Just realized I should have picked mylar over polyester for that museum drafting project

I was working on a set of restoration drawings for a local historical society in Tacoma last month and had to choose between mylar and polyester film for the final prints. I went with polyester because it was cheaper and I figured it'd hold up fine. Now the curator says the ink is starting to flake off where they store the plans near a heat vent. Has anyone else dealt with ink adhesion issues on polyester sheets?

2 comments

2 Comments

river_bailey21mo ago

Oh man, that "ink is starting to flake off" part hit me right in the gut. I learned that same hard lesson last year when I did a set of blueprints for a local architect and he called me two months later saying the polyester sheets looked like they were shedding ink everywhere. I thought I was being smart saving money too but now I just stick with mylar for anything that's gonna sit near heat or light for a while.

karenw231mo ago

I get what you're saying @river_bailey2, but I've actually had the opposite luck with good quality polyester film. The key for me has been using the right ink type and letting the prints fully cure before rolling them up. I still use mylar for the really long term stuff or projects that will see a lot of handling, but for most blueprint work the cost savings on polyester has been worth it so far.