According to Sign Builder Illustrated contributor Jim Hingst, “How you apply an application tape to a vinyl graphic or a HotMask™ transfer tape to a printed heat transfer applique can affect the appearance of the finished product. If you get wrinkles or bubbles in the paper application tape, I can just about guarantee that you will get wrinkles and bubbles in the applied vinyl.
“You don’t believe me? The next time that you wrinkle the application tape or entrap a bubble, remove the release liner from the vinyl and look at the adhesive side of the film. You will see that wrinkles and bubbles have already started to form. At this point, no matter how accomplished you are as an installer, the wrinkles and bubbles have already formed and you will transfer them to the application surface.”
Jim continues, “The good news is that the tiny bubbles will usually breathe out through the film. And if you get a big bubble, you can easily pop those with a pin and press them flat with your thumb.
“When you get wrinkles, it is a whole different story. Wrinkles are there forever. That’s because a wrinkle occurs when the vinyl sticks to itself.”
To learn more, check the latest edition of Jim’s “Hingst’s Sign Post” blog HERE.
