Now Boarding

The breadth and depth of the substrates that printers can image onto has exploded in recent years. And one subset of substrates for wide-format print providers that has seen a particularly large amount of growth is the rigids category.

Rigid substrates run the gamut from foam boards, to metal sheets, to wood, and more. Anything that is thin enough to fit through the flatbed machine, it seems, will likely intrigue print shops who are looking for ways to produce eye-catching and unique applications.

Trends and demands

“For both dye-sublimation and UV applications, we’re seeing a big ‘customization’ trend. People are printing on rigid substrates to create a wide variety of customized products, including functional artwork and décor items,” says Lily Hunter, product manager, Textiles and Consumables, Roland DGA.

Metal panels, she notes, are becoming popular for those who use dye-sublimation printers, while UV printers are turning more and more to the types of materials found in the hardware store – pieces like tabletops, wood pallets, chairs, stepping stones, and more. Many of the UV printers can image onto materials up to six-inches thick, and weighing as much as 220 pounds, which opens up the door for printers to get even more creative.

That being said, there are also options to get much of the same look and feel of materials like metal or wood without the weight. Becky McConnell, product marketing manager, Onset Series, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division, says that one major trend she is watching is printers finding lighter-weight options to cut down on material and shipping costs.

“As rigid printing has become more mainstream, it’s beginning to move beyond just ‘we can get the job done’ to ‘how can we do that cheaper, with a better color gamut,’” she points out. “Print service providers are getting more savvy, and as a result, that puts more pressure on ink and substrate manufacturers to fit in with those trends and demands.”

Kaz Kudo, associate marketing manager, Workflow Solutions and Wide Format Media, FUJIFILM North America Corporation, Graphic Systems Division, gives this example: “As an alternative to an aluminum-composite material – which is often used for outdoor pieces, or high-end indoor, flashy applications – one vendor that specializes in foam board released a product at SGIA that is basically a foam board with metallic finish on both sides and black (or white) inside. It’s a lighter material that looks like aluminum composite, but is three times cheaper per square foot. Plus shipping is a lot less as well.” Those differences, he notes, could be the difference between a printer making a decent profit on a job, or just breaking even. It could also open up applications for customers who can’t afford expensive metal or wood, but can afford lighter-weight boards that mimic those effects perfectly.

Know your materials

While there is a certain amount of skill needed to get the best results with roll-to-roll materials, this is bumped up to the next level with rigid boards and materials. It’s not like having to learn a completely new industry, but different factors do need to be taken into consideration.

“There will be differences in printing procedures between rigid and roll medias,” says Ken Parsley, product applications engineer, Mutoh America Inc. “But it’s not like you have to learn how to print all over again. Material handling will be the biggest difference. Once the media is set for the printer, the printing process is very similar. Learning how to choose the best media for job is the most difficult. Price, color reproduction, adhesion characteristics, and abrasion characteristics must all be considered with rigid substrates.”

“There’s always a learning curve involved when you add new printing technologies to your workflow,” agrees Hunter. “Whether we’re talking about sublimation or UV printing, you’ll need to learn about the different types of substrates you’ll be using and what kind of prep work you need to do in order to get the best results. For example, if you are UV printing, you may need to use a primer to print on certain objects for better ink adhesion.”

“There is a pretty decent learning curve,” notes McConnell. “But we’re on the positive end of that learning curve. Rigid printing is not new to the market so there is already a lot of information out there, and it’s not difficult to obtain that information.”

One thing she strongly recommends is that any print shop looking to add rigid printing to their mix find one or two strong partners to work with. This means buying a flatbed printer from a manufacturer who is willing to share information about what they have found works best on the machine. It also means finding a media supplier who can offer tips and tricks, as well as keep the shop up-to-date on advances made to both the substrates and the coatings and inks used on them for the best results.

One reason the media partner is so crucial is because media handling with rigid substrates is quite a bit more important than with roll-to-roll. “Agreeing to produce a job on untested media can cause a variety of unnecessary challenges,” cautions Parsley. “Rigid media that has not been stored and handled properly can also make success more difficult.”

You will want to make sure you are getting boards and materials that have not been sitting around in a warehouse long enough to collect dust or dirt. Those particles can have a major impact on the quality of the finished piece, because inks and coatings will have a much tougher time sticking to dirty materials than they would a clean board.

That extends to how the material is handled once it gets to the shop, as well. Kudo points out: “One common mistake we see is if an operator is used to working on a roll-to-roll machine, they’re used to putting on the roll, print, and then go. But with rigid substrates, if it’s not self-automated, the operator has to do it himself and sometimes people don’t put on gloves. So after you print, you start to see hand marks, finger prints, and other debris. It’s not just about the printing, but also making sure the surface is very clean and always handling it with gloves to get the best results.”

Beyond media handling, another key area that many shops make mistakes with when first learning to print on rigid substrates is design. Designing for these types of media requires a different way of thinking than designing for pieces that are meant to go on paper or flexible media. One tip all the experts agreed on: Use paper as a test before attempting to print on the rigid substrates themselves, especially if the final materials are expensive or unique.

Finally, it’s all about testing. “Test as many different media as you can for color reproduction, adhesion characteristics and abrasion characteristics,” says Parsley. “Keep a log of which manufacturer/media meet your requirements.”

Hunter takes that a step further, advising printers to, “Keep a journal of what works and what doesn’t for future reference. Key observations to keep in your journal should include things like environmental data (i.e., temperature/humidity level), time of day, and length of time pressing the substrate. Be as detailed as possible — there’s no such thing as too much information. This kind of journal can serve as a ‘recipe’ book you can reference to see what works and what doesn’t work.”

“Each inkjet machine is different, and no one substrate will work for all equipment,” stresses Kudo. “Test new substrates on all printers and with all ink sets.”

“Do you due diligence to make sure it’s right for your machine,” agrees McConnell.

Putting in the work

Trying out a wide range of different media types, with different coatings and different ink sets might produce unexpected, but amazing results. And the ability to go to a client with suggestions for new ways they can promote their brands and catch the eye of their end-customers can open up jobs and partnerships that the shop otherwise never could have won.

In the end, rigid materials offer a shop the opportunity to be creative. But while it can be a huge profit center for shops who take the time to learn how to work with these materials and get the best quality out of them, it’s not the type of printing that can be added to the mix without any training or testing. For those willing to put the work in on the front end, it can pay huge dividends on the back end.