General Hints & Tips
Here are few tips that may help regardless of media type or application. Beyond these general tips a series of
more specific suggestions are given for several of the key application categories.
PrePress • Include crop marks for trimming. Precondition the material in a controlled printer
environment for 24 hours prior to printing.
Lamination • Use only laminates approved for use with the base media and the application.
• For outdoor use, prints should be fully encapsulated with a 4-6mm sealed edge.
• Laminate papers at higher temperature and slower speed to ensure successful adhesion.
Trimming • ON-PRINTER: Trim with sharp razor or automatic cutter. Check knives to make sure
they’re sharp and properly adjusted to cut cleanly with minimal dust.
• OFF-PRINTER: Ensure images for encapsulation are individually pre-trimmed flush to the
edge of the required panel size prior to being laminated.
• OFF-LAMINATOR: Trim with sharp hand cutter or large format trimmer. Take
precautions to keep prints from slipping or falling to the floor, especially stacked.
Handling • PRINTS are easily damaged when handled improperly. If not laminated, avoid contact
with laser printer or photo-copier output. Use a slip-sheet when rolling several posters
together. Use low tack tape to secure the roll. Do not use rubber bands around an
unlaminated print.
Storage • MEDIA: Store material in all original packaging in a temperature and humidity controlled
room. Keep away from direct sunlight, external doorways and heating/air conditioning
vents. If rolls are stored vertically, use core hangers and keep rolls away from direct
contact with floor. Do not expose graphics to extreme temperatures.
Mounting • Mount graphics to a substrate e.g. foamboard. Clean and coat the substrate prior to
mounting the graphic, or apply an adhesive coating to the back of the laminated print.
• Use the overlap as a skew allowance. Mount a middle panel first to avoid a cumulative
skew effect on the entire image. Beginning on either end may result in a skew effect that
does not allow panels to match.
• Once mounted, the graphic is flipped face down and the excess image is trimmed to fit
the edges of the board.
Shipping • Use a tube whenever possible to ship rolled images. If shipping flat, sandwich posters
securely between rigid packaging.
• The corners of a Mounted Print are easily damaged if packaged improperly.
• Carriers may not handle boxes carefully, so take the time and expense before the job is
sent to the customer to prepare for any possible mishandling while en route.
Printing • Choose the appropriate "Print Mode" for the application and/or media.
• "Nest" images as groups based on similar finishing requirements.
• Use the media specific RIP curve available with your front-end software. If one is not
available, start with a profile setting for a similar media type as a base, and make
alterations to achieve acceptable output.
− DON’T COMPARE the image quality of one media to another.
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