Vinyl Labels

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lpdsn

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I'm trying to have some sticky-back vinyl labels made up. Mainly for use below, but the clutch labels need replacing and I've got a few "no step" labels I want to use to try to stop crew standing on some deck panels rather than the non-slip patches next to them.

A few years ago, I got some that were added in the corner of a sheet another boat owner had made up, and they've worked very well - looks like they'll survive for years to come. He just got them made at a High St printers, but I don't know which.

Anyway, I'm not expecting much - I've got an A3 PDF prepared and can cut out each label myself, so I thought it'd be a doddle, but I've tried a few printers and some on-line sites and none of them consider sticky-back vinyl suitable for external use. Probably talking at cross-purposes and the mention of a boat is scaring them off.

So my questions are, has anyone successfully had sticky-back vinyl labels made that have survived external use? What did you specify?
 
Just go to any local sign printer / manufacturer, they make external signs all the time (e.g. signwriting on vans and estate agents cars for example) using vinyl.

Don't bother to explain it's for a boat - it just complicates things unnecessarily and has the potential to bump up the price.
To them, it's just another customer who wants another vinyl sign.
If they ask, well fine tell them but there's no reason why the material or spec needs to be any different from a van or car.
The weather is the same, isn't it?


The only colour not to use is red, which fades badly. Therefore there are multiple different grades of material and in short, the more you pay the longer the colour will last (up to around 5-7 years).
 
Get a Brother printer P-touch printer. The TZe labels are weather proof and do not fade. I have some on a deck clutch that have lasted 7 years in the Med so far. Various options for width and colour

Once you have a printer, you'll want to label everything!

TudorSailor
 
tudorsailor said:
Get a Brother printer P-touch printer. The TZe labels are weather proof and do not fade. I have some on a deck clutch that have lasted 7 years in the Med so far. Various options for width and colour

Once you have a printer, you'll want to label everything!

TudorSailor
Click to expand...

+1. The labels on the clutches when we took Rampage south were 'proper job' commercial things which died within the first year. Replaced with home printed labels on a Brother machine for pence (I paid about £15 for the printer, a few quid for generic tapes off ebay). Now everything get labelled, which saves time when hunting through boxes for an elusive spare bit. And the clutch labels have lasted two years so far...
 
I can tell you what NOT to use !

I have an electronic Dymo printer, which is jolly handy and fine for interior use, but when used outside the plastic labels go brown within a season.
 
Thanks for all the replies.

I'm afraid it is a lot more than just clutch labels, so I don't think the Brother printer will be suitable.

I'll try asking for an A3 vinyl sign to be printed up. Maybe it was just the mention of boat that scared them.
 
lpdsn said:
Thanks for all the replies.

I'm afraid it is a lot more than just clutch labels, so I don't think the Brother printer will be suitable.

I'll try asking for an A3 vinyl sign to be printed up. Maybe it was just the mention of boat that scared them.
Click to expand...

If you get the usual labels made up, people on here might cross your palm with silver for copies ?

I would, within reason !

ie in my case ( not saying ' do these ', just examples which I think most would want )

Main Halliard

Jib Halliard

Spin Halliard

Spare Halliard

Topping Lift

Clew Outhaul

Kicker

Pole Up

Pole Down

There are no doubt others; just a thought !
 
tudorsailor said:
Get a Brother printer P-touch printer. The TZe labels are weather proof and do not fade. I have some on a deck clutch that have lasted 7 years in the Med so far. Various options for width and colour

Once you have a printer, you'll want to label everything!

TudorSailor
Click to expand...

Yes, even the red labels are still very red after three years.
 
Seajet said:
If you get the usual labels made up, people on here might cross your palm with silver for copies ?

I would, within reason !

ie in my case ( not saying ' do these ', just examples which I think most would want )

Main Halliard

Jib Halliard

Spin Halliard

Spare Halliard

Topping Lift

Clew Outhaul

Kicker

Pole Up

Pole Down

There are no doubt others; just a thought !
Click to expand...

A lot of those are commercially available. It's a good suggestion of yours which would be handy for people to get together locally and get a sheet printed.

I have included clutch labels in mine, but they're really a bit of an aside. A lot of the others are bespoke for around the chart table and elsewhere. I've certainly got spare space, but no one I know locally wanted anything. I've simply used a basic drawing package and converted it to a PDF - that's the easy bit, anybody could do it.

I'll let you know how it pans out, but I'll probably get them printed locally, when I find someone. I've now lost my window for picking them up during a visit to England.
 
There was another labels thread here recently, I'll repeat my two pennorth. If you have access to a laser printer, i.e. not your regular home inkjet, you can use Avery polyester labels designed for heavy duty outside use. I have used the successfully, print what you want and cut to size. I have large and small labels which have survived a battering.
 
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Local sign printer, given Coreldraw or JPG A3 sized file, printed sheet sticky vinyl for about £10, that included dinghy transom sign, labels for lifebuoys etc, lots of interior switch labels etc. Some now outdoors for 8 years, still OK, just took to skip the dinghy with tender to label there for 8 years. Same material they print van graphics with.
 
jwilson said:
Local sign printer, given Coreldraw or JPG A3 sized file, printed sheet sticky vinyl for about £10, that included dinghy transom sign, labels for lifebuoys etc, lots of interior switch labels etc. Some now outdoors for 8 years, still OK, just took to skip the dinghy with tender to label there for 8 years. Same material they print van graphics with.
Click to expand...

That's my plan. It seems the simplest approach. For some reason, the print shops I've been into so far have said they couldn't do it, but as suggested earlier, maybe the mention of 'boat' threw them.
 
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