Aftercare for Graphics

To get the most from your printed graphics and to ensure they fulfil their maximum life expectancy, follow these instructions. It will save you time, money and aggravation in the future as we cannot accept responsibility for damaged graphics which have been badly handled.

1. ALWAYS ROLL LAMINATED FLEXIBLE GRAPHICS WITH THE PRINT ON THE OUTSIDE! Why? Rolling graphics with the print on the inside can stretch the laminate away from the printed layer, causing bubbling and eventual de-lamination. It is especially important to follow this procedure for pop-up graphics and designer stand graphics which have mag-tape applied to the back, as rolling them with the mag-tape on the outside can cause the mag-tape and hangers to peel away from the graphic.
2. ALWAYS ROLL POP-UP GRAPHICS INDIVIDUALLY AND PLACE IN THE CASE ONE BY ONE! Why? If you try to roll them all up together, they will be (a) more difficult to place in and get out of the case, increasing the likelihood of you dropping them and (b) the inside graphics will be more curled than the outside ones so may not hang as well.
3. STORE FLEXIBLE GRAPHICS FLAT WHEREVER POSSIBLE TO AVOID PERMANENT CURLING! Pop-up drums are fine as they are designed to allow the graphics to sit very loosely rolled on their ends.
4. PROTECT EDGES AND CORNERS OF RIGID GRAPHICS! Some lightweight display boards, such as Kapa, are easily dented, so use corner protectors when in transit.
   
5. MAKE SURE YOU PURCHASE THE RIGHT GRAPHICS FOR THE ENVIRONMENT! Lamination alone does not make graphics waterproof. If you are planning to use your graphics outdoors, make sure you choose a waterproof print surface such as vinyl or self-adhesive vinyl, mounted on a non-porous materials such as foamex, or have paper prints encapsulated.
   
6. HANDLE GRAPHICS WITH CLEAN HANDS! Grubby graphics will never look the same again. In certain circumstances, lighter fluid or glass cleaner can be applied to laminated graphics to remove any greasy finger marks, but this will not be suitable for un-sealed prints. Apologies if this advice seems a little obvious, but when you’ve been in the business as long as we have you make no assumptions!