What is digital vinyl printing?

Digital vinyl printing offers large format, full colour printing which can be laminated or shape cut. Used for everything from vinyl and PVC banners, to car wraps, wall coverings and exhibition displays; vinyl printing offers a flexible high quality solution for decorating cars, buildings and windows, both internally and externally.

What else is vinyl printing used for and what are the advantages over other printing options?

The uses of vinyl printing

Vehicles are the perfect advertising space and with the help of vinyl wraps they can become portable billboards. It’s no wonder so many businesses choose to customise their fleet of vans, cars, motorbikes or boats with colourful branded signage which advertises the company and its services. Producing car wraps is easy thanks to large format printers such as the HP Latex 310, and they smoothly and seamlessly adhere to the vehicle’s surface when fitted.

Vinyl graphics are also used in retail stores to decorate the shop interior. They are creative, eye-catching, and offer great branding opportunities, especially when decorating window displays. Vinyl window wraps can really help bring customers in to the store, as the finish looks incredibly impressive. Size is not an issue either, as smaller panels can be seamlessly fitted together.

On the smaller end of the vinyl printing scale, other popular uses include banners such as roller banners, exhibition stands and large vinyl signs. These are weatherproof and durable, providing internal or external signage at a low cost.

Advantages of vinyl printing

Aside from its wide range of uses, there are many more reasons why businesses are increasingly using vinyl-printed materials.

1. They are designed to last – Vinyl printing uses durable, waterproof, scratch-resistant inks, which means it’s perfect for creating a wide variety of internal and external signage. Vinyl materials are capable of enduring everything from heat and sunshine to cold and wet weather, making them a sound investment.
2. They are cost-effective – If you’re going to offer vinyl-printed banners, signs or wraps to your customers, you need to know you’re going to make a reasonable profit. Vinyl printing is so cost-effective, that businesses of all sizes can afford to purchase vinyl marketing materials – just make sure you purchase the most efficient printer possible.
3. The quality is amazing – Digital printing technology means that every vinyl product looks professional, colourful and high quality. Photo-quality images are printed with ease, which is sure to be a big draw for your clients.

Changes to the industry

The printing industry has undergone huge changes in the past 20 years, with advancements in technology providing more printing options and capabilities than ever before. In most cases, digital vinyl printing has now superseded screen printing and wide format printing has also gone mainstream, as it is no longer the expensive and tricky process it once was.

James Deacon from Bigger Stickers explained that in the early days, large format printers could cost as much as £250,000.

“Now, an entry level machine can be as low as £10,000, making print much more accessible”

Improvements in speed and resolution has levelled the playing field and opened printing up to even small shops and businesses; the world of digital printing equipment is now available to everyone.

James continued: "Now most sign shops have a large format printer and customers have much more choice in which they go to. This has led to wrap companies offering better customer experience and diversifying into other car cosmetic areas."

With these advancements, vinyl printing has moved beyond the realm of blocky letters and basic clip art images, offering incredible, creative and high resolution solutions for signage of all kinds. When it comes to car wrapping, textured vinyl carbons, stainless steel, chrome and other embossed effects have expanded the possibilities and the services offered by companies.

"Digital print, due to its affordability, is now being used not just to decorate vehicles for advertising purposes but for decoration alone,” he said. "Many more colours are now available than 20 years ago, along with wider widths; now media 1600mm wide and more is available for wraps." All of this means that printing professional banners, signs and wraps is now not only effortless, but inexpensive when produced with the right equipment.

If you’d like more information on vinyl printing, large vinyl cutters or want to know which large format printer will suit your requirements, please get in touch with us today – we’re always happy to help.

Note* - Post updated and corrected July 2023