ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
*****************************************************************************

Allan,

In my experience, inks are generally scratch resistant, (unless you are
really going to attack it with scissors etc) and UV resistant with direct to
substrate printing.

For us, it has offered cost benefits with graphics that need to be mounted
onto a fabricated 'backboard' which we would normally produce in-house. The
quality is variable depending on the type of printer. Get samples!

Some options from my limited experience:

- printing onto aluminium composite sheet (sandwich of aluminium with a
plastic core). Strong, durable, light and easily fabricated; possibly a good
option for large prints.
- foam PVC (foamex) - Light, inexpensive, good substrate to print on.
- printing onto the reverse of acrylic

Bear in mind that inks 'key' better to some materials than others. Foamex
and ali composite are particularly good as they are industry standards.
Also, some flatbed print white but others don't so if your substrate is not
white (eg wood), this will obviously affect the final print.

All the best,

Jenny Man

Graphic Designer
Science Projects
20 St James Street
Hammersmith
London
W6 9RW
t: +44 (0)20 8741 2305
f: +44 (0)20 8741 2307

http://www.science-projects.org
http://www.the-observatory.org



On 12/2/09 01:24, "Paul Orselli" <[log in to unmask]> wrote:

> ISEN-ASTC-L is a service of the Association of Science-Technology Centers
> Incorporated, a worldwide network of science museums and related institutions.
> *****************************************************************************
> 
> Hi Allan,
> 
> A recent children's art museum exhibition I designed and developed afforded
> me the opportunity to use "direct to substrate" printing on pieces for
> hand-on interactives and wall-mounted graphics.  I deliberately tried
> different types and thicknesses of MDO, Sintra, Foamboard, and Gatorboard.
> 
> You can see images via my Flickr page: <
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/paul_orselli_workshop/sets/72157607497981599/>
> 
> The short story is, I'm sold!  The quality is great and it holds up to many,
> many hands.
> 
> In addition, there are more and more "green" substrate options available,
> and overall, the entire "direct to substrate" process is greener than many
> other printing options.
> 
> Of course, much of this depends on the printer you work with!
> 
> Feel free to contact me off-list if you have additional questions.
> 
> 
> --------------------------------------------------
> 
> Paul Orselli, President and Chief Instigator
> 
> Paul Orselli Workshop (POW!)
> 1684 Victoria Street
> Baldwin, NY  11510
> 
> FREE museum exhibit design resources:
> <http://www.orselli.net>
> 
> (516) 223-1043  voice
> (516) 238-2797  mobile
> 
> Exhibit tips, tricks, and news at the ExhibiTricks blog!
> <http://blog.orselli.net>
> 
> 
> On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 1:07 PM, Allan Ayres <[log in to unmask]> wrote:
> 
>> 
>> 
>> *****************************************************************************
>> We're curious if anyone's had experience or can comment on the state of the
>> art in large format printing lately.  We're going to be getting some medium
>> to large (i.e. room-sized) photo murals  and some contour-cut stuff done in
>> the next few months (all of which will end up within reach of the public on
>> the museum floor), so we're trying to get educated on the current state of
>> the printing world.
>> 
>> 
>> 
> 
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> 
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Science Projects
20 St James Street
Hammersmith
London
W6 9RW
t: +44 (0)20 8741 2305
f: +44 (0)20 8741 2307

http://www.science-projects.org
http://www.the-observatory.org
http://www.inspirediscoverycentre.org


Science Projects Ltd. is a company limited by guarantee registered in
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office address is 20 St James Street, Hammersmith, London W6 9RW.

***********************************************************************
For information about the Association of Science-Technology Centers and the Informal Science Education Network please visit www.astc.org.

Check out the latest case studies and reviews on ExhibitFiles at www.exhibitfiles.org.

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