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《亚洲标识》杂志

如何提高染印升华的渲染力

2018/5/31 14:48:54

摘要:

Most sign industry professionals are already familiar with screen printing and digital printing to some extent, but may not be fully up to speed on the ins and outs of the dye-sublimation printing process.


大多数标识行业的专业人员在一定程度上熟悉丝网印刷和数字印刷,但可能无法完全加速染印升华打印工艺的进行。


Dye-sublimation printing is unique not only because of the nature of the printing process—binding the image to the surface—but also due to the wide variety of substrates that can be used including fabrics, ceramics, metals and more. Another important point about sublimation is that this kind of printing can be used across other industries such as apparel or promotional markets.


染印升华打印的独特之处不仅在于打印过程的本质——将图像与表面结合,还在于可使用的基材种类较多,包括织物、陶瓷、金属等等。关于染印升华的另一个优势是,这种打印技术可以用于其他行业,如服装市场。


The difference with dye sublimation in the sign industry is that, “The apparel business requires more steps and more labor input to reach the final product and the promotional items are typically small items that fit in one hand. These two applications need a printer that is typically 50-inch max width,” explains Joe Garcia, managing director for the Americas, at StratoJet USA. “The sign business requires a width wide enough to fit the final sign, typically 60 inches or more. Also, in the sign business, the bottleneck is typically the printing speed; hence fast printers are paramount to the sign industry.”


StratoJet USA美洲地区的总经理Joe Garcia解释道: “与标识行业的染印升华不同之处在于,服装业务需要更多的步骤和更多的劳动力投入,才能完成最终产品,促销品通常是一方面的小件物品,一般需要宽度为50英寸的打印机。标识业务需要足够宽的宽度以适应最终标识的形成,通常需要尺寸为60英寸或更多尺寸的打印机。另外,在标识业务中,打印过程出现的瓶颈通常以速度这个因素为主,因此,快速打印对标识行业的业务至关重要。”


So, much like printing with other machines and techniques, speed is a must. But other factors come into play too such as types of ink, substrates, software and more. Maximizing all of these elements contributes to how a dye-sublimation print can succeed in the sign industry.


所以,就像使用机器类型和技术一样,速度也是关键因素,同时,其他因素也会起作用,例如墨水的类型、底材、软件等等。提高元素的质量,有助于染印升华打印在标识行业取得更高的地位。


For sign makers who are unfamiliar with or have just started in dye-sublimation printing, there are steps to take in order to build your business. One of the most obvious is to choose the right printer.


对于不熟悉或刚刚开始进行染印升华打印的标识制作人员来说,在建立业务上,需要采取一些步骤,其中最重要的一步是选择好合适的打印机。


The Printer


打印机


“First and foremost, print service providers should consider the printer they’ll be using for dye-sublimation applications,” explains Lily Hunter, product manager, textiles and consumables, Roland DGA. “It’s important to purchase a reliable, well-built sublimation printer, like a Roland Texart RT-640 or Texart XT-640.”


Roland DGA的产品经理Lily Hunter解释说:“首先,打印服务提供商应该考虑什么类型的设备适用于他们的应用,购买可靠、制造精良的升华打印机非常重要,例如像Roland Texart RT-640或Texart XT-640这样的设备。”

She says shop owners should investigate what is included in a printer purchase, and educate themselves about guarantees and printer support. “Be aware of any hidden costs, the manufacturer’s warranty and terms, the level of support you will receive, consumable costs, and other variables,” says Hunter.


Hunter表示:“制造商应该调查购买打印机的内容,并了解保修和打印机的支持选项,注意隐藏的成本,制造商的保修条款,消耗品成本和其他变量。”


Next, shop owners should anticipate what types of jobs they plan to tackle with their printers. This could have an impact on the size and cost of the printer selected.


另外,制造商应该预测他们计划用打印机处理哪些类型的工作,这将会涉及所选打印机的尺寸和成本。


“Sign makers need to assess what kinds of signs they want to offer,” notes Robin Kavanagh, public relations manager, Sawgrass Technology. “This will determine the size of printer and heat press they will need. For example, if they want to concentrate on nameplates, P.O.P. signs and other small signs, a desktop system will likely be enough. The investment would be between $600 and $2,500, depending on whether you need a heat press. I always recommend a 16" x 20" press for these systems, which provide prints up to 13" x 19". If you’re looking to make a high volume of signs, or larger signs, then you’ll need a larger roll-feed printer.”


Sawgrass Technology公关经理Robin Kavanagh指出:“标识制造商需要评估他们想要提供什么样的标识,这将决定他们将需要的打印机的尺寸。例如,如果他们想专注于铭牌、P.O.P. 标识和其他类型的小标识,桌面系统可能就足够了,投资将在600美元至2500美元之间,具体取决于是否需要热压机。我推荐这些系统使用16“x 20”尺寸的打印机,这种打印机可以提供高达13“x 19”尺寸的打印品。如果你想要制作更大规模的标牌,那么你需要一台更大的卷筒式打印机。”


The Substrate


基材


Along with assessing the type of job is choosing the appropriate substrate for the job. For some projects, it is fairly simple to determine which substrate to use; others may present a variety of options.


在评估工作类型的同时,要为工作选择适当的基质。对于某些项目来说,确定使用哪种衬底非常重要。


“It seems that the applications for sublimation are ever expanding beyond the traditional flag application of years past,” says Greg Lamb, CEO, Global Imaging. “The exhibit industry is dominated by fabric as there is no limit to the size and shapes that can be created. Another driver in the exhibit industry is that the lightweight nature of fabric really offers costs savings when it comes to drayage.”


全球影像公司首席执行官Greg Lamb说:“染印升华的应用程序已经超越了过去几年传统的标识应用程序。例如,展览业主要以织物为主,它们可以创造出任何尺寸和形状的标识,并且织物的轻质性确实可以节省成本。”


Hunter agrees that exhibit displays are common choices for dye sublimation printing. She also notes that “Flags, backlit signs, backdrops, table covers, tents—all of these are popular dye-sublimation applications within the sign industry. However, rigid signs, menu boards, flooring, and tables are some great examples of additional products that can also be sublimated.”


Hunter 指出:“标识、背光标志、背景桌面、帐篷,所有这些都是广受欢迎的染料升华应用范围。此外,刚性标牌、菜单板、地板图案这些也在这种应用的范围。”

It’s in the rigid substrate category where recent growth has occurred. Kavanagh points out that “Hard signage applications are often overlooked. Metal panels are now designed to withstand outdoor conditions and UV exposure, which makes hard signage applications more versatile than ever. Metal photo panels easily turn into static menus. Table tops, ceiling tiles and large floor mats can be sublimated into promotional signs. POP signage applications are endless, as are the opportunities to create every sign a customer needs. Directional signs, identification signs, decorative artwork, promotional signs, even name badges—the list goes on and on.”


Kavanagh指出:“硬标牌应用往往容易被忽视。金属面板的设计用于承受户外紫外线的照射,这使硬标牌的应用比以往更加灵活。桌面、天花板和大型地垫可升华为促销标识,POP标牌应用程序也能为客户需求的创造每一个机会。定向标识、识别标志、装饰标识、促销标识,这些应用在不断涌现,为染印升华拓展了更多的市场机遇。”


Ink and Software


墨水和软件


Many sign makers are already familiar with RIP software and the processes involved with bringing the design to the substrate. With sublimation, and an emphasis on heat and transfer, the operation is a little different than with traditional digital printing.


许多标识制作人员熟悉RIP软件,以及将设计带入基板的过程。但随着升华,以及对热量和转印的重视,这类操作与传统数码打印有一些区别。

 

 

 

 


“You will always want a heat press that is larger than the maximum dimensions of prints your printer can offer,” says Kavanagh. “One of the advantages of these systems is that they usually have eight-color capabilities. This enables you to use application-specific inks (photographic, fluorescent, etc.) and hit more colors than is possible through CMYK alone.”


Kavanagh说:“你总是会想要一台比印刷机可以提供更大尺寸的热压机,这些系统的通常具有八色功能,这使您可以使用特定应用的墨水,并且能生产出比CMYK模式更多的颜色。”


Expanding on the ink selection, Hunter explains that ,“While you’ll be using water-based dye-sublimation inks, know that not all inks are alike. Some inks cost less, but may not have high dye-content. If this is the case, you’ll need to use more ink to get the desired color vibrancy.  Roland’s specially formulated Texart SBL3 inks not only have high-dye content, they can be set up in a variety of ink configurations—2X CMYK, CMYKLcLmOrVi, CMYKOrViFyFp—to suit the user’s specific needs. Our dense black dye-sublimation ink has high opacity and provides rich colors and neutral grays.”

Hunter解释道:“虽然你使用的是水性染料升华油墨,但并不是所有的油墨都是相同的。 一些油墨成本较低,可能不具有高染料含量,在这种情况下,需要使用更多墨水才能获得所需的颜色鲜艳度。像Roland公司特殊配方的Texart SBL3油墨不仅具有高染料含量,而且可以设置为多种油墨配置(2X CMYK,CMYKLcLmOrVi,CMYKOrViFyFp),以满足用户的特定需求。而我们致密的黑色染料升华墨水具有高度不透明性,也能提供丰富的色彩和中性灰色。”


Then comes the decision in selecting the software. Kavanagh suggests “A high-quality ink manufacturer will provide all of the software you need to print your designs and get the right colors and quality when sublimated, though RIP software is recommended for mid-format printers, which can add some expense. There are many resellers out there who offer substrates and papers for various applications.”


在选择软件上,Kavanagh建议:“一家高质量的墨水制造商通常能提供打印设计所需的所有软件,并在染印升华时,可使我们获得正确的颜色和质量,有些制造商还为各种应用提供基材和纸张。不过像用于中幅打印机的RIP软件,会增加一些费用。”

Hunter points to a couple of software solutions with dye-sublimation jobs. “Two types of software will be needed for dye-sublimation applications—a design software and a RIP software,” she says. “Popular graphics design software includes offerings from Adobe and Corel. Once you have your graphics design, a good RIP software will translate the information accurately to the printer to ensure a high-quality imaging. Roland’s Texart dye-sub printers come bundled with the latest version of ErgoSoft Roland Edition software.”


Hunter指出了一些用于染印升华工作软件的解决方案。染印升华应用需要两种类型的软件 ,包括一种设计软件和一种RIP软件。现在流行的图形设计软件包括来自Adobe和Corel的产品。例如,Roland的Texart染印打印机与最新版本的ErgoSoft Roland Edition软件捆绑在一起,一旦你有了图形设计,RIP软件就能将把信息准确地转换到打印机上,以确保高质量的成像。”


The Finishing


整理


When working with fabrics or soft materials, there is a finishing process that should not be overlooked. “Automation in cutting is an important consideration,” says Lamb. “The fabric printers that we currently represent, produce fabric at speeds of 1,000 to 1,600 square feet per hour. Hand cutting or heat knifing while trying to keep up with those speeds is impossible without dedicating a significant labor pool to that single job. In general, knit fabrics are cut beautifully with a driven rotary tool while woven are typically heat sealed with a laser. As a Zünd partner, our platform offers both solutions while adding the benefits of stress-free fabric feeding to the cutting area which eliminates mistakes in cutting due to potential stretch and mis-registration.”


使用织物或软材料时,有一个不应忽视的整理过程,切割中的自动化步骤是一个重要的考虑因素。 Lamb说:“目前,我们的织物印花机生产织物的速度为每小时1,000至1,600平方英尺,如果没有为这项单一工作投入大量的劳动力,手工切割或热切割就不可能跟上这些速度。 一般来说,针织面料是用一个从动旋转工具精美剪裁的,而织物通常是用激光热封的。作为Zünd的合作伙伴,我们的平台提供了两种解决方案,同时在切割区域增加了无压力织物喂入的好处,消除了潜在拉伸和错位导致的切割错误。”


Hunter agrees that shop owners should probably consider the purchase of a cutter to add to their dye-sublimation operation.


Hunter同意购买切割机,以提高染印升华渲染力的建议。

“Some companies start off small, using rotary blades or heat blades to manually cut their fabrics,” she explains. “Heat blades are used primarily with woven fabrics for sealing the edges to prevent frays. Knit fabrics do not fray, so rotary blades work well on those types of materials.  Other materials used for dye-sublimation applications include polyester fabrics, polyester-coated fabrics and polyester-coated rigid substrates. As the business grows, the print service provider should consider investing in a quality flatbed cutter.”


她解释说:“有些较小的公司刚起步,只能使用旋转刀片或加热刀
片来手动切割织物。加热刀片主要用于机织织物的密封边缘,以防止产生碎片。由于织物不会磨损,旋转刀片在这些类型的材料上能很好的运作。而其他用于染印升华应用的材料还包括聚酯织物聚酯涂层织物和聚酯涂层硬质基材。随着业务的增长,打印服务提供商应该额外考虑投资平板切割机。”


Once the cutting is completed, the job is finished by sewing the edges.


切割完成后,需要通过缝制边缘完成作业。


“Almost all of our customers have invested in a synchronized sewing machine from Impulsa,” says Lamb. “It uses a conveyor to transport the fabric to the sewing head at the same speed as the needle is stitching. In addition to this feature, is synchronized feeding of the silicon edging, webbing or Velcro, allowing for better seam quality and faster production.”


Lamb:“几乎我们所有的客户都投资了Impulsa的同步缝纫机,这种设备使用传送带将织物以针缝合的相同速度运送到缝纫头。除了这个功能外,它还可同步供应硅边、织带或尼龙搭扣,从而实现更好的接缝质量和更快的生产。”


Direct vs. Transfer


直接与转印


Even within the niche dye-sublimation printing process there are options to attain the final outcome. The finished dye-sublimation product you see at a tradeshow, on a point-of-purchase display, or elsewhere has either been printed directly or transferred using the appropriate media.


即使在小众化的染印升华过程中,也可以选择获得最终结果。贸易展会,购买点展示现场,或其他地方看到的染印升华产品可以直接打印或使用适当的介质进行转印。


“The dye-sublimation printing process is really no different within the sign industry than any other industry,” says Hunter. “Typically, the transfer sublimation process involves first reverse-printing onto transfer paper with a wide-format dye-sublimation inkjet printer. A heat press is then used to transfer the image from the paper to the substrate. The type of heat press you use—a calender heat press or a flatbed heat press—will depend upon the product you’ll be making (i.e. rigid signage or soft signage).”


Hunter说:“标识行业的染印升华工艺与其他行业的没有区别。通常,转印升华过程首先需要使用宽幅面热升华喷墨打印机在转印纸上进行反转打印,然后使用热压将图像从纸张转印到基材上,你使用的热压机类型,压光机热压机或平板热压机,将取决于你制作的产品(即硬标牌或软标牌)。”

The advantages to transferring, according to Garcia, is “typically lower cost equipment; however, you need to buy extra consumables such as transfer paper.”


根据Garcia的说法,转印通常适合成本较低的设备,但是,转印需要购买额外的耗材,如转印纸。

Direct printing is a completely different process and occurs when “fabric is fed through the printer and the sublimation inks are printed directly onto the fabric,” explains Hunter. “Sign makers should be aware that, regardless of whether transfer or direct dye-sublimation is being used, they will still need to ‘fix’ the inks onto the substrate at the heat press. Traditionally, soft signage that requires heavy saturation, such as flags, are produced using the direct printing method.”


Hunter解释说:“直接打印是一个完全不同的过程,当织物通过打印机进行打印,升华墨水直接打印到织物上。标识制造商应该意识到,无论是使用转印还是直接使用染印升华,他们仍然需要在热压机上将墨水固定在基材上。传统上,使用直接打印方法生产需要较高饱和度的软标牌,例如旗帜。”


There are certainly benefits and drawbacks to direct print
ing as well. Garcia says there is “Less human handling, hence faster outcome and fewer chances to making mistakes.”


Garcia说,“直接打印使用的人力少,出错的机会更少,因此制作的效率会更快。”


On the other hand, Kavanagh points to the newness of this technology to highlight its limitations.


另一方面,Kavanagh指出这项技术的新颖之处在于强调了局限性。


“Currently, the direct-printing process can only be used with fabrics and fixation takes place in a wide format calendar press,” she says. “The dyes are applied directly to the fabric and penetrate further, which can result in some blurring and lighter coloration.”


她说:“目前,直接印花工艺只能用于宽幅平版印花机上的织物和定影。染料直接涂在织物上,并进一步穿透,这会导致一些模糊和较淡的着色。”


Sign makers will likely have their own perceptions and comfort level with these processes. And again, the nature of the job may dictate which method is best suited. For instance, fabric projects are a natural fit for direct printing.


标识制造商可能会对这些流程有自己的看法,加上工作的性质决定哪种方法最适合他们的工作模式。例如,面料项目非常适合直接打印。


“We believe the most productive method of printing is direct to fabric with an inline calendar," says Lamb. "It offers fast finished productivity and a lower cost of production due to decreased labor and the elimination of transfer paper. As an example, if you consider the methods of transfer versus direct at a speed of 1,000 square feet per hour, the inline system offers finished goods at that print speed.”


Lamb说:“我们相信最具生产力的打印方法是直接用于带有内联的织物,由于劳动力减少和转印纸的消除,它能提供快速的成品生产率和较低的生产成本。如果你考虑以每小时1000平方英尺的速度进行传输,则内联系统会以该打印速度提供成品。”


“Transfer sublimation,” Kavanagh counters, “offers much more flexibility for sign makers, as they can use small systems and create transfers for many other types of substrates in addition to polyester fabric.”


Kavanagh指出:“转印升华为标识制造商提供了更大的灵活性,因为它们可以使用小型系统,并为涤纶织物以外的许多其他类型的基材创造转印效果。”


Today and Tomorrow


今天和明天


Looking ahead, there undoubtedly remains a fit for dye-sublimation in the signage world. Many argue that some of the current applications can still be expanded to include sublimation printing. Point of purchase is one of those areas.


展望未来,毫无疑问,染印升华仍然适用于标识行业。许多人认为,目前的一些应用程序仍然可以扩展,包括升华打印。


“The retail point of purchase space is seeing wide adoption with the advent of SEG (silicon edge graphics) framing for both backlit and front lit applications,” explains Lamb. “Fabric eliminates many of the issues associated with traditional vinyl applications such as installation, glare and higher freight costs. Consider Apple and H&M stores which are full of fabric. Most airports also now take advantage of fabric in SEG frames for their advertising needs.”


Lamb解释说:“随着SEG(硅边缘图形)框架的出现,背光和前照灯应用的购买空间被广泛采用。面料消除了与许多传统乙烯基应用相关的问题,例如安装、眩光,以及更高的运输成本问题。像苹果、H&M商店、大多数机场现在也在利用SEG框架中的面料满足他们的广告需求。”


“I think a lot of people do not think of creating murals with sublimation, but this is a great application for the sign maker,” says Kavanagh. “Our trade show booths often consist of large ChromaLuxe panel murals, and many sign makers have found applications for murals with their clients. Another great application is turning tabletops into signs. Unisub offers a few different table top shapes that you can sublimate onto, making them a blank canvas for adding signage to a business or public areas.”


Kavanagh说:“我认为很多人都没有想到通过染印升华来制作壁画,但这对于标识制造商来说是一个很好的应用,我们的贸易展台通常由大型ChromaLuxe壁画组成,许多标识制造商已经为他们的客户找到了壁画应用。另一个好的应用是将桌面变成标识,Unisub提供了几种不同的桌面形状,可以通过染印升华的方式使它们成为商业或公共区域的标牌。”


Overall, “The popularity of dye-sublimation for producing signage/displays has grown tremendously over the last few years,” says Hunter, “and we expect to see continued growth in the near future. Sales of Roland’s Texart dye-sublimation printers and SBL3 sublimation inks have also increased with this growing consumer demand. The applications for dye-sub are virtually endless, and they go way beyond textiles.”


Hunter说:“总体而言,从过去几年来看,用于制作标识或显示屏的染印升华的普及度大幅增长,我们预计,在不久的将来会持续增长。随着消费者需求的不断增长,Roland的Texart染料热升华打印机和SBL3升华墨水的销售也有所增加。实际上,染印升华的应用是无止境的,它们超越了纺织品印刷。”


Kavanagh agrees, and adds that “The market demand for sublimated signage is growing, as our society becomes more and more oriented to visual messaging. Dye sublimation is a natural fit in the signage market because of its ability to deliver high-resolution ../images, custom graphics and photos.”


Kavanagh对此表示赞同,并补充说:“随着我们的社会越来越注重视觉所呈现的信息,市场对染印升华的需求正在增长。由于这种打印技术能够提供高分辨率图像,在标识行业中非常受欢迎。”


Garcia forecasts that “Due to the versatility of sign applications and the luxury feel and look of soft signage signs, there will be continual growth of dye sublimation signage during 2018  and beyond.”


Garcia预测:“由于标识应用的多功能性,以及软标牌的奢华感外观,在2018年以后,市场对染印升华的需求将持续增长。”


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