"plastic" paper

I have been handed the task of producing two sets of boat switch panel labels. Easy enough but I'd prefer them to last more than 5 minutes.

I am hoping someone can suggest a plastic paper that I can use with my Epson R2880 pigment ink printer.

My first idea is to protect the surface from "natural errosion" by covering the surface with clear adhesive film.

Laminating kits are widely available. You will need to be careful not to get bubbles under the plastic lamination. This will cover your print on both sides and seal the edges.

I agree with the laminator idea.

A3 Laminator for 30 quid. A very useful thing to have in a cupboard.

I already have a laminator which I agree is a useful piece of kit. My problem is that these labels are tiny, only 40mm x 10mm, and need to look "professional". These are sailing school boats with paying students and I don't want snide comments about the switch panel labelling.

New switch panels were quoted at £400 each. They would have looked nice, but at that price it was a non starter. We have used DYMO labels for now, which is effective, but cheap looking.

I have a pack of ink jet transparent film which I might try. The labels are brown with white lettering on one boat and black with white lettering on the other. The transparent film will be clear where the lettering is, but I might be able to solve that with white paper behind, provided I seal it down to the surface properly. I could even print the film so that the plastic film itself protects the printed surface.

Heres an example, as I said, this is just 40mm x 10mm.

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Ah, in that case, self adhesive inkjetable vinyl.

Hank,

That seems the perfect answer. It's certainly worth a punt.

Thank you.

I did try the laminating process on photo prints to prevent fading. The loss of image quality was too much to be acceptable for pictures I care about.

But for switch panel labels it should do great. Actually, text printed with a B/W laser printer on common 80gr paper does gain in black depth and contrast after it has been laminated.

If you are going to print on photo paper, I suggest you choose a lower weight one for better glue wetting if using non-professional laminators. For my cheap machine, the 280g/m2 photo paper was definitely too heavy,

In your case, I would much sooner laminate (with hot-glued overhanging borders) then rely on open-edge cold adhesive film, prone to start peeling on the edges under use. On the other hand, the thickness of the laminated sandwich may yield a somewhat amateurish look when the laminated labels are finally taped on a nice instrument panel?

I have no experience with the inkjetable vinyl proposed by Hank.

Agedbriar,

I cannot use anything that is bigger than the actual label background. The 10mm by 40mm and 2mm radius corners are precise because thats the size and shape of the tiny insets of the existing panels. Laminating relies on a heat sealed plastic to plastic edge around the material it encapsulates for it's weatherproofing, which I cannot provide in this situation. I do use the laminator for a tidal atlas because the students can then use it on deck without worrying about sea spray or rain, but thats a rather different situation.

Having just spent two weeks completely rewiring two boats I want this to look nice as much for personal satisfaction as anything. The school is a non profit making trust, so money is tight and targeted at the important things (like safety) which is why I and another Instructor got lumbered with the work.

I think Hanks suggestion fits the bill perfectly. I imagine its very like the overhead projector film I've got, but with a white double-sided adhesive layer as a backing applied after printing.

You are right, without that plastic to plastic edge all round, laminating loses its main advantage, durability. (If at all feasible.)

I've done a little experimenting this morning and the labels print well on the overhead projector film. I reversed the image file before printing and it looks reasonable with the film giving the physical protection I need so the theory is workable. I imagine the product Hank offered uses a white double sided adhesive film on the back, I've got clear double sided but need to think about a lasting method of introducing a white background for the lettering.

The long term best answer for this problem is to have someone cut vinyl lettering for you. You can buy aluminum sheeting pretty cheaply and have them cut the letters in reverse so the shiny aluminum shows through. The vinyl is self adhesive and the outdoor life is approximately 5 years. This should cost you very little from a sign vendor.