What type of materials are best for what usage? This question is somewhat open ended, and could take volumes to fully answer. In lieu of taking the next 5 years of my life and giving a "full" answer, I will limit this post to an analysis of the two types of vinyl, cast and calendered. Even with this limitation, there are many different types of vinyl available for use. This discussion will hit on the pros and cons of cast and calendered vinyl, not the many choices available within each category. We will explore some of the different substrates that the vinyl can be installed on in a later column.
Cast vinyl is often referred to as high-performance and calendered vinyls are referred to as intermediate. Cast vinyls tend to be thinner, easier to work with around curves and indentations, more durable, comes in more colors and (you guessed it) costs more. These vinyls are generally used for vehicle wraps. Due to the way he cast vinyls are made, there is less tendency for the vinyl to want to change shape. This is due to the vinyl not being stretched during it's creation. It is cast in a relaxed state. The application for cast vinyl is: cars, trucks, buses boats and just about any other type of vehicle that has lots of complex curves, or rivets. Typically, cast vinyl will last 5-10 years.
Calendered vinyl has improved tremendously over the past 10 years. It is made by stretching the vinyl material into long thin rolls. Since the vinyl is stretched, it tends to want to revert back into it's unstretched state, although the newer types of calendered vinyl have limited this tendency. This doesn't mean that the vinyl signs you have are going to revert back into a blob, it just means that the material generally won't last as long as a cast vinyl. Calendered vinyl is ideal for many indoor and outdoor applications that don't require it to be stretched or wrapped around complex curves. Calendered vinyl now comes in many colors rivaling cast vinyl. Calendered vinyl signs typically last 1-5 years, and are less costly then using cast vinyl.
Front Range Vital Signs will analyze your signage needs, and recommend the ideal materials. We guarantee all of our workmanship. We know that by using the right materials for the job instead of trying to save a buck, we will have happier customer that develop a level of trust with us to steer them in the correct direction.
