3 x 3m images of sea creatures printed on an Epson SureColor SC-S30600 are part of the current ‘horizonte Zingst’ photography festival taking place on the beach at the Baltic Sea resort of Zingst.
The images, entitled ‘Seamore’, are from photos by Dresden artist Betty Schöner. They have been printed on with special inks on Neschen Solvoprint Easy 80 GSP removable self-adhesive PVC film so that they are weatherproof (i.e. UV and water resistant). In addition, the digital prints are laminated with the Neschen protection film Filmolux Photo Satin for extra protection and a glossy surface finish.
"Installations in close proximity to the beach are a big attraction. As the exhibits are exposed in this case to extreme climatic conditions, the digital prints must fulfil the highest quality standards," said curator Klaus Tiedge.
To date, protection of UV-curable inks using water-based adhesive film such as Filmolux Photo Satin has proved problematic. UV inks have a coarse structure which means that water-based adhesives stick badly or not at all. But Neschen said this is not the case with its water-based polyacrylate dispersion.
"This adhesive belongs to today's class of water-based acrylic emulsions," explained Frank Seemann, head of marketing and communication, Neschen. "It opens up numerous opportunities for applications for which up to now protection films with solvent-based adhesives have been selected. This therefore also makes it ideal for use at the open-air event on the Baltic coast in Zingst."