SIGNS & MORE, INC. BLOG - Sign, Banner & Vehicle Graphics Facts & Information

You need a sign or banner that will be (FULL-COLOR) digitally printed.

Full-Color Street Banner - Up for 4 years thru Tornado

It will be outdoors for a long period of time.  (1 month or more)

You need it to be legible, clear and not fade for the lifetime of the sign. 

One question you should be asking your sign company is “What kind of ink do you use?”  

At Signs & More we use eco-solvent ink. 

What is “eco-solvent ink?” you ask…

Webster’s New World College Dictionary defines solvent as "a substance, usually a liquid, which dissolves another substance." This can describe any liquid – including water. But in the inkjet world, the term is used to describe any ink that is not water-based. On top of this, the terms the industry uses to describe inks include soft, mild, safe and green, as well as hard, real, true and strong.

One of the more intriguing ink types used is eco-solvent ink. To most people, "eco" means ecological. But these inks generally contain glycol esters or glycol ether esters – both derived from mineral oil – hardly a renewable resource or an ecologically sound process. Perhaps the terms mild and aggressive might best be suited to describe the two groups that include solvent ink.  The fumes from solvent ink need to be vented from the printer and eco-solvent ink fumes do not.  That is the big difference.

The vast majority of images for outdoor display are printed on nonabsorbent, uncoated materials, such as self-adhesive vinyl and scrim banner. The resulting print has to be weatherproof, fade-proof and largely scratch-resistant. In order to meet these performance criteria, the inks use a colorant in the form of a pigment – a very fine powder – and as the media is nonabsorbent, a resin or glue literally is used to stick the pigment onto the surface.

"Toaster Cover" Banner - Temporarily Over Pylon Sign

We recently attended an event at a high school that had sponsorship banners hanging on their fence.  These banners were faded to the point that they could not be read from even a short distance AND it wasn’t even the end of the 4 month season for the sport that was being sponsored!  The sign company that made those banners definitely was NOT using an eco-solvent ink resulting in a disappointment, we’re certain, for the customer. 

Call us at Signs & More for more information on eco-solvent ink.