11 replies to this topic

[Adam Wilbert]

Just wanted to find out if anyone has had experience printing on microfiber cloth. I've recently been introduced to Rand McNally's fabMap series and absolutely love the idea of a fully washable & wrinkle-free fabric product. Thoughts or suggestions on where to begin?

[Greg]

It's a neat concept, although..
I'm not sure I am a big fan of people blowing their noses on our hard work.


Road map toilet paper is the next step in the wrong direction.

[François Goulet]

Just wanted to find out if anyone has had experience printing on microfiber cloth. I've recently been introduced to Rand McNally's fabMap series and absolutely love the idea of a fully washable & wrinkle-free fabric product. Thoughts or suggestions on where to begin?

Maybe by buying one? The printed could have put his name on it!

[Adam Wilbert]

Maybe by buying one? The printed could have put his name on it!

The packaging for the Rand McNally fabMap simply states "Printed in Korea"

[ELeFevre]

Maybe by buying one? The printed could have put his name on it!

The packaging for the Rand McNally fabMap simply states "Printed in Korea"

A couple of months we got our hands on a 42" sample-roll of the microfiber and did a couple of test-runs on an HP 5000. The printing quality was surprisingly good, somewhat less bright than our standard stock, but still impressive and you could read small print without too much squinting. I even got it wet just to see if the colors would run and they didn't. Apparently it's used to make outdoor junk like flags and banners. You could probably make a nice pair of winter pants out of it as well.

One potential issue is cost. The 42" rolls I priced started at around $500-$600 a piece and got more expensive from there.

Tomorrow I'll get you the name of the product. I know there are other options out there as well that are similar to fabric, but are a little easier on the pocket-book. I'll see what I can find. Cheers.

[Adam Wilbert]

great, thanks! I assumed would be an offset process, but it may in fact be ink-jet after looking at it closer. I have access to an HP Z6100, I didn't even think about using that.

[François Goulet]

Maybe by buying one? The printed could have put his name on it!

The packaging for the Rand McNally fabMap simply states "Printed in Korea"

Deep down, I knew you check this first

[ELeFevre]

This is it: Intelicoat Fab-6

[rudy]

A couple of months we got our hands on a 42" sample-roll of the microfiber and did a couple of test-runs on an HP 5000. The printing quality was surprisingly good, somewhat less bright than our standard stock, but still impressive and you could read small print without too much squinting. I even got it wet just to see if the colors would run and they didn't. Apparently it's used to make outdoor junk like flags and banners. You could probably make a nice pair of winter pants out of it as well.

One potential issue is cost. The 42" rolls I priced started at around $500-$600 a piece and got more expensive from there.

Tomorrow I'll get you the name of the product. I know there are other options out there as well that are similar to fabric, but are a little easier on the pocket-book. I'll see what I can find. Cheers.

You could print but how would it be at it's edges? When you cut it would it fray? Wouldn't you need to seam it up somewhat? As cartographers are we going to have to learn how to use sewing machines?

[ELeFevre]

Hey Rudy,
They don't call it "micro fiber" for nothing! You'd be surprised at how clean the edges are. This stuff feels and looks more like paper than fabric.

[Adam Wilbert]

thanks for the link. I'll look into that material.

I thought I should post a couple of pictures since the Rand McNally site doesn't really show the product well. As you can see, its really soft and the edges of the fabric are hemmed. Its printed on both sides and is about 8x12 inches.
 fab1.jpg   85.84K   50 downloads
 fab2.jpg   55.1K   42 downloads

As cartographers are we going to have to learn how to use sewing machines?

I don't know how to run an offset press and I'm currently getting by!

[ivancanjar]

Can this cloth be washed without affecting the quanity of the image?

Does it have an abbrasive feel, could you clean your glasses or a window without fear of scratching?