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Knit or Woven? Choosing the Right Backlit Fabric for SEG Lightboxes

With how fabric is composed, you have two options when it comes to choosing silicone edge graphics fabric: knit or woven. Each method gives the fabric different characteristics—and it’s those characteristics that will become your foundation for choosing which fabric works best for your given application, and ultimately, personal preference. We’ll be looking at the best options for both knit and woven fabrics for use in SEG lightboxes.

Knit and Woven Backlit Fabric

KNIT FABRICS FOR SEG LIGHTBOXES & FRAMES

The main thing to know about knit fabrics, is that they are made from one continuous thread, and therefore have the ability to stretch significantly across its width and slightly along its length. This can be a blessing or a curse, depending on the amount of stretch, the skill level of your print production team, and the ability level of your finishing team and installers. In terms of printability, knit backlit fabrics can stretch too much, causing pinholes of light to shine through the graphic from behind. From an installation standpoint, knit fabrics tend to be easier to install for novices, as they have more stretch and forgiveness.

Verseidag US has developed the latest backlit fabric, B4420 – Backlit Select FR, to plow through any roadblock a knit backlit fabric might present you with. Made in Germany, B4420 is a knit polyester backlit fabric that is printable by means of both direct and transfer dye sublimation, and has shown great results with HP Latex printing technology. Backlit Select FR has the right amount of stretch, without over stretching and creating pinholes of light, making it the perfect product for untrained retail employees to install. This product can also be finished and cold-cut without fraying. At eighteen percent translucency, B4420 Backlit Select FR provides a brilliant glow and superior image pop that customers are sure to notice.

WOVEN FABRICS FOR SEG LIGHTBOXES & FRAMES

Woven fabrics are made from multiple threads criss-crossing each other repeatedly (imagine a woven basket). Due to this crossing of threads, the fabric tends to stay mostly dimensionally stable, with the exception of some diagonal stretch (corner-to-corner). Woven textiles also tend to wrinkle more easily than knits and due to their construction, cutting with a hot-knife or laser is needed, as to avoid fraying. While these features might cause some to turn towards a knit backlit fabric option, a woven option might actually be right for you.

Winning the SGIA Product of the Year Award in 2013, Verseidag’s B4400 – Premium Backlit FR has been one of the industry’s favorite products for SEG lightboxes. Due to it’s tightly-woven composition, B4400 allows no pinholes of light to escape, helping to provide a vibrant ink/color density and deep, dark blacks. It’s lightweight coating and soft hand make this fabric very wrinkle-resistant and smooth. B4400 Premium Backlit FR is printable with a variety of digital printing outputs, but performs best via direct dye-sublimation.

When it comes to making a choice between a knit or woven fabric, it would be wise to consider your finishing equipment and capabilities. If you have a hot-knife or a flatbed laser cutter, then you should be able to handle a woven product. On the other hand, if you plan on only cold-cutting and have untrained installers, a knit fabric might be right for you. But no matter your choice, remember that Verseidag US has exceptionally high-quality products that will fit your needs.

*Both products are available up to 126” wide, meet NFPA 701 fire rating standards, and are Oeko-Tex certified. Visit www.verseidagus.com for more information on these and more great products.

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