Getting to Know Reflective Sticker Material

Reflective stickers are indispensable and a must-have if you want to enter the sticker business. Of course, other types such as vinyl must also exist.

This sticker material has the advantage of being able to emit light when it is dark, of course when it is highlighted by light.

From my experience, many customers call it a glowing sticker. This sticker material is widely requested for the purpose of making signs, warnings, and the like.

During his time in the sticker business in Indonesia, many reflective sticker brands circulated. Broadly speaking, it is divided into two, namely made in China and non-China.

In Indonesia itself, it is precisely what sells for individual consumers who are made in China. Meanwhile, for large companies, the quality is good. If the quality is good, I suggest using non-Chinese-made ones.

A number of reflective sticker brands in Indonesia that I have used include Seicholite, Prolite, X-lite, Goodlite, Asahi, Ablaze. While the non-Chinese ones, I've only tried Oralite, 3M, Oyama, and Kiwalite.

Reflective Sticker Coating

This sticker material has two layers. The first or the top is the layer used. It has different colors. This layer is attached to the layer underneath which is made of paper but is very smooth or slippery, commonly called baking paper.

These two layers can be separated easily.

Quality reflective stickers have the main advantage of their light power. From a distance far enough even the light is quite clearly visible. To give the easiest example, you will come across it if you are passing through a toll road.

In Indonesia, these toll road signs are very easy to find. Moreover, the Indonesian government is currently actively building connecting toll roads between provinces.

If you cross the streets at night, you will definitely see many signs posted on the right and left sides of the road. As a marker, there are turns, derivatives, climbs, rest areas and so on.

A good reflective sticker material will be able to reflect the writing even when the car's headlights shine from a distance.

Thus the car driver will be able to see it clearly. These signs will be very helpful, especially for those who are not used to passing through the road.

Even though the brand is different, made in different countries, the price is cheap or expensive, this material consists of a layer of stickers and backing paper.

Other Terms Reflective Stickers

Having been in the sticker business for a dozen years, many Indonesians, especially consumers, call it unique. At most, it is called a flaming sticker.

In words, lit is a state of light. This will be more visible in the dark. This sticker has the advantage of being able to emit light.

But that does not mean it will automatically emit light. The light on the surface of this sticker will appear when exposed to light. For example, motor vehicle lights.

It's not wrong, many consumers don't know that the sticker material that can glow when it's exposed to light when it's dark is reflective. They are just looking for easy terms. It depends on how you interpret it.

In developed countries, I believe that more people understand this sticker.

Not Always the Best

Because they emit light, people often claim that reflective stickers are the best material. In fact, it is not like that.

It must be seen first from the point of use. When used for wrapping vehicles, especially motorcycles, this type of sticker is not the best.

Because it can't be heated using a heat gun like most vinyl sticker materials. In a sense, the reflective sticker cannot be used to cover the full motor.

Because it has the nature of being easily torn and it was not made by the factory to wrap motorcycles.

Meanwhile, if this material is used to make writing on the business nameplate, it can be said to be quite good. For example, the practice of doctors, salons, workshops, restaurants, and so on.

Because it is able to emit light, the location of the doctor, restaurant, the restaurant was easy to read even at night. As soon as the nameplate is exposed to the light of the vehicle, the light will be emitted so that people can read it easily.

So, the best claims cannot be explained by just one type of product. You must first see the purpose of the sticker.

Liked and hated

Reflective is one type of sticker material that consumers are looking for in a sticker cutting business. Because almost all forms can be used using this material. The important thing is that the shape makes sense to be cut with a sticker cutting machine.

But on the one hand, this material is also hated. Why is that? Unlike vinyl or other plastic materials that are widely used for vehicle wrapping or sticker printing, reflective is easy to tear. Especially the ones made in China.

However, because the price is cheap, making it more popular and easy to find in many sticker shops than those made in Europe. When installed, the reflective tends to stick very strongly.

The problem is, if you install it carelessly, it will be difficult to pull it back. Likewise when someone wants to replace the sticker and replace it with a new one. This will leave residual glue, so sometimes you have to clean it with a special liquid to make it easier to clean.

Road signs

One of the uses of reflective stickers is for road signs. I think all countries in the world would want a road that would be, minimal from accidents and disasters.

One of the efforts to reduce it is by installing road signs. During the day, road signs are very easy to read for motorists. It is different at night.

On the dark, lonely, winding, or up and down roads, the presence of signs is very important. This is where the importance of the presence of signs is.

My advice, use reflective sticker material that is of good quality. You can choose Avery Dennison, Orafol, 3M, Kiwalite, and similar products that have the same level.

Why is that? Because the material is good and quality it is able to emit a stronger light. The marker will be easily visible even from a considerable distance as long as it can be reached by the vehicle's headlights.

Road signs are aids on the road. This is related to the safety of human life.

Actually, the government has also made a rule regarding the need for a flaming sticker that must be affixed to the back of trucks and boxcars so that they can give a sign of their position to the driver behind them.

Often, too often consumers ask for signage stickers to be made but ask to use cheap reflective stickers. The reason is the budget of his office is limited.

Presumably, as a sticker makers, we also need to provide an understanding of the nature and quality of the sticker material we use.

Some Chinese Reflective Stickers

The following are reflective sticker materials that I usually use in Indonesia. Possibly outside Indonesia, the following brands are not found.

Based on the information I got, sticker material companies in China can provide convenience regarding brands. And it is used by the owners of capital in Indonesia to create their own brands that are printed in China.

1. Seicholite

This brand is owned by CV Istana Indonusa which later changed its name to Istana Kreasindo which is headquartered in Semarang, Central Java, Indonesia.

He has 20 colors, with his favorite colors being white, black, red, dark yellow, blue, and so on. One roll measures 60 centimeters x 45 meters.

This reflective sticker has a layer of sticker that fits, not too thick and not too thin.

2. Prolite

Not much different from Seicholite, this brand is also selling well in the Indonesian market. By its nature, it is almost no different from the Seicholite.

Reliable for the manufacture of stickers with large or small sizes. The sticker layer can be cut perfectly by a sticker cutting machine knife.

3. Transign

The material of this brand has a thicker layer of stickers. It will be perfect if used for the use of large objects. For example, letters that are one or two centimeters high are still quite good.

However, because the color layer is thick, the drawback is that it will peel off when used to make stickers with small sizes.

If you receive a lot of sticker orders with large sizes, you can try Transsign.

4. Best

This brand was brought into Indonesia by CV Sinar Jaya. However, recently Best did not enter Indonesia and was replaced with the Ablaze brand.

One of the things I love about this brand is that it is white, brighter. It has a kind of material in the form of spots resembling crystals that emit light.

But the sticker layer is a bit thin compared to the brands I mentioned earlier.

5. Goodlite

If you make a large sticker with this brand, there will be no problem. However, for the manufacture of stickers with a small size, it will be problematic.

The sticker layer is too thin. As a result, it rolls more often at the edges. It is also very easy to lose its adhesive power.

Those are some reflective stickers made in China that I've used. Some of them were sent by the distributor to me for review.

Of course, there are many other brands circulating in Indonesia but I have never used them.

Choosing Chinese Reflective Stickers

Why do I write subtitles like this? Not that I don't want to make a review about a good quality brand made in Europe or America, but I have never tried it myself.

So I just give tips on materials that I know and have used. To choose a Chinese reflective sticker, you can do the following:

• Try taking a photo of the sticker material in the dark with a cell phone camera or another camera using a flash of light. Make sure that the reflective properties appear, i.e. the material will glow brightly. Except for black, it will not be as bright as other colors even when photographed with a flash camera in the dark.
• Peel off the tip a little, then feel it. This is to find out how strong the glue or adhesive is. Because stickers must be affixed to certain media.
• Do the second step and then try to pull slowly. Good material is not easy to tear when pulled. Of course, reflective pulling is not the same as pulling a vinyl sticker, which is made of plastic, so it's more flexible and can be heated during installation. That's why reflective is recommended for flat plane installation.
• Try cutting to determine how smooth and soft the material used by the manufacturer is. If the cutting machine needle does not run smoothly, or from the results of the cut there is dirt such as fine dust, you should not use it. Perform this test with the cutting machine needle still sharp. Good reflective material does not leave dirt when cutting. Even barely visible traces of the cutting machine needle passed. But when peeled off feels easy.
• There are times when the reflective installation must use the help of water mixed with shampoo water. Make sure the wetted reflective is then pasted on a test medium such as glass or acrylic and then the surface is wiped with a squeeze, the shampoo mix water easily comes out and the material sticks quickly. This is especially important if you have an order that needs to be completed quickly.
• Finally, whether the backing paper or the paper layer under the reflective layer gets wet when exposed to water or stays dry. The good thing is that the backing paper stays dry. This is especially useful when you manually install masking tape. To make it easier to apply the masking tape, wet glass or smooth surface and then place the reflective tape on it. Slide the slide so that the backing paper seems to blend with the glass surface. If they stick together, then you don't have to worry about the reflective shifting when a layer of masking tape is placed on it.

Overcome Wrinkles

Are you upset and anxious at the same time? Because there is an order with a fairly large value but your calculation is wrong, apparently the ingredients are not enough. There is also material residue, but unfortunately, the sticker layer is wrinkled.

If vinyl, specially made in China, is still easier to handle. This is what consumers are asking for reflective-type sticker materials. You know, if you pull it a little tight, it will tear right away.

Just take the remaining ingredients that are not too wide but save your order earlier. With the sticker layer facing up, the backing paper behind opens the layer of reflective sticker you want to flatten.

Be careful, don't fold it and stick it to the sticker layer, it's guaranteed that the rest of the valuable material won't be used again.

Then with a fine squeeze, blend it slowly. Reflective properties are different from vinyl which can be pulled or heated, reflective is not flexible. Therefore, leveling it with a rack must be careful.

After blending, please use it to make stickers as needed.

Thus the article Getting to Know Reflective Sticker Material may be useful. If you have a reflective product and would like to send a sample to me for review, contact me on the contact page at the bottom of this blog. ***

Share this post