Vinyl Backing Tutorial

Vinyl Backed Graphics

For quite some time now, I've been using a technique I call "Vinyl backed graphics" to produce very resilient graphics for my various projects. Unlike traditional print operations, which can often be ruined over the years from repeated handling, vinyl backed graphics are completely impervious to moisture, touch, even water.

The technique I use to do my graphics has evolved over time, and has taken a lot of trail and error. I've put together this tutorial to share my method with anyone who is interested in making high quality, damage proof graphics.

There are some disadvantages to this process. The process is highly error prone and time consuming. Because there are so many steps in the process, there's plenty of opportunities to screw things up. When you make an error, the entire thing is ruined and you have to start all over again. Also, the process does not work well with some printers. Some inks that are kicked out by some printers may not completely dry when put onto certain brands of transparency paper. This is particularly true for big blocks of black. The black tends to bleed into adjacent colors over time. I believe this to be a result of the interaction of the printer ink and the vinyl adhesive. Be sure to experiment with different printers and transparency paper.

These are the raw graphics, printed on transparency film. They are printed in reverse. What does this mean? I'll explain. There are two surfaces on the transparency film. One side is sticky, and has a mild texture to it. This is the side that the printer actually prints on. The other side is smooth, and is not sticky. This is the "face" side, and this is the side that you want exposed to the users. That way, they can put their hands all over it and not mess up the ink underneath. So, when I say the graphics are printed in reverse, I mean that when the printer spits out the finished transparency film, the graphics are reversed on the "sticky" side. When you flip them over and look at the smooth side, they appear normal, ie, not reversed.
The vinyl gets applied to the sticky side of the transparency film.

This is a roll of uncut vinyl. It's about 15" wide, and many yards long. You can acquire this from your local sign making shop. Check your yellow pages under "signs". You can also look online for "Signmakers vinyl". There are many different companies offering this as a product. You will get slightly different results from each vinyl. When in doubt, spend the money and get the good stuff. It will last longer, be higher quality, and be easier to manage.

Here I'm using a ruler to measure out 12 inch pieces of vinyl. I am going to be working with a transparency that in 8.5" by 11", but I want some wiggle room, so I measure to 12 inches.

I now cut that 12" piece in half, giving me a piece that is 12" by 7.5". I lose a bit on the margins of the transparency, but a little care and attention will fix that later.

Here's the piece of vinyl I'll be working with. It has two surfaces: Shiny side and Dull side. The dull side is actually the backing of the vinyl, and will be removed before the end of the process. The Shiny side is the non-sticky side of the vinyl itself.
The next CRITICAL step in the process is to apply transfer tape to the shiny side of the vinyl. What's transfer tape? it's basically a super wide roll of masking tape. In this case, I'll be using a roll of transfer tape that is 12" wide. Transfer tape is very important for two reasons. First, it makes the vinyl much easier to handle. When removing the backing from the vinyl, it's very easy to screw things up if you're not using transfer tape. Second, it reduces stretching of the vinyl. When you apply the vinyl to your graphics, you end up tightening the vinyl to make sure it goes down evenly. By tightening it, it's easy to introduce some stretch. The problem with this is that the vinyl will eventually stretch back to it's original size. This could happen weeks later, after you have trimmed down your graphics.

To make adhering the transfer tape easier, I'm going to tape my piece of vinyl down to my workbench. I do this using a thin strip of masking tape. I only want a little tiny sliver of masking tape on my vinyl. I only need it to stay in place.

Get your roll of transfer tape ready.

Here I'm positioning the transfer tape. I like to adhere the edge of the transfer tape to the counter top, to help me get it aligned properly.

Unroll the transfer tape so that you have enough out to cover your entire sheet of vinyl. Don't let the transfer tape touch the vinyl!

Using a spackle blade, press it down right on the edge of the table where the tape adheres to the table. This is your starting point. Angle the blade at about a 45 degree angle towards the roll, and start pressing the blade towards the roll. Do not lift the blade up.

The tool applies pressure evenly across the surface of the vinyl, making as few bubbles as possible.
Note: Bubbles and creases in the transfer tape are bad! If you get either of these, throw it out, and start again.

Cut off the roll of transfer tape, and use a rubber roller to work out some of the smaller bubbles. By applying firm pressure, you also ensure that the transfer tape has a good hold on the vinyl.

Here's my piece of vinyl with the transfer tape attached. I have trimmed the edges of the transfer tape.

I mark a point half way in the middle of the vinyl, and use a t-square to cut it into 2 same sized smaller pieces.

I then cut it in half lengthwise. This makes it even easier to handle, and makes the entire process less error prone.

To make this easier on myself, I cut my print out in half. I always prefer to work with a smaller transparency, as things are less likely to go wrong.

Secure the transparency to the work bench. I only secure it at the bottom, but you could also do it at the top, on the sides, wherever.

Place the vinyl over the graphics in the location that you want to adhere them. The vinyl should be transfer tape side up. Secure the vinyl to the workbench using masking tape. ONLY secure it in one location, such as the bottom. This creates a hinge that you are about to use to attach the vinyl. By taping the vinyl in place, you guarantee that your vinyl will end up in the exact location that you want it to go.

Now take advantage of that hinge by flipping the vinyl back to reveal your artwork.

Use a low tack cloth to remove dust and debris from your transparencies. Any dust, hair, or whatever that you don't clean off will end up trapped between the vinyl and your graphics, and will be visible to the user. It will also create air bubbles, and can cause problems later.

You're now ready to actually apply the vinyl. Peel off the backing. Be sure not to touch the vinyl, or let anything fall onto it. If the vinyl gets stuck to itself, you're hosed. Throw it away and start again. Don't try to un-stick the vinyl from itself if you make this error. You will stretch the vinyl, layer the adhesive, and make a mockery out of the entire process!!!!!

With the backing peeled off, hold the vinyl over the artwork, but do not let it touch. This gets it into position for the final application.

Use the same proceedure that was used when applying the transfer tape. Start with the spackle blade at the bottom of the artwork, held at about a 45 degree angle, and work your way upwards away from yourself.

Here I've reached the top of my vinyl.

Now I remove the transfer tape.

I roll over the graphics with my rubber roller a few times using heavy pressure. This helps eliminate many bubbles, and tends to work the vinyl into the transparency better.

Peel the entire thing off the table, and flip it over to reveal your graphics.

After cutting the graphics, I go on a "bubble hunt". The rubber roller is not always 100% effective. The process often leaves behind little white marks on the graphics where the vinyl has not completely made contact with the transparency film. I fix this with my thumb nail. I press down on the white spots and rub until they disappear.

Et Voila! All done.

	These are the raw graphics, printed on transparency film. They are printed in reverse. What does this mean? I'll explain. There are two surfaces on the transparency film. One side is sticky, and has a mild texture to it. This is the side that the printer actually prints on. The other side is smooth, and is not sticky. This is the "face" side, and this is the side that you want exposed to the users. That way, they can put their hands all over it and not mess up the ink underneath. So, when I say the graphics are printed in reverse, I mean that when the printer spits out the finished transparency film, the graphics are reversed on the "sticky" side. When you flip them over and look at the smooth side, they appear normal, ie, not reversed. The vinyl gets applied to the sticky side of the transparency film.
	This is a roll of uncut vinyl. It's about 15" wide, and many yards long. You can acquire this from your local sign making shop. Check your yellow pages under "signs". You can also look online for "Signmakers vinyl". There are many different companies offering this as a product. You will get slightly different results from each vinyl. When in doubt, spend the money and get the good stuff. It will last longer, be higher quality, and be easier to manage.
	Here I'm using a ruler to measure out 12 inch pieces of vinyl. I am going to be working with a transparency that in 8.5" by 11", but I want some wiggle room, so I measure to 12 inches.
	I now cut that 12" piece in half, giving me a piece that is 12" by 7.5". I lose a bit on the margins of the transparency, but a little care and attention will fix that later.
	Here's the piece of vinyl I'll be working with. It has two surfaces: Shiny side and Dull side. The dull side is actually the backing of the vinyl, and will be removed before the end of the process. The Shiny side is the non-sticky side of the vinyl itself. The next CRITICAL step in the process is to apply transfer tape to the shiny side of the vinyl. What's transfer tape? it's basically a super wide roll of masking tape. In this case, I'll be using a roll of transfer tape that is 12" wide. Transfer tape is very important for two reasons. First, it makes the vinyl much easier to handle. When removing the backing from the vinyl, it's very easy to screw things up if you're not using transfer tape. Second, it reduces stretching of the vinyl. When you apply the vinyl to your graphics, you end up tightening the vinyl to make sure it goes down evenly. By tightening it, it's easy to introduce some stretch. The problem with this is that the vinyl will eventually stretch back to it's original size. This could happen weeks later, after you have trimmed down your graphics.
	To make adhering the transfer tape easier, I'm going to tape my piece of vinyl down to my workbench. I do this using a thin strip of masking tape. I only want a little tiny sliver of masking tape on my vinyl. I only need it to stay in place.
	Get your roll of transfer tape ready.
	Here I'm positioning the transfer tape. I like to adhere the edge of the transfer tape to the counter top, to help me get it aligned properly.
	Unroll the transfer tape so that you have enough out to cover your entire sheet of vinyl. Don't let the transfer tape touch the vinyl!
	Using a spackle blade, press it down right on the edge of the table where the tape adheres to the table. This is your starting point. Angle the blade at about a 45 degree angle towards the roll, and start pressing the blade towards the roll. Do not lift the blade up.
	The tool applies pressure evenly across the surface of the vinyl, making as few bubbles as possible. Note: Bubbles and creases in the transfer tape are bad! If you get either of these, throw it out, and start again.
	Cut off the roll of transfer tape, and use a rubber roller to work out some of the smaller bubbles. By applying firm pressure, you also ensure that the transfer tape has a good hold on the vinyl.
	Here's my piece of vinyl with the transfer tape attached. I have trimmed the edges of the transfer tape.
	I mark a point half way in the middle of the vinyl, and use a t-square to cut it into 2 same sized smaller pieces.
	I then cut it in half lengthwise. This makes it even easier to handle, and makes the entire process less error prone.
	To make this easier on myself, I cut my print out in half. I always prefer to work with a smaller transparency, as things are less likely to go wrong.
	Secure the transparency to the work bench. I only secure it at the bottom, but you could also do it at the top, on the sides, wherever.
	Place the vinyl over the graphics in the location that you want to adhere them. The vinyl should be transfer tape side up. Secure the vinyl to the workbench using masking tape. ONLY secure it in one location, such as the bottom. This creates a hinge that you are about to use to attach the vinyl. By taping the vinyl in place, you guarantee that your vinyl will end up in the exact location that you want it to go.
	Now take advantage of that hinge by flipping the vinyl back to reveal your artwork.
	Use a low tack cloth to remove dust and debris from your transparencies. Any dust, hair, or whatever that you don't clean off will end up trapped between the vinyl and your graphics, and will be visible to the user. It will also create air bubbles, and can cause problems later.
	You're now ready to actually apply the vinyl. Peel off the backing. Be sure not to touch the vinyl, or let anything fall onto it. If the vinyl gets stuck to itself, you're hosed. Throw it away and start again. Don't try to un-stick the vinyl from itself if you make this error. You will stretch the vinyl, layer the adhesive, and make a mockery out of the entire process!!!!!
	With the backing peeled off, hold the vinyl over the artwork, but do not let it touch. This gets it into position for the final application.
	Use the same proceedure that was used when applying the transfer tape. Start with the spackle blade at the bottom of the artwork, held at about a 45 degree angle, and work your way upwards away from yourself.
	Here I've reached the top of my vinyl.
	Now I remove the transfer tape.
	I roll over the graphics with my rubber roller a few times using heavy pressure. This helps eliminate many bubbles, and tends to work the vinyl into the transparency better.
	Peel the entire thing off the table, and flip it over to reveal your graphics.
	After cutting the graphics, I go on a "bubble hunt". The rubber roller is not always 100% effective. The process often leaves behind little white marks on the graphics where the vinyl has not completely made contact with the transparency film. I fix this with my thumb nail. I press down on the white spots and rub until they disappear.
	Et Voila! All done.