KM1 sticker printing.

[motormount]

Hi all,

We are running into a lot of problems trying to print stickers on KM1.

Matte paper is ok most of the times, one problem might occur if the back is ''cracked'' parallel to the the printing heads.

Glossy paper depends, no matter if the liner is cracked or not, it might print well, and it might jam as well.

Pvc is mostly problematic, sometimes prints, most of the times jams, especially after the uv lamp, the last gripper fails to ''catch'' it.

What's your experience, if you have any?

Do you print with one vendor or depending on the current material you make the right adjustments and print it?

Thanks in advance,

 

[KimR]

Sticker Stock! Quick run away... The most important thing is to get the grain right with stickers and PVC. You can try turning the UV lamp down. We turn it down to level 1 for some sticker stock or light stock. Ignore the warning and just make sure its dry! Also if you are trimming the stock down, clean the edges so its not so sticky. Estimating will always try to get more out of the sheet! Its not always worth it. Get long grain and charge double the stock.

 

[DhavalPX]

We've faced similar issues on the KM1—especially with PVC and certain glossy stocks. What’s helped us is adjusting the vacuum/air settings and optimizing UV lamp intensity based on media type. We also found that working with vendor-specific ICC profiles and approved substrates significantly reduced jams. For tricky materials like PVC, we often switch vendors or pre-test small batches to find what runs reliably.

 

[motormount]

We've faced similar issues on the KM1—especially with PVC and certain glossy stocks. What’s helped us is adjusting the vacuum/air settings and optimizing UV lamp intensity based on media type. We also found that working with vendor-specific ICC profiles and approved substrates significantly reduced jams. For tricky materials like PVC, we often switch vendors or pre-test small batches to find what runs reliably.

Thank you,

One problem is that a small batch might run well, but when print a larger volume the same stock might jam contentiously, i think due to the heat that builds inside during printing.

 

[motormount]

Sticker Stock! Quick run away... The most important thing is to get the grain right with stickers and PVC. You can try turning the UV lamp down. We turn it down to level 1 for some sticker stock or light stock. Ignore the warning and just make sure its dry! Also if you are trimming the stock down, clean the edges so its not so sticky. Estimating will always try to get more out of the sheet! Its not always worth it. Get long grain and charge double the stock.

What do you mean ''turn the uv lamp down''
Adjust the temperature to the lowest possible value?
Then the ink will not be stable on the substrate, it will scratch, even if you leave it rest for a couple of days.
-The main problem is the pvc -

 

[KimR]

What do you mean ''turn the uv lamp down''
Adjust the temperature to the lowest possible value?
Then the ink will not be stable on the substrate, it will scratch, even if you leave it rest for a couple of days.
-The main problem is the pvc -

With light stocks and sticker stocks with a lot of ink coverage, If you don't drop the UV Level down it will be a big pain to print. Over the years I have never had an issue with it scratching or not curing. Yes the colour will be different with a different UV level but you can always adjust it to match; or... it is what it is! and its repeatable. I've had more issues in regards to scratching and chipping printing on plastic / yupo or other brands

 

[motormount]

based on your answers, eventually you've managed to print pvc sticker, right?

With minor, or bigger, problems?

What volumes are we talking?

Let's say a job with medium coverage, 1000 sheets 50cm*70cm, we rarely print it on KM1, if it can be printed on smaller sheets ( 330mm*487mm) we'll go print it with 6085.
If it is bigger we outsource it to a silk printer.

Can you name a vendor you trust please?

- and the product name / code? -

We had some success with avery dennison in random cases, until we gave up...

 

[KimR]

It is very hard to advise as I'm in Australia. Must be long grain for bigger runs. What is the main issue you are having? Feeding? Sheet Lifts or Delivery?