PET?PP?PC?Polystyrene? A picture to understand the various terms of polymer used in printing.
Whenever we discuss printing materials with the printer, all sorts of "Poly's" come up. Do you have a lot of questions? What are they talking about when they speak of Tetoron, Polystyrene, PolyGold, PolySilver...? What are the differences in the characteristics of these materials? Holo Solution Inc. has compiled a list of the various types of Lon's and the various P's that are not Lon's.
The various types of Poly's used in printing materials
Tetoron
｜Poly- name｜
PET (polyethylene terephthalate)
Polyester, Mylor, Peto
｜Characteristics｜
Temperature resistance range: -20-120℃; Melting point: 260 degrees
High density (1.38) and stiffness
Good weather resistance
｜Judgement｜
Lightly shaken, brittle sound
Does not stretch or tear easily
Flame is yellow with fragrance
Flames are white when blown out
Mostly made of tamper evident material
Polystyrene
｜Poly- name｜
PVC (polyvinyl chloride)
｜Characteristics｜
Temperature resistance range: 60 degrees
Hard density 1.4, soft 1.2
Good weather resistance
A common material for shrink film.
｜Judgement｜
Hard PVC is easily confused with PET.
Soft PVC is more ductile.
Smells badly
The flame is green with a sour smell.
The flame is black when blown out.
PolyGold/PolySilver
｜Poly- name｜
Electroplated PET, PolyGold, PolySilver
PolyGold(PolySilver)-Bright Polyester
｜Characteristics｜
PolySilver is a PET or PVC plated aluminum
Similar to the original material PET or PVC
PolyGold is dyed yellow and then plated with aluminum
PVC is less temperature resistant than PET
PVC is easier to print and attach than PET.
｜Judgement｜
Similar to PET or PVC.
Variant plastic coating
｜Poly- name｜
PolyGold (PolySilver) with a surface treatment
Similar in nature to PET or PVC.
｜Matte PolyGold (PolySilver) ｜
It is a matte PolyGold (PolySilver) material
｜Silky PolySilver｜
Hairline Polystyrene
PolySilver material with a brushed finish
Transparent Polystyrene
｜Poly- name｜
Transparent PET, transparent stickers
There are also transparent laminates made of Polystyrene!
｜Characteristics｜
The same as Tetoron
Stiffer than PP (not suitable for bending)
More transparent and brighter than PP
More scratch resistant than PP
Easier to print and adhere than PP
｜Judgement｜
Compared to Tetoron
The various types of “P’s” used in printing materials
PP
｜Poly- name｜
Polypropylene, bright (fog) P
OPP is unidirectional oriented stretch PP
POPP is bi-directional stretch film
｜Characteristics｜
Temperature resistance range: about 70 degrees
Often used as a laminate for ink and moisture protection
Printing does not adhere easily
Easily scratched than Tetoron
｜Judgement｜
Softer and easier to tear than Polyester.
Smells like candles after burning
PE
｜Poly- name｜
Polyethylene
｜Characteristics｜
Temperature resistance range: about 60-70 degrees
Soft material
Mostly used for plastic bags and lamination inside laminated bags.
｜Judgement｜
Can be easily torn and stretched by hand.
Tearing the parallel side fine and smooth
No odor or candle smell when burned
PE powder is an important component of fragile stickers.
Synthetic PP
｜Poly- name｜
Synthetic polypropylene
Sometimes abbreviated as synthetic paper
But there are many kinds of synthetic paper
｜Characteristics｜
Temperature resistance range: about -20-80 degrees
More water and moisture resistant than paper
Easier to print and attach than Tetoron
Can be used instead of PVC
｜Judgement｜
Muffled sound when shaken lightly
Can be torn off by hand with irregular jagged shape.
PP Sythetic Paper
｜Poly- name｜
PEPA®, Polypropylene + Acrylic film
｜Characteristics｜
Temperature resistance range: about 80 degrees
Water-proof and moisture-proof
Better opacity than synthetic PP
Multi-layer coating on the surface
Print adhesion must be observed
｜Judgement｜
Muffled sound when shaken lightly
Easy to peel off with a single stroke
The surface coating can be removed with a fingernail
or a strong object.
PC
｜Poly- name｜
Polycarbonate
｜Characteristics｜
Not resistant to chemical corrosion
Easily scratched, soft and impact resistant
Surface is often embossed or matte
Can be stamped, but yellowing will occur if engraved
Less than 100um, often compared to PET
Larger than 100um, often compared with PMMA
｜Judgement｜
Flammable with aroma (phenol)
PMMA
｜Poly- name｜
Polymethyl methacrylate
Acrylic
Plexiglass
｜Characteristics｜
Good hardness
Scratch and abrasion resistant, not impact resistant and easily cracked
Can be laser cut and engraved
High optical transparency
｜Judgement｜
More resistant to scratches than PC
Usually thicker (>0.64mm)