Wall Stickers/transfers: raw materials for the cutter/plotter?

#1

Aim: To cover about 45m2 of wall space with custom graphics!

Question: Does anyone have a suitable source for the raw materials?

Keywords: transfers, wall stickers, removable, (Con-Tact® Brand Self-Adhesive Creative Covering)

Method: The designs are in vector graphics, including pandas and owl’s faces, ferns and so forth. Bright, lively, solid colours

Cut on the cutter/plotter

The zebra is made from individual stripes, rather than a solid background colour with stripes over the top

Does anyone have a source for a roll or two?

Thank you!!!

#2

I’ve always used http://mdpsupplies.co.uk

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#3

Thank you! Which specific product do you use for painted walls? Also, are you cutting them at SLMS too?

Keen to establish both a workflow and materials route, so we can share it. I really like the idea of being able to swap-out graphics every few weeks without tearing the paint from the walls… just like everyone else, I guess?

#4

I can’t remember which stuff I’ve used offhand, but I’ve always found the info I needed as part of that website. I’m not sure about constantly cycling vinyls, I imagine you’re going to have to do something to deal with adhesive residue and dust however minimal.

I bought my own little machine when I realised it was just as expensive to own the means of production as get a vinyl made-up by an agency. The workflow there is a pretty nice plug-in for Adobe Illustrator, which is nice 'cos it’s nice, but bad 'cos I need to keep an old version of Illustrator around to use it. I’d be happier to stick to Affinity Designer and use some kind of standalone driver, but I haven’t found one that’s up to driving that particular model well enough.

I haven’t needed to use the Makerspace one yet, but I’m super happy it’s there: I can only cut to ~A4 width.

#5

Great! I first cut vinyl for billboards in 1994, however this is for a series of cartoon characters inside the house… the goal is to be able to chop and change them frequently, so once the workflow and materials are set I can go wild. This mustn’t involve repainting every time though!!!

Which plugin do you use inside Illustrator? I have CS4 for Mac, so maybe this is an advantage?

Calling MDP last, as we’re pretty much there from what I can tell. Excited!

#6

I know nothing about using the plotter but can think of loads of projects I would love to use it for. When you come in to work on this, would you be happy for me to hang around and watch and learn from what you’re doing?

#7

Yes please. Me too. I have a small cutter at home, so I’m used to the work flow, but never used a big machine. I’d like to find out what can be achieved with the one at SLMS. It looks a little sad and dusty at the moment.

#8

Hate to throw cold water on this!

But @milknosugar, you either have not linked your discourse account to your membership account, or you’re not yet a member.

You need to be a member to use the equipment!

#9

Yep! In the process of organising it… an existing member recommended I join some time ago and I figured I’d do the ground work before I turn up, so day one is productive!

#10

Update!

Materials (from MDP, as recommend by @tobyspark):
“Buy as 5m sections of vinyl rolls, then plot/cut”

Wall Art:
http://www.mdpsupplies.co.uk/categories/matt-sign-vinyl.asp

Medium Tack Paper Application Tape:
http://www.mdpsupplies.co.uk/paper-application-tape.asp

Preparation:
1, Feed the Matt Sign Vinyl into the plotter/cutter
2, ‘Pick’ the unused sections off, leaving the desired sections on the backing paper
3, Place Application Tape over the top (like transparent masking tape)
4, Mark ‘placement points’ onto Tape

Installation:
1, Mark placement points onto walls with a pencil
2, Peel backing paper away from corners to reveal placement points
3, Align
4, Pull backing paper away and ‘wipe’ on gently, to prevent bubbles/ripples
5, ‘Scrape’ surface in second pass, to ensure a good grip
6, Peel back Tape at 180’ to prevent peel-up
7, Press onto wall with a soft hand/cushion (replaces any raised edges)

I’ve installed a whole billboard this way, from 15" vinyl. The key is to make 100% sure that each section is aligned correctly, as a design will ‘drift’ if sections aren’t in sync.

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