Rigid boards cover a lot of work: photographs mounted to aluminium composite for galleries and offices, foam board point-of-sale, estate agent and property signs, exhibition panels, wayfinding and direct-to-board UV prints on acrylic, PVC foam or wood. Once a print is on a board, it is usually displayed without glass, which makes the surface the first line of defence.
Two routes to a protected board
Coat the print, then mount it
For roll-printed media that will be mounted, coating before mounting is often simplest. The print is handled flat, can be coated with a liquid lamination machine, and is then mounted once the coating is fully dry. Check that your mounting adhesive bonds well to the back of the print and that the coated face is not marked by the mounting process.
Mount the print, then coat it
For direct-to-board UV prints, or where you want the coating to seal the print right to the board edge, coat the board itself. A flatbed laminator such as the Kala Applikator is designed for exactly this kind of rigid work and helps achieve an even result across the panel. See our equipment page.
What a coating adds
Colourjet gives mounted prints resistance to water, chemicals and abrasion, so boards can be wiped clean, and its integrated UV inhibitors help where panels hang in bright rooms or near windows. It can also unify the finish across a set of panels printed on slightly different media.
Board-specific considerations
- Foam boards. Some foam cores and their facings can be attacked by solvents. Keep coating off exposed foam edges and test on an offcut.
- Plastics such as acrylic and PVC foam. Some plastics are sensitive to solvents and can craze or cloud. Test on the bare material as well as the print.
- Aluminium composite. Usually a stable base. The main check is adhesion of the coating to the print, and to any exposed painted surface.
- Wood and natural materials. Absorbency varies, so the coating may soak in unevenly.
Before coating
- Make sure solvent and latex prints have dried and outgassed fully, and UV prints are completely cured.
- Remove dust with a suitable cloth. Static on plastic boards attracts it.
- Protect the board back and edges if they must stay uncoated.
If you are coating boards regularly or thinking about a flatbed laminator, give us a ring on 01252 624 411. We are also happy to coat a sample board so you can judge the finish.