We do not publish a universal shelf life for vinyl. The film maker’s own sheet is the place for storage limits. What follows is how to avoid wrecking a sticker before it is fitted.
On your shelf
Keep boxes flat, dry and out of direct sun. Do not store them on a dashboard, on a damp container floor, or against a heater. Leave them in the bag until you are ready to fit. A liner that has been off for a day has collected dust you will then stick to the machine.
Do not stack heavy parts on the boxes. Creases in the liner become lines in the sticker. If a box has been frozen or soaked, do not fit from it and hope. Ask us before you use it.
On the machine
Once it is fitted, life depends on the panel, the weather and the work. We will not give you a single number of years. Laminate takes scuffs that bare ink will not. Clean the panel first. Catalogue stickers in stock can dispatch the same day. If you need the film maker’s storage note for a particular job, ask and we will say what that product’s sheet says rather than guess.
Rotate stock. Use older boxes first if they have been stored as the sheet describes. Do not fit a roll that is stuck to itself. Bring rolls into the bay so they are not fitted ice-cold if they have been in a van overnight, and do not leave them on a heater to speed that up. Write the date you received the box on the outside if you keep several jobs on the shelf, and use the Use the older dry stock first. A crease in the liner becomes a line in the sticker, so do not stack parts on the boxes.
Sources
- Titan Graphics fitting note. This page describes how we print and how a yard can fit stickers. It is not a legal duty.