What is it?
Contra Vision Open is a digitally printable perforated material for the production of see-through graphics.

When was it launched?
It got its first public airing at Fespa Digital in February, where the company says it was enthusiastically received. Open had been in development for around 18 months, although Contra Vision says it had recognised the value of this type of product for much longer. However, several manufacturing challenges had to be surmounted before the company could go into production. "The key challenges were things like getting the right adhesive properties, getting the right performance out of the liner so you get a good colour. It is also a composite of different materials and those materials had to be balanced to make it a reliable, high-quality and affordable product," explains Rob Stone, commercial director at Contra Vision.

What is its USP?
"Perforated products usually either feature an additional liner (double layer) or a replacement liner (single layer), both of which provide a barrier so that when the ink passes through the face material’s perforations during printing, it is caught by the liner layer," says Stone.

"Contra Vision Open, however, does not have a secondary or additional liner," he adds. "When you print on it, the ink that does not fall onto the vinyl goes straight through to the printer’s ink collector or open gutter. Among other benefits, this means that bridging of UV ink across perforation will not be something Open users have to worry about or check for.

"The perforated ‘Blackliner’ liner developed for Open is black and can be left in situ on the printed product. This means the printed material can be suspended inside a window without having to adhere to the glass. If the liner is removed though, the adhesive is revealed and the printed product can be applied outside a window just like other perforated see-through graphics," he explains.

Stone says that there is an environmental benefit with Open as its manufacturing uses fewer components and produces less waste. He also says Open is less expensive than equivalent, conventional see-though graphics materials.

What applications is it targeted at?
Stone says that Contra Vision’s distributors will be selling the product into retail and promotional applications and into markets where conventional see-through graphics are currently used. However, he adds that Open can be used where it might not otherwise be possible to use see-through graphics thanks to the fact it doesn’t need to be adhered to a window or panel and can be displayed in ways adhesive products can’t. On that basis, he argues, it will grow the market for see-through graphics.

What printers can it be used on?
Stone says that basically, any printer that can print open-weave textiles – i.e. with an open gutter or ink collector – will be able to print on Contra Vision Open.

What is the quality like?
"If you were to compare it with other Contra Vision products, you would not see any difference in quality – it employs the same high-quality face material, and the same print quality is achievable upon that," says Stone.

Does it require any special training to use?
The product can be loaded in the same way as you would load any other material, so if you are familiar with that type of work there is no need for extra training.

What is the sales target?
The company declined to give a specific number of sales it was expecting, but Stone says Contra Vision has reasonable expectations for its success. He admits that it may dilute sales of some existing products, but that it will also grow the market for this type of self-adhesive graphic as its proprietary Blackliner enables hanging as well as adhesion. "We can see it working in a newsagents where the owner may want to be part of a promotion, but does not wish to stick anything to the window. With this substrate they have that choice, as you can hang it and the liner is see-through, and so the potential for expanding the market is substantial," says Stone.

When will it be available?
Stone says Open will be made available from May. The substrate has thus far been tested in a couple of printers where the response has been very positive, but the testers themselves wish to remain anonymous for the moment.

SPECIFICATIONS

Face material 180micron polymeric PVC
Adhesive Clear solvent acrylic, semi-permanent
Liner Proprietary Contra Vision BlackLiner
Width 1,525mm
Roll length 50m
Transparency White/black construction available in 30% and 40% transparency, translucent in 30%
Price On application
Contact Contra Vision 0161 439 9307 www.contravision.com

Dtec Solvjet Two Way Vision
The Dtec Solvjet Two Way Vision range can be used on all types of windows, including  vehicles, doors and buildings, as an advertising medium without obscuring the view from the inside to the outside, according to distributor Robert Horne. Two Way Vision 1540 delivers 40% open area (60% print area), while the standard product offers a 50:50 ratio.
Face material Perforated pressure-sensitive vinyl film for window graphics applications. Bright white front side and black reverse side feature for maximum contrast
Hole diameter 1.5mm
Backing Stable paper or clear synthetic liner
Removeability Up to one year in mid-European conditions. Clean removal within six months. Adhesion may increase over time
Printing method Solvent/eco-solvent printers, UV-curable inks (only with clear synthetic liner), electrostatic and screen printing
Price On application
Contact Robert Horne 01604 495333 www.roberthorne.co.uk