Film rolls should be kept in the original carton with core supports. Always store the cartons horizontally. Storing the cartons vertically may damage the film edge or crush the core supports or your foot if the carton falls over. The storage areas should be clean, dust free, dry and out of direct sunlight. For digitally printable films (vinyls), the temperature range for storage is 4o° to 38° celsius.

Many print shops use media racks that hold the roll vertically on a steel frame. While these are very space efficient for storing large numbers of rolls, extreme care must be taken to ensure that the edge of the film is not damaged while placing the roll on the rack. Any damage to the edge may cause head strikes on the printer.

The out wrap of film on the roll will almost certainly become contaminated with dust or dirt, regardless of precautions such as wearing cotton gloves or placing the original plastic protective sleeve over the roll. It can be affected by tape or any other material used to fix the end of the roll. It is good practice to avoid printing on the outer wrap to avoid the quality problems. On a full roll of film, this equates to the first 50cm of film.

Cotton gloves are often used by operators to prevent any contamination of the film surface. This does help, but it does not guarantee clean media as the gloves will gradually collect dust and dirt, especially if they are re-used many times. If you do use cotton gloves, replace them regularly and store them in a clean location when not in use.

Rohit Ramdey is the assistant manager technical service, commercial graphics division at 3M India

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