Printing on RTape's EZ Erase

RTape’s EZ Erase™ is a metalized dry erase vinyl whiteboard film  perfect for commercial and home applications.  

Coated with a semi-permanent pressure sensitive acrylic adhesive,  EZ Erase™  is easy to apply on flat, dry surfaces and easy to remove. 

Designed for interior applications, EZ Erase™ may be written upon with recommended dry erase type markers, such as the Quartet brand of pens.


EZ Erase™ is also printable using ecosolvent, solvent, latex and UV inkjet printers, as well as solvent and UV screen print inks. In fact, EZ Erase™ works  with just about any type of digital printer and with any type of digital ink system EXCEPT water based inkjet inks. 

Before you start printing, make sure that you...

·      Thoroughly read the instructions that are included in each carton of EZ Erase™.

·     “Test, Don’t Guess”. Whether you are digitally printing or screen printing, before going into production, test and evaluate the compatibility of the ink and the film    

·   If you have any questions or need technical assistance, do not hesitate to call your distributor or call RTape direct. Our customer service and technical support personnel will make every effort to answer your questions quickly and efficiently. 

Tech Support Hotline: For emergency situations when you need an answer fast, we have even established a tech support hotline number. If you call and leave a message on this reply service,  messages received between the hours of 8:00 AM to 6:00 PM EST, are answered within an hour. In nearly all cases, our consultant, Butch “Superfrog” Anton, will personally return your call. Our TOLL FREE number: 855-786-3644.

 

Screen Printing. In addition to digital printing, you can also screen print on EZ Erase™ with either a solvent-based or UV-curable vinyl ink. Some of the inks that printers have used successfully with EZ Erase™ dry erase vinyl are:

                        3M 9700 UV inks

                        Nazdar 3500 UV inks

                        Sericol TMI II

                                                                                                                                                         

Printer Profile Settings. Print EZ Erase™ using a profile for White Intermediate High Gloss Vinyl at lower temperatures (35-40⁰C). Set­tings my vary from one printer to another and from one ink system to another.

Humidity and temperature control are critical! Make sure EZ Erase™ is at room temperature (70⁰F/21⁰C) prior to printing.

Colder ambient temperatures could extend ink curing time. Refer to ink manufacturer specifications.

Wiping down EZ Erase™ with a lightly moistened towel prior to printing helps remove dust and other contami­nants.

If you are printing with a solvent or ecosolvent inkjet printer,  NEVER print  edge-to-edge and NEVER cut into the printed image. To do so, will result in edge curl. ALWAYS allow at least a 1/4” (6mm) border around any printed image to minimize shrinkage. 

NOTE: Heavy concentrations of ink, especially ecosol­vent inks, will contribute to shrinking and edge curl of EZ Erase™. Control your ink densities.

IMPORTANT: Allow at least a 1/4” (6mm) border around any printed image to minimize shrinkage. You may need to increase the size of the border for images with heavy concentrations of ink. NEVER cut into the printed image.

If you need to print to the edge of the sheet, print with a UV inkjet  printer. 

Recommended for Writing on EZ Erase:

Chalk Ink 6mm Classic Wet Wipe Markers

● Waterbased pigment ink.

● Removes easily with ammonia based cleaner.

● Non-toxic; no harmful solvents such as xylene.

● Works on a wide range of non-porous surfaces.

Vinyl Application Videos

Squeegee Technique. Nothing is more basic in vinyl application than the squeegee. But some squeegees work better than others. And there are right ways and wrong ways to use this simple tool. This video clip reviews squeegee selection, squeegee care and squeegee technique. Click to Link

Wet Applications. Dry applications are typically recommended for most vinyl applications. For those exceptions to the rule, this instructional video explains the right way to perform a wet application. Click to Link

Application of Window Graphics. Installing vinyl graphics on glass can be challenging, because the adhesive aggressively grabs onto this high energy surface. Repositioning graphics on window is generally difficult, if not impossible. This instructional video explains how to dry apply window graphics right the first time. It also describes the necessary steps required for surface preparation. Click to Link

Transferring Frosted Window Graphics Films.  Because frosted window films are highly textured, transferring cut vinyl graphics can be problematic. This video provides direction in selection of the right application tape and how to apply these films quickly, easily and without problems. Click to Link

3-Step Surface Prep. This instructional video describes how to properly clean the surface of a vehicle before applying pressure sensitive vinyl graphics to a trailer or doing a full wrap of a car or van. This three step surface prep involves detergent washing, solvent cleaning and a final wipe down with IPA. Click to Link

Vinyl Application Over Rivets. Applying vinyl graphics on vehicle surfaces with rivets is challenging for most sign makers. Vinyl failures to these surfaces are all too common. This video demonstrates some tips and procedures, used by professional decal installers, which will make these demanding applications easier and more trouble-free.  Click to Link

Vinyl Application to Corrugations. Learn how to apply vinyl graphics to corrugations in a relaxed state. Forcing films into the valleys of corrugations puts too much mechanical stress on the film. Sooner or later, the vinyl will lift or tent in valleys. Click to Link

Applying Air Egress Vinyls. Vinyl films with air egress release liners have almost eliminated bubbles and wrinkles from applied graphics. Air egress release liners with their highly textured surface structure are problematic. Not much will stick to these liners other than the vinyl film. At RTape our best premask solution for air egress liners is a special Conform® tape called 4761RLA. Click to Link

About Jim Hingst: After fourteen years as Business Development Manager at RTape, Jim Hingst retired. He was involved in many facets of the company’s business, including marketing, sales, product development and technical service.

Hingst began his career 42 years ago in the graphic arts field creating and producing advertising and promotional materials for a large test equipment manufacturer.  Working for offset printers, large format screen printers, vinyl film manufacturers, and application tape companies, his experience included estimating, production planning, purchasing and production art, as well as sales and marketing. In his capacity as a salesman, Hingst was recognized with numerous sales achievement awards.

Drawing on his experience in production and as graphics installation subcontractor, Hingst provided the industry with practical advice, publishing more than 150 articles for  publications, such as  Signs Canada, SignCraft,  Signs of the Times, Screen Printing, Sign and Digital Graphics and  Sign Builder Illustrated. He also posted more than 325 stories on his blog (hingstssignpost.blogspot.com). In 2007 Hingst’s book, Vinyl Sign Techniques, was published.  Vinyl Sign Techniques is available at sign supply distributors and at Amazon. 

Slides of Jim's Artwork

© 2016 Jim Hingst