How to Make the Best of Graphic Overlay Printing

What attracts your attention when you see a device’s operating keypad? It is the graphical

representation of the various instructions, commands and functionalities of the device that are

printed on the keypad, right? This is certainly one of the most visually appealing parts of the

device and is made of attractive colors-combinations, text, lines, curves and various shades,

gradients and patterns. When it comes to finding the best company to provide attractive and

precisely printed graphic overlay in Canada, it is important to understand what goes into the

overall process of designing and printing them. This will help you appreciate the hard work

behind them and also find the right company for your needs.

What are graphic overlays anyway?

As described above, they are nothing but the most vividly visible upper layer of a device or

membrane switch. They offer a colored visual representation of the various commands for

performing the operations by the device. They help identify the various parts and operative

components easily so that one can use the device with convenience and accuracy. They are rich

in color and graphical elements. They are used as the thin layers over the membrane switch

keypads for depicting the different components and commands. They come in different makes

and designs including delicately tinted windows, textures and even scratch resistant coatings

(SRC).

What materials are used to make them?

Different types of materials are used to make graphic overlays in order to make the offer more

visual appeal, clarity, accuracy, scratch resistant property, durability and so on. They are mainly

manufactured using polycarbonate and polyester. They come in different types of finishes

including gloss finish, matte finish, velvet finish and fine finish. Polycarbonate overlays offer

great optical clarity and have excellent embossing characteristics. However, the downside is that

polycarbonate is extremely solvent sensitive and is also quite expensive in comparison with

polyester overlays.

Many manufacturers of graphic overlay in Canada also use fiber which too offers excellent

clarity and is scratch resistant to a large extent. This makes them ideal for different industries

including those industries where the devices have to face harsh environmental conditions such as

heat, humidity, rough handling, etc. Vinyl films are also used by many manufacturers nowadays

as they are cost-effective. The disadvantage of vinyl overlay is that the material can be extremely

solvent sensitive and easily succumb to corrosive chemicals.

Printing process of graphic overlays

Manufacturers of these overlays employ different types of printing methods and technologies.

However, screen-printing is the most widely used method. The quality of the printing obtained in

screen printing is very high with excellent aesthetic appeal and high-quality finish. In order to get

the best out of the printing, it is important – but not absolutely necessary – to supply the artworks

to the manufacturers in the right file formats such as .ai, .cdr or .DXF to get the work done in a

faster and efficient manner. It also helps to keep the number of colors to a minimum, avoid using

color gradients and use the best color matching system for screen printing such as Pantone and

RAL.

This article is written by C khuzwayo on behalf of Elecflex.com, this is having topics on

Membrane Switch, Membrane Switch Manufacturer, Membrane Keypad, Membrane keyboard,

Graphic Overlay and many more.