Author Topic: Copper for Printing Vinyl Stickers?  (Read 1005 times)

Offline mimosatexas

  • !!!
  • Gonzo Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4221
  • contributor
Copper for Printing Vinyl Stickers?
« on: February 05, 2018, 01:08:54 PM »
Had a third party option fall through on us and need some way of screen printing metallic copper onto clear vinyl, today if at all possible.  It looks like I can source TW 5500 Metallic Silver and tint it to "close enough", and the TW site does say it will work on vinyl, but wondering if anyone had any real world experience trying it on this application.  I know most people are using that ink series to do poster printing on paper, not vinyl stickers.  Any help is appreciated!


Online Frog

  • Administrator
  • Ludicrous Speed Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 13945
  • Docendo discimus
Re: Copper for Printing Vinyl Stickers?
« Reply #1 on: February 05, 2018, 01:25:50 PM »
No real world experience on this particular material, with that particular ink, but back before I learned that "a man has to know his limitations", I printed metallics on a bunch of different substrates, simply using the metal powder from Crescent, and the appropriate base.
Now, vinyl had it's own problems.
Solvent based inks had a lot of terrible fumes, and water based dried in the screen something fierce!
That rug really tied the room together, did it not?

Online ebscreen

  • !!!
  • Gonzo Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4230
Re: Copper for Printing Vinyl Stickers?
« Reply #2 on: February 05, 2018, 01:34:50 PM »
Adhesion is going to be an issue. I know TW had an additive I believe that said it could adhere to plastics and vinyl
but my experience wasn't a good one.

Nazdar makes several metallics in the GV series if you have a distributor locally. You will need the retarder most likely.

Or like Andy says, appropriate base (GV has one) and metallic powder.

Offline Doug B

  • !!!
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Posts: 547
Re: Copper for Printing Vinyl Stickers?
« Reply #3 on: February 05, 2018, 02:37:49 PM »
  Clear GV and copper powder from NazDar is all I have ever used. The pre-mixed
stuff is over priced if I remember correctly. You can then just get bronze or silver
or whatever you may need down the road and just mix what's needed. You will need
a retarder for sure.

Offline mimosatexas

  • !!!
  • Gonzo Member
  • ******
  • Posts: 4221
  • contributor
Re: Copper for Printing Vinyl Stickers?
« Reply #4 on: February 05, 2018, 03:42:18 PM »
Thanks guys.  GV isnt available locally unfortunately, so the TW 5500 is looking like the only option for today.  Going to see how it works and go from there.

Offline Pangea

  • !!!
  • Full Member
  • ***
  • Posts: 228
  • Jack of all trades, master of none.
Re: Copper for Printing Vinyl Stickers?
« Reply #5 on: February 05, 2018, 05:59:12 PM »
I've used Nazdar 2700 (similar properties to TW5500) extensively on vinyl and it holds up very well outdoors. One place it does not hold up is places that are constantly handled like gym water bottles. I have stickers that were printed 3 years ago stuck up on lamp posts that look perfect but my fiances water bottle sticker got buffed out in 3 months.