densitometer but, again, the naked eye will suffice if equipment is not available. When discussing paper and inks, DMAX is defined as the blackest black possible. Black density is arguably the most discernable characteristic in evaluating material quality. Therefore, achieving the blackest black possible should be the most critical concern.
Optimal texture is something else to look for because this will look natural without compromising resolution or reducing the viewable angle to which the art can be appreciated.
There are many other things to look for in the perfect canvas: it’s simply a matter of trial and error to find the perfect solution. Try the new range of Giclee/Artist Cotton Matt Canvas from LFP Products (InkTec Europe). The Canvas is pre-stretched with a matt finish, weighs 343g/m2 and is available for next-day delivery from its UK warehouse.
Environmentally friendly
If your clients are more into PoP than art, you will be interested in the range of Dufaylite panels which are often the choice of blue chip companies throughout the exhibition, display, shop fitting and furniture industries.
Dufaylite's range is designed to contribute to recycling and waste awareness because the panels are a sandwich construction of paper honeycomb core bonded to outer facings. Thanks to the cellular core, the panels offer enormous strength-to-weight ratio.
Ultra Board Display Systems have been put to the test by Hauser Feuerschutz, a Swiss supplier of fire protection equipment and signage, which commissioned Dufaylite to design, manufacture and install a special purpose booth and display section for its exhibition stand at HILSA, a major construction products exhibition in Basle, Switzerland.
The Dufaylite team designed the stand using standard Panorama system panels and Picture systems. The ‘dark room’ booth was constructed to present photo-luminescent safety signage and, as with the three picture systems, all the graphic panel printing was sub-contracted to VGL in Reading, who used the Inca Digital Eagle H flatbed printer to print directly onto the panels.
Graphics PoP up
Staying with the theme of PoP, Epson has recently launched A3+ and A2 Enhanced Matte Poster Board sheets designed for storefront graphics and point of purchase displays. Photographers, artist’s agencies and PoP print shops have the benefit of a flat matte surface combined with the rigidity of a mounted print at 1.3mm thick. Developed to work in conjunction with Epson UltraChrome K3 printers, the substrate is engineered to deliver non-gloss images with high-colour gamut, excellent highlight and shadow detail. It is available in A3+ and A2 packs.
Enhanced Matte Poster Board is 850gsm and can be printed on both sides. It features two layers produced from elementary chlorine free (ECF) paper and two which carry the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC) label which allows consumers to recognise products that support the growth of responsible forest management worldwide.
Epson UK’s product manager, large format printers, Martin Johns, said: “Signage and exhibition displays can be achieved quickly and easily with an Epson UltraChrome K3 printer and the Epson Enhanced Matte Poster Board. There is no need for additional mounting to get a sturdy and reliable print. Simply print and display. It is compatible with all of Epson’s UltraChrome or UltraChrome K3 printers and is available in convenient packs of 20 sheets.”
Unwrapping textiles
If textiles are your thing, then look no further than Neschen Europe which has updated its textile range with four new B1 fire rated products.
With the introduction of Solvotex Artist 260, Solvotex PES Banner 240, Printex Easy Banner Heavy and Printex Easy Banner Light, designers, display specialists and digital production houses now have a superb palette of fabric-look media with excellent print quality for a wide range of indoor and outdoor applications, plus the reassurance of B1 fire rating certification.
Neschens’ textiles comprise an even weave polyester base and surface coatings for solvent, eco solvent, UV, dye or pigmented inks. These products are designed to appeal across a wide range of indoor and short-term outdoor graphic and display applications such as banners, signage and hanging graphics, displays, exhibitions, super wide banners, presentations, graphic art and stage decorations. Printex Easy Banner Light and Banner Heavy can be cut with a cold knife without fraying for a clean edge.
Neschen UK’s managing director, Chris Slater, said: “The launch of the latest range of Neschen textiles provides graphic image producers with a world class consistent textile weave (essential throughout a print run) as well as a range of surface coatings to suit most commercial digital printing options. The availability of a wide range of roll widths from stock means Neschens quality media meets the needs of the biggest production houses, as well as those of smaller-format printers. All of the media have B1 Fire rating and offer superb print quality. This textile range really does have universal appeal.”
Innovation abounds
A familiar name brings our final new entry. Dibond Digital is new to the Dibond aluminium composites range and was developed to provide optimum results with flatbed digital printing. Dibond Digital has a stove enamelled surface designed to provide excellent ink adhesion, resulting in accurate, durable imaging. In cross hatch tests (used to test coatings and inks adhesion), Dibond digital achieves zero: the best possible result. Improved ink adhesion can also allow better production speed resulting in higher productivity with lower cost per square metre.
Finally we have Foam-X New which is engineered to offer the advantages of a polyurethane core to Alcan Composites’ well-known Foam-X foam board. Foam-X New is an all-in-one foam board, developed for screen and digital printing, mounting and punching. The company states it offers excellent flatness and compatibility with solvent-based inks and adhesives, while the white paper liners provide an excellent print substrate which is easy to trim and cut.
And finally
As ever, there is a wide and varied list of substrates to choose from which just goes to prove that every day brings new printing options and different substrates to explore.
As I said at the beginning this can be a problem: too much choice. However, I don’t think that you can ever really have too much choice. What we have is a buyers’ market where you can really go-to-town on substrate specification and make sure that you are working with the best. Not only will this ensure your current customers are happy, it will also open up doors to many new and exciting jobs.
