Looking to print my own HQ vinyl stickers

Discussion in 'Print Community General Printing Discussion' started by djslue, Jun 21, 2012.

  1. djslue

    djslue New Member

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    Can anyone point me in the write direction in regards to printers please.

    I was getting uv coated Hq vinyl stickers made from a company but they closed up shop. They were 2, 3 and 4 inch in size.

    I'm looking to do it myself now. and need some advice on a printing option.

    Looking for something small and affordable.

    Thanks in advance for the help !

    Steve
     
  2. OkiTech

    OkiTech Senior Member

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    Where do we begin?....
    Labels on the roll are printed on Flexo Press - you should google it to learn more, Company like Mark Andy in know maker of such equipment and there are mostlikely a few others. You'd need to determine if your needs are spot color or full color printing and look for equipment to fit your needs. If you're thinking of getting new, this most likely over a $1,000,000 venture, you'll need a device that also makes plates. There are also digital devices that can print from roll to roll, I don't exactly remember the name of the manufacturer but remember that a set-up cost $22,000 - this is for the print and cutter, if you need UV coating than you'd have to find a solution for that. You may Google a "Digital label printer: to see what is on the market. Also if not on the roll labels are ok, than you can print them on pretty much any device with good registration but than you'd need a die cutter to cut them out and source to make the dies. In any case, labels and other printed products are usually something that created by skilled and experienced individuals - it is way more complicated than just pressing the "Print" button... Look on Youtube for a flexo press and/or other equipment you think you may need - that could be a good source to actually see what is involved in printing of labels and other products.
     
  3. Joe Duffy

    Joe Duffy Senior Member

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    Xikon makes a digital solution but it not priced for a guy who prints 1000 labes a week.
    Also, you will need die cutting for the labels also.
    There are many suppliers out there of label products, bid it out to them.
     
  4. niklaus

    niklaus Member

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    Some inkjet printer can use to print on HQ vinyl stickers. Epson 9600 with ultrachrome (pigmented) inks is what I am using to print on this kind of stikers.
     
  5. Ben Printing

    Ben Printing Member

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    A vinyl cutter is quite an investment, but as far as your choices you have a few. Before choosing you will want to look at a few elements in order to plan accordingly.

    Turnaround needs
    • Workload
    • Print style
    • Price (of course)
    In many cases, there are a variety of machines you can get used, and in your case, eBay may be your best friend. It is possible to save thousands on the die cutting unit, but setup usually costs a great deal of money along with the supplies themselves.

    I also like the idea of looking on YouTube for instructions as the large format printing industry is very in-depth. Printing takes skill and mistakes can be costly, so just be sure to know how to use the machine.

    Good luck!
     
  6. George Talpo

    George Talpo Member

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    I understand your want to print everything yourself, but at the same time unless you are printing a substantial amount it is probably cheaper and easier to use a print service. I'd recommend Las Vegas Printing for vinyl stickers, especially if you are in a rush.

    If you still want to do it yourself then you have plenty of options just hit up google and ebay because buying these things new isn't exactly cost effective. You don't need the best of the best, but watch out for something that looks like it's too good to be true (it probably is).

    Good luck if you still plan on doing this yourself!
     
  7. DragonFly

    DragonFly New Member

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    How to print HQ vinyl adhesive stickers

    Hi guys,

    I'm doing some research and was wondering if you can help :)

    I'm trying to figure it out how to print (and obviously cut) vinyl stickers for cards with the size of a standard debit/credit card. I need the stickers to be durable (strongly adhesive to the plastic) and for the print/ink not to wear out easy; waterproof would be a nice feature as well.

    I've read that one can achieve all the things above by using a good inkjet printer with Papilio Inkjet waterproof vinyl. Is it true? Moreover is there a similar solution for laser printers?

    As for the cutting, what kind of equipment I would need to achieve nice round edges?

    I have a small graphic design business, specializing in 3D CGI and video effects but it's not going very well :( Recently a friend of mine who's working for a huge company told me that he can get me a contract for printing stickers for the employees' security cards (photo of the person and some text), which are the size of a debit card. Unfortunately I have no experience with these things so any help will be much appreciated.

    Thanks so much :)
    Galin
     
  8. OkiTech

    OkiTech Senior Member

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    Hi, that is not how those things are done. Not even close. There is a printer that print directly 9 to those card using a thermal transfer ribbons, some of those printers can over laminate cards for extra durability. This is a very specific type of order and has very specific solution.
     
  9. OkiTech

    OkiTech Senior Member

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  10. DragonFly

    DragonFly New Member

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    Hi and thank you for your reply. Apologies for not getting back to you earlier. Perhaps I misled you in what I intend to do. The security cards are blank so the company needs stickers that will be durable but still removable...high staff turnover I guess. So my first dilemma is what sort of a printer I should choose. I've read that it should be inkjet printer, preferably with thermal transfer so the print/colours doesn't wear out. So do you think similar to the ones below will do the job?
    http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList.aspx?N=1095030733&Submit=ENE
    Can I use a laser printer?
    Thanks a lot again :)
     
  11. OkiTech

    OkiTech Senior Member

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    Wow, link to new egg had nothing suitable.. Yes, I completely understand what are you trying to do, the thermal printer I had sucgested. Is exactly for that. You can over laminate with UV coating if extra durability required. No, laser printer is not suitable, these cards are printed direct to surface, not label and then applied. I don't mean to offend you but you really don't know much about printing, are you sure you want tohurt involved? There is a significant difference between laser/thermal transfer/inkjet technologies and yet you point to a toy printer at new egg :)
     

  12. Fast Stickers

    Fast Stickers New Member

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    Hi folks, for custom stickers I am partial to Solvent/Eco Solvent Printing. At our shop we print custom vinyl stickers almost exclusively. We use Epson S80600 printers to print on vinyl rolls. We then laminate everything, and cut using Graphtec FC9000 cutters. This has been a very reliable method for us. The stickers are quite durable. Of course choosing a printer depends on the volume of custom stickers you are printing. We print multiple rolls per day. If you are looking at lower volume you could take a look at the S40600 at a lower price.
     
    Last edited: Apr 27, 2022
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