• Removes easily with no residue for sharp-looking, seamless graphics and superior photographic images every time.
• Sticks to any non-porous surface, walls, windows, doors & floors
• Easy application with air bubbles filtering out through the fabric
• Ideal for life-size photographic cut outs. POS & wall murals
• Suitable for Latex, UV, Aqueous dye & Aquesous Pigment inks

• Wall graphics
• Exhibition graphics
• POS
• Promotional graphics
• Photo Prints

All statements, technical information and recommendation are based on tests we believe to be reliable, but the accuracy or completeness thereof is not guaranteed, and the following is made in lieu of all warranties of merchantability and fitness for the purpose: Sellers and manufacturer’s only obligation shall be to replace such quantity of the product proved to be defective. Before using, user shall determine the suitability of the product for its intended use, and user assumes all risk and liability whatsoever in connection therewith.

Physical Properties

User Guidelines

Ink Compatibility

• Aqueous pigment, Latex and UV ink

Printer Settings

• Printer settings must be optimized according to printer, ink, RIP and profile for best results
• Phototex-OPA does not require a heavy ink laydown, a good starting point is a Gloss Vinyl profile
• Recommended heat setting of 40°C - 50°C
• For more information UV Curable inks refer next page*

Material Handling

• Once print is complete, roll imaged media (with graphics facing inward) onto a core until ready for use
• Folding of the material is not recommended
• Unprinted media should be stored at 22°C (+-3°C) for no longer than 1 year, to obtain maximum adhesion values
• After use the product should be stored in its original packaging in the poly bag

Surface Preparation

• Always ensure the receiving surface is completely dry and thoroughly cleaned, free of dust, dirt, moisture or cleaner residues
• Painted metal, glass and standard graphic art mounting boards surfaces should be cleaned with standard glass cleaner or isopropyl alcohol (IPA)
• Poor surface conditions will cause loss of adhesion or failure
• Allow 40 days for a newly painted surface to dry and completely outgas. Bubbles can occur if paint is still outgassing
• Ensure all drywall painted and repainted surfaces have been primed in order to avoid unwanted adhesive residue and/or paint peeling on removal

Recommended Application Surfaces

• Phototex-OPA is designed for and will achieve best results on smooth, flat surfaces, these include, glass, stainless steel, acrylic, polycarbonate, Plexiglas®, and painted surfaces that do not contain wax in the paint
• Plain brick or heavily textured/porous surfaces generally tend to significantly reduce the adhesion and performance of Phototex-OPA
• Surfaces that have been painted with wash & wear or Teflon infused paints generally tend to significantly reduce the adhesion and performance of Phototex-OPA
• Bare metal (copper, brass, aluminium) can oxidize and melt the adhesive to leave a film in rare cases when removed
• Always pre-test your specific substrate to gauge suitability

Installation

Phototex-OPA is paste free which means there is no need for messy and time consuming pasting. Depending on the size of your Phototex-OPA print it may be helpful to have two people install it. Try not to let the adhesive come together, or the Phototex-OPA to fold up against itself. It’s okay if it does, you can separate it by carefully pulling it apart so you do not ruin the print.

Start at the top of your Phototex-OPA print and pull down approximately 5 - 8cm of the backing sheet. By lightly pressing and smoothing, apply the 5 - 8cm exposed adhesive area of your Phototex-OPA to the chosen surface area. Then continue to slowly pull the backing sheet downward in 5 - 8cm increments smoothing the Phototex-OPA as you go. Once the Phototex-OPA is started, it may be helpful if another person holds the bottom and pulls down slightly giving some tension and keeping it straight and easier to apply.

If there are any bubbles or wrinkles, you can lightly press or smooth them out, or just peel back that area and re-apply.

Longevity Indoors

• Real time tests carried out over 3 years with minimum degradation

Longevity Outdoors

• Up to 1 year if liquid or spray laminated
• Results will vary by region and application surface

Cleaning

• Phototex-OPA can only be cleaned if coated with a liquid or spray laminate – simply wipe with a damp cloth
• Un-laminated Phototex-OPA cannot be cleaned

*UV or UV Curable Inks ONLY

In rare cases when printing with UV ink or UV curable printers, it is possible to overheat the material and cause the adhesive to weaken up to 50% during the printing process. Although this occurrence is infrequent, it is important to keep lamps at a lower setting than to most other substrates. In order assure the best adhesive results, compare a printed piece to a non-printed piece from the same roll, making it easier to tell if the adhesive was overheated or weakened during printing. Touching the adhesive material will not give you a true reading; instead, you need to place the pieces on a wall for 24hrs and see if there is any issue. Then, pull off the wall a few times and see if there is any tack (there should be some adhesive resistance).
In addition, with UV inks, if you lay down an extremely heavy, solid, or dark color when bleeding, the weight of the ink can actually pull against the material (acting like an over laminate). This happens because UV ink sits on top of the material, adding extra weight. In rare cases, you may need to leave a small border in order to prevent curl; however, we still suggest you test this with all UV inks, just to be safe. An easy way to test this is to leave your printed sample on a wall for approximately 24-36 hours. If the edges do not curl, the material was unaffected, as this curl will appear quickly and not over time.