Photo-tex vs Fab-tac Results and Summary

Elevate Printing released the following results of their testing of Maciglee's Fab-tac vs Photo-tex material. Both are removable adhesive products that can be repositioned and not damage the surface they are applied to.

See a summary of their results here:
Elevate Printing's Perfect Printing Blog - Magiclee Fab Tac vs Photo Tex Testing Summary
Elevate Printing's Perfect Printing Blog - Fab-Tac vs Photo Tex Test Results

Comparison: Photo-tex media vs Fab-tac media (Part 1)

Magiclee (by intellicoat) has a new product out named Fab-tac as of late 2007 due to compete directly with Photo-Tex media. Photo-tex is a removable and reposition able adhesive fabric that works wonders for a wide variety of creative marketing purposes and specialized display needs. We will post a comprehensive comparison between photo-tex and fab-tac in the upcoming week after we have the initial tests and comparison completed. So far, having used both, here are some initial thoughts on photo tex vs fab tac:

Fab-tac is porous, allowing air to escape through and easily get rid of those unsightly air bubbles. Photo-tex is more difficult to apply, very similar to applying adhesive vinyl (but with the chance to start over, at least).

Photo tex specs are extremely difficult to find. The Photo Tex Group's website is horrendous. So bad I can't even link to it. Fab Tac is manufactured by Intellicoat, and at least they have a spec sheet on there Magiclee website (here).

Fab Tac doesn't seem to be for sale online. This makes price comparisons challenging. Photo-Tex, although expensive, is available from a wide variety of places and can be purchased online.

More Photo Tex versus Fab Tab comparison information later this week!

Photo Tex Printers, Photo-Tex Paper, and Where to buy Photo Tex

We've received a number of questions regarding Photo-tex paper, the re-stickable material that can be used for trade shows, posters, temporary displays, and much more. We've had great success using Photo-tex at trade shows either on the floor in front of our booth or to wrap around columns our booth is near. The possibilities with Photo Tex paper are endless. People have also reported using them as "fathead" or fat-head like posters for their rooms. The picture on the right is an application at a tradeshow, using the Photo Tex material to create a display in front of the exhibit booth.









Here are responses to some commonly and frequently asked questions we get:

PHOTO-TEX FAQ

Where can I find a Photo-Tex printer?
(Where is a commercial printer who can print on Photo Tex paper?)

Elevate Printing can print on Photo Tex for you at a very reasonable price: http://elevateprinting.com/

What is the best Photo-Tex Printer?
(What brand/model of printer should I print Photo Tex with?)

We have printed and tested Photo Tex using Epson, Canon, and HP Printers. If you would like the ICC profiles we use, please contact us. We can recommend the following printers:

• Epson Stylus Pro 9800 / 7800 / 4800 / 3800
• Epson Stylus Pro 9880 / 7880 / 4880
• Epson Stylus Pro 9600 / 7600 / 4000
• Canon ipf5100 / ipf6100 / ipf8100 / ipf9100
• Canon ipf5000 / ipf8000 / ipf9000
• HP Designjet Z3100
• HP Designjet Z2100
• HP Designjet Z6100
• HP Designjet 5500 (UV) / 5000 (UV)
  

We have had bad results using laser printers due to the heating process when it prints, the toner does not adhere well to the media. Since the Photo Tex material is a thicker media, with a canvas like texture, any printer designed to handle fine art paper or canvas should not have any problems.

Where can I buy Photo-Tex Paper?
(Where is the best store or supplier to purchase Photo Tex media from?)

Check out IT Supplies -- www.itsupplies.com/static/PhotoTex.html
They have a good price on Photo-Tex and offer free shipping.

Review of Photo Tex (Repositionable Printable Fabric)

After seeing a profile for Photo Tex on Colorburst's website (looking for 3800 profiles...), I remembered reading about this product a few months ago and meaning to try it. So I tracked down two sample rolls, 24" by 5' each. This product, invented by South Korea, is similar to a standard 2 ply inkjet printable fabric crossed with an industrial strength post-it note. They claim that photo-tex will never lose its stickiness. Now never is a long time, but from my 30 day test, they don't seem to be lying. I repositioned the printed square I had cut (approx. 12" x 12") twice a day for 30 days on a wide variety of surfaces, and it is still sticking. It picked up a little debris from my brick wall, but not enough to negate its sticking power. Impressive. Even after being submerged in water for 3 days, it still stuck to anything I placed it on. With no damage. Even more impressive. Photo-tex states it will not damage anything it is placed on, making it an ideal product to place on your late 18th century library's wooden walls.

As for the printing, it doesn't 'pop' as much as I was hoping, but overall color is good. Bright reds seem to be effected, I printed my samples on a Canon ipf8000 which usually does well with signage. The printing does not seem to wear off over time or fade, another plus. The blacks are moderate. I would not print any sort of fine art on this material. Worth checking out if you have any type of POP or instore marketing clients.

Overall, I was very pleased with the material and am anxiously awaiting a chance to use it commercially (it is a bit on the expensive side). Much like Post Its when they were first released, Photo-tex aren't sharing their adhesive secrets or any of the technology behind this product.

-Michael

Photo-tex website - www.phototexgroup.com
picture from photo-tex website