Printable vinyl?

[TomasB 23]

What do you use and where is the best place to source it from, I want to make

some decals/stickers using a inkjet printer.

Thanks

TomasB

[NiteWalker 10]

What I've tried and what I like; taken from my thread about my Cobra Ink Epson Workforce1100:

Mactac JT1598P:

This one was the surprise sleeper of the group. It printed as nice as the others, and seemed to be the thinnest out of all of the inkjet printable vinyls I tried. It's a bright white so unprinted areas look proper. My Roland Stika SV-12 handled (manual) contour cutting with the Mactac JT1598P with no issues. Unfortunately, I can't find many sources for it so I might have to give it a pass until I can find a reliable reseller that doesn't want a wholesale or business license. 2nd favorite.

Sihl 3988:

This one ended being my favorite out of all the printable vinyls I tried. It's a bit thicker than the Mactac, but not obnoxiously so. This will probably be my go-to for printed decals because it's readily available at signwarehouse. I know on all the Sihl 3988 product listings at signwarehouse it says "Quantities Limited. Only While Supplies Last!", but the rep I spoke to assured me that they weren't discontinuing it. This one also has a bright white color, so again, unprinted areas look exactly as they should. My SV-12 cut it with no problem, but it required a bit more force to weed away the waste. A small cutting depth adjustment would probably fix that. Favorite.

Papilio waterproof inkjet vinyl:

This one was the thickest of those I tried, but printed beautiful just as the others did. It has the plus of being waterproof. Because it's so thick though, my cutter had trouble at the default setting cutting through the vinyl. It seemed to cut through it, but during weeding, there was a very thin layer left uncut and it left frayed edges and unusable decals. Again, a cutting depth adjustment would likely fix this. This one isn't as bright a white as the Mactac and Sihl. Whites still look great on unprinted ares, but the difference is noticeable side by side. I like the Papilio a lot, but when combined with laminate it may be too thick for my needs. I'll be testing this tonite when I try out the laminates I bought. 4th Favorite.

Papilio soft white waterproof inkjet vinyl:

This one has the same appearance as the other papilio vinyl I tested, and prints great like the others, but is a bit thinner than the other papilio, but still thicker than the sihl. If I can't find a mactac deal this will probably be my second choice. It cut like the previous Papilio, but when weeding, the waste weeded cleanly from the decals. I do like that the papilio's are waterproof. I may factor that into my selling points.

[TomasB 23]

Thank you for steering me in the right direction.

[CollinJ 3]

Hmm just wish the Sihl 3988 wasn't so expensive! I would be all over it, I just dont have a cutter that will contour cut so I would have to do all that by hand.... I also don't see any smaller rolls? I really only need 12" or so wide...

[NiteWalker 10]

You could just cut a roll down. If you have access to a miter saw it'll work fine.

It's actually pretty cheap overall; the papilio is more expensive based on the size and amount of sheets you get. Sign warehouse has a 36" x 16' roll for $37.50. That's like 3 12" x 16' rolls for $37.50; not bad at all.

Or you could cut a strip of however wide you want it and then just cut it down at 12" lengths. I did this and end up with 9"x12" sheets. I'll be able to get 64 sheets out of the roll that way.

[TomasB 23]

What types of laminate could be layered on it? Is there a difference between cold roll & heated on the quality of finished product or is it not needed.

[NiteWalker 10]

I'd laminate to be safe.

I use cold laminates because they're easy to apply (for me at least).

I use papilio polyfocus and waterproof laminates, also 3m and oraguard. I think I like the oraguard the best so far.

[TomasB 23]

Thank you once again for the prompt response & continued help. Will post my results when I'm done playing can't wait!