The Importance of Overlaminates

In the world of digital graphics, emphasis is often placed on selecting the correct media for each application type. Picking the right media can be crucial to meeting your customers’ expectations. Choosing to add an overlaminate is just as important. There are a number of reasons why using an overlaminate film is beneficial to a pressure-sensitive printed vinyl graphic.

What can an Overlaminate do for me?

1. Ease of Application – By adding a substrate laminate to your printed graphic, your graphic will be thicker and easier to handle. The added layer makes the original graphic more stable (and feel more repositionable) making it easier to reposition without distorting the image.
2. Abrasion Guard – Whether your graphic is being used on a fleet and subject to constant road wear or in a museum and subject to human traffic, adding a substrate laminate will protect your image from constant abrasion.
3. UV Stability – Many protective films are formulated to provide your printed graphic UV protection which will keep your image looking vibrant and clear for a longer period.
4. Gloss Level – By adding a substrate laminate to your printed graphic you can choose the gloss level of the final product. Arlon offers laminates in many finishes which include matte, satin, luster and high gloss.
5. Removal – By adding another layer of substrate to your graphic, the same thickness and stability that made the graphic easy to install will make removal much easier. The extra layer allows you to apply more heat and typically helps the removal to be cleaner leaving less adhesive behind.

Arlon’s protective films are all pressure-sensitive which means that heat is not necessary when applying them to printed substrates. In fact, using heat can cause the laminate to stretch a little during the application process causing edge curl later as it cools and tries to shrink back to its original size.

Arlon offers a comprehensive range of overlaminate products for different application purposes that deliver ease of application, extra graphic protection and a variety of different finishes to give your graphic an extra vibrancy.

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This video is also available in German and French.