Is it possible to print on vinyl this way?

[CC87]

First off, I'm from the restaurant business so my knowledge on this subject is very limited. I'm working a project, and that project is to print designs and images on vinyl shower curtains. Now shower curtains are about 72 inches wide, and a 72 inch printer is very expensive. What I'm wondering is if I get a printer half that size, so lets say a 36 inch printer. Would I be able to fold the shower curtain in half, print half the design on one side and then fold the other half over and print the other half of the design? I would like to believe this is possible, but I have no experience with these types of printers at all. I greatly appreciate any input you guys have.

 

[qwertydude]

Technically it would work but you'd have to make sure that the total thickness doesn't exceed the thickness limits of the printer and when you fold it you'll have to really crease the fold, possibly with heat so it stays put and doesn't expand and crash into the print head. You'd also have to live with the crease not being printed on.

 

[ghwellsjr]

I don't know about the really wide format printers but normal printers do a good job of selecting only one sheet of paper to print on. I imagine if you took an ordinary printer and fed it a folded-in-half sheet of 11"x17" paper, it would create a paper jam in no time. Anybody want to experiment?

 

[johnwarfin]

I imagine if you took an ordinary printer and fed it a folded-in-half sheet of 11"x17" paper, it would create a paper jam in no time.

I tried that and can verify it does not work. At least not on the Epson I was using. Small creases developed along the fold and grew into major crumpled up paper jams. Another bright idea of mine that didn't work out.

 

[Grandad35]

....and that project is to print designs and images on vinyl shower curtains....

Is it safe to assume that the selling price for these custom shower curtains is high enough to justify the high cost of printing?

Unless you plan to get into this in a BIG way (not likely, given your stated limited experience), you are far better off having someone who is in the business do the printing for you. Google "billboard printing companies" and you will find lots of companies who have the printers and experience to do what you want. This type of printing isn't for the novice, as the inks and substrates aren't standard. Securely tape a small swatch of vinyl to a piece of paper and print it. Note that the colors tend to run together and the ink will take forever to dry. Even when they are dry, will they stand up to repeated applications of hot water and scrubbing (sometimes with dilute bleach)?

People who are in the business will already have experience with this. For example, you may have reverse print on a transparent vinyl layer and laminate it to your colored base vinyl sheet to capture the print inside a protective sandwich (like the print on most potato chip bags).

 

[ghwellsjr]

Another bright idea of mine that didn't work out.

I've always said, My best ideas are the ones I haven't tried out yet.