In the wake of its recent acquisition of Saturn? brand banner materials, Avery Dennison's Graphics Division has added a low-cost liquid clearcoat it its DOL line of graphics protection films. Compared to Avery's DOL 2000 and 1000 series pressure-sensitive laminating films, which provide protection at $0.25 and $0.50 per square foot, Avery's DOL Liquid Laminate provide graphics protection for $0.11 per square foot. The clearcoat makes graphics printed with pigmented eco-solvent and solvent-based inks more resistant to scratches, abrasion, water damage, and chemicals. The clearcoat can be used with pigmented aqueous inks on certain types of water-resistant materials.
To give smaller sign shops an economical way of applying the clearcoat, Avery teamed up with Seal Graphics to develop a compact, easy-to-operate DOL Liquid Laminate Delivery System. Materials up to 54-in. wide are manually fed into the machine and then laid flat to dry. Clearcoated graphics should be dry to the touch in 15 minutes or less and fully cured in 24 hours. The device plugs into a standard 110V outlet and was designed for easy maintenance and for use by operators without any special training. (Avery Dennison: 800-443-9380, www:digital.averygraphics.com; Seal Graphics: www.sealgraphics.com)