Glossary

Accelerated Ageing: Subjecting material to far more severe conditions than are likely to be encountered during use. In order to predict behaviour during natural ageing.
Accelerated Weathering: Method whereby the deterioration caused by outdoor exposure may be accelerated and reproduced in the laboratory.
Acrylic Adhesive: Pressure sensitive adhesive based on high strength acrylic polymers.
Adhesion: Bond between two surfaces.
Adhesion, Build Up: Increase in peel adhesion value of a self adhesive material after it has been applied to a surface.
Adhesion, Initial: Peel adhesion, measured 20 minutes after application of the self adhesive material.
Adhesion, Peel: Force required to remove a pressure sensitive material from a substrate. (Important: the measurement of this force can only be determined under specific, standardised conditions in order to obtain reliable and comparable results).
Adhesion, Ultimate: Peel adhesion, measured 24 hours after application of the self-adhesive material.
Adhesive: Substance which is capable of holding materials together by surface attachment.
Adhesive Bleed: Migration of an adhesive from the edge of labels or materials.
Adhesive Residue: Adhesive remaining behind on a substrate when a pressure sensitive material is removed from the substrate.
Adhesive Transfer: Transfer of adhesive from its normal position on the face film to the surface to which the film was attached.
Adhesive, Low Temperature: Adhesive which is capable of forming the required bond when applied at a temperature of 2°C.
Adhesive, Permanent: Adhesive that provides a premanent bond to a wide variety of surfaces.
Adhesive, Removable: Adhesive characterised by low ultimate adhesion to a variety of surfaces.
Adhesive, Repositionable: Adhesive which permits removal and repositioning shortly after application but prior to development of ultimate adhesion.
Adhesive, Semi-Permanent: Adhesive with initial tack similar to that of a permanent adhesive, but removable for up to the specified period after application.
Air Release Adhesive Technology: A special feature with channels in the liner that permits air flow and helps eliminate air bubbles during the application process and reduces the overall application time.
Aliphatic: Any organic compound in which the main structure is a chain of carbon atoms joined to each other is classified as being aliphatic.
Anchorage: Adhesion of an adhesive coating or ink to a material.
Anti Graffiti: A product that aids the easy removal of graffiti.
Application Tape: Support material used to facilitate the removal of pressure sensitive markings from the backing paper and allowing application to the required substrate.
Application Temperature: Recommended temperature at which a self adhesive material is advised to be applied. Both the substrate and adhesive should be at this temperature.
ASTM: American Society for Testing and Materials.
Backing Paper: Component of a laminate which protects the adhesive and serves as a carrier. Easy removal of the backing paper prior to application of the self-adhesive material is of prime importance. Also referred to as Release Liner / Liner.
Blistering: Partial delamination between surfaces resulting in a bubbled appearance.
Blocking: Undesirable adhesion between adjacent surfaces of materials.
Bloom: A visible exudation or efforescence on the surface of a material.
Brightness: Amount of white light reflected by unprinted media. Often enhanced by the use of optical brightening agents which give a blue tinge.
Bubble Free: A special feature with channels in the liner that permits air flow and helps eliminate air bubbles during the application process and reduce overall application time.
Calender: To prepare sheets of material by pressure between two or more counter rotating rollers. The machine that performs this operation is known as a calender.
Calendered PVC: PVC film manufactured on a calender machine. The material is produced by means of a system of cylinders which distribute and press the PVC into a film of the required caliper / thickness.
Caliper: A measure of the thickness of a paper or film. Caliper is expressed in micrometers, millions or thousands of an inch.
Carbon Fibre Effect Vinyl: Vinyl film that replicates a carbon fibre appearance and texture.
Cast PVC: PVC film manufactured by "spreading" PVC onto a web of coated paper. The technique allows the production of PVC film with low caliper, high flexibility and excellent dimensional stability.
Chemical Resistance: Resistance of a material to the deterioration effects resulting from exposure to chemicals under specified conditions.
Chroma: Level of intensity (density) of a colour.
CIE (Commission Internationale de l'Eclairage): Standards setting organisation for colour measurement.
Clean removability: The ability of a film to be removed from its application surface without leaving any adhesive residue.
CMYK: Subtractive colour model used for full colour printing. Cyan, Magenta, Yellow and Black inks are combined to produce the maximum range of colours with the most efficient use of ink.
Cockle: Puckering or wrinkling of material. Caused by expansion of paper fibres as a result of overloading the ink receptive layer with ink.
Cohesive Strength: Strength of an adhesive determined by the force required to split or separate it internally.
Colour: Perception of different wave-lengths of light. The perceived colour depends upon three elements - the light source, the object and the viewer.
Colour Fastness: Ability of a material to retain its original colour or to resist change in colour when exposed to light, heat and other deteriorating influences.
Colour Matching: Custom manufacture of a vinyl film in a specified colour - especially useful for corporate identities.
Conditioning: Subjecting material to specific temperature and humidity conditions for a stipulated period of time in order to obtain a balance between the material and its environment.
Conformability: Ability of a material to adjust itself to the contours of a surface.
Container Markings: General term applied to pressure sensitive decals designed for companies owning road or shipping containers. Usually produced to identify and promote the company owning the containers.
Creep: Lateral movement of a pressure sensitive material on a surface.
Cross Direction: Direction at right angles to the production direction of a material.
Cure: To change the properties of a polymeric system into a more stable, usable condition by the use of heat, rediation or reaction with chemical additives.
Curl: Material tendency to diverge from being a perfectly flat surface along the web direction. (Ideally material should exhibit zero curl). See also Hang.
Delamination: Separation of layers in a laminate because of failure in or near the material interface. May be used to describe any splitting of a material in a plane parallel to its surface.
Die: Device in conversion machinery used for cutting the PVC film, or the entire laminate, into a shape.
Dimensional Stability: Degree of expansion or contraction of material due to different environmental conditions (temperature, humidity etc).
Double Sided Adhesive: Self adhesive coating on both sides in order to bind two elements.
Double Sided PE Liner: See Liner / Release Liner. DSPE liner offers excellent layflatness and good performance on plotters.
Edge Curling: Curling of a self-adhesive material from the substrate after application.
Elongation: Increase in length of material brought on by extending it to the breaking point.
Emulsion: Dispersion of fine particles or globules in a liquid which are normally incompatible.
Encapsulation: Output protected by sealing, usually with a clear laminate on both sides and with an edge seal, so that no area is exposed to moisture.
Face Material: Any paper, film, fabric, etc. which has been adhesive coated on the backside.
Fading: Process of degradation of colour.
Film: An optional term for sheeting having a nominal thickness not greater than 0.010 inch.
Finish: Surface property of a material determined by its surface contour and gloss level.
Fleet Markings: General term applied to decals, or pressure-sensitive applications, designed and produced for customers having more than one vehicle for business use. Usually produced to identify and promote the company owning the fleet and/or it's products.
Flexibility: Property of face material measured in specified conditions to determine how readily they will conform to curved surfaces.
Fluorescence: Physical process at which the pigments in a material absorb light and transform this light into a different colour.
Gauge: Distance (thickness) between the two surfaces of a paper or film. Gauge is expressed in micrometers, millions or thousands of an inch. See Caliper.
Ghosting: Second, often lighter image, slightly offset from the true image (typically found on film). In electrographic printing ghosting can be the result of running at high speed or outside recommended humidity.
Gloss: The shine or luster of the surface of a material.
Grammage: Weight of a material (of known caliper) in grams per square metre.
Gravel Resistance Test: A test to simulate stones, gravel or other flying debris hitting a material to determine how resistant the material is to these conditions.
Hang: Material tendency to diverge from being a perfectly flat surface across the web direction. See also Curl.
Haze: Property of a transparent film which appears as reduced clarity.
Heat Resistance: Ability of a material to resist physical or chemical changes caused by exposure to raised temperatures.
High Tack Adhesive: Adhesive designed for applications where an increased initial adhesion is required.
Hue: Description of specific colour, taking into account the balance of red/green and blue/yellow component without reference to either the intensity (chroma) or lightness (value) of the colour.
Humidity, Relative: Ratio of the amount of moisture contained in air to the maximum amount of moisture that can be carried in air at a given temperature.
Incoterms 2010: Internationally recognised shipping terms between buyer and supplier.
Initial Tack: A measurement of the initial grab of a pressure sensitive adhesive.
Iridescent: Vinyl with a two tone finish giving a colour change effect as the viewing angle of the vinyl changes.
Key: Adhesion of an adhesive coating or ink to a material.
Kraft Release Liner: See Liner / Release Liner. A paper liner that gives good performance on plotters.
L*a*b* CIELAB: Internationally accepted colour model used as a standard to define colour within the graphic arts industry. It is three-dimensional where L* is the lightness-darkness axis, a* the red-green axis and b* the yellow-blue axis.
Laminate: A product made by bonding two or more layers of material or materials.
Lamination/Laminating: Adhering of two or more materials together. Usually a clear material applied to a printed surface by hot or cold lamination.
Lay-Flatness: Ability of a self adhesive laminate to remain flat under a change in temperature/humidity conditions.
Light Fast: Ability of a print to withstand prolonged exposure to light with minimal or acceptable change.
Liner: Component of a laminate which protects the adhesive and serves as a carrier. Easy removal of the liner prior to application of the self adhesive material is of prime importance. Also known as Release Liner or Backing Paper.
Luminous: Emitting or reflecting light / material with glow in the dark properties.
Machine Direction: Direction parallel to the production direction of a material.
Material Memory: The phenomena whereby a material retains a memory of its original dimension and returns to it after tension has disappeared.
Matrix: Face material surrounding a self-adhesive label which is usually removed after die-cutting.
Matt: A dull, non glossy finish.
Metallising: Process of applying a thin metal coating to a non-metallic surface either by chemical deposition or by vacuum evaporation.
Micrometer: Instrument used to measure the thickness of a film.
Micron: Unit of measurement of thickness. Equal to one thousandth of a millimetre.
Migration: Movement of one or more components from one material into another, e.g. plasticiser from film to adhesive.
Moisture Content: Amount of moisture present in a material.
Monomeric: An economy calendered vinyl with a reduced life expectancy and conformability and subject to possible skrinkage.
Mottle: Non-uniform colour density.
Natural Ageing: Exposure of a material to normal environmental conditions.
Opacity: Degree to which a material can prevent the transmission of light. Opposite of transparent.
Orange Peel: Surface irregularity resembling an orange skin in texture.
Overlaminate: Vinyl film applied over a graphic's surface. Transparent gloss, matt or textured overlaminating films protect print or computer cut lettering from surface damage, e.g. abrasion, and give UV resistance and improved durability.
Pantone: Standard colour guides enabling the designer to describe colours for reproduction.
PE: Polyethylene
Pearlescent: A lustrous finish with a subtle two tone effect.
Peel: Force needed to separate a pressure sensitive adhesive (PSA) after it has been applied on a substrate.
Permanent Adhesive: Adhesive intended to stick permanently to a variety of common substrates.
PET: Polyester
Plasticiser: Component of plastic materials which provides flexibility.
Polyester Liner: See Liner / Release Liner. Polyester liner provides excellent layflatness, it usually has a clear finish.
Polymeric Vinyl: A soft calendered vinyl with a mid life expectancy, offering good conformability and low levels of shrinkage.
Polyurethane: A flexible and elastic material that offers protection to applications.
Pressure Sensitive Adhesive: Adhesive which forms a bond when pressure is applied, to "marry" the adhesive to a substrate.
Printing, Screen: Process in which ink is forced onto the material to be printed through a mesh of finely woven fabric or metal. A stencil can be fixed to the mesh in order to achieve text or design.
Profiles: A series of settings used on digitial printers to achieve the optimum print results. Each product has an individual profile setting.
RAL: Colour coding system mainly used in paints.
Registration: The method of correlating overlapping colors on one single image when printing a design.
Release: Force required to separate a pressure sensitive laminate. The force varies with test conditions such as peel speed, temperature, peel angle etc.
Release Coat: Coating applied to the backing paper which enables the paper to separate readily from pressure sensitive adhesive.
Release Force: Force required to separate the face material of a pressure sensitive adhesive from it's protective liner.
Release Liner: Component of a laminate which protects the adhesive and serves as a carrier. Easy removal of the release liner prior to application of the self-adhesive material is of prime importance. Also known as Backing Paper and Liner.
Removability: Property of a self-adhesive material that describes the ability to remove the material easily from a substrate without adhesive residues.
Rivet Test: A test to determine the conformability of vinyl.
Satin: A vinyl face film finish that is mid way between a gloss and a matt finish.
Self Adhesive Material: Construction consisting of a face laminate material, adhesive and backing paper.
Semi Permanent Adhesive: Adhesive with initial tack similar to that of a permanent adhesive, but removable for up to the specified period after application.
Service Temperature: Temperature range over which the adhesive properties of the applied label are substantially unchanged over a prolonged period of time.
Shear Resistance: Time required for a standard area of pressure sensitive coated material to slide from a standard flat surface in a direction parallel to the surface. The test is normally carried out in the vertical position.
Shelf Life: Period during which a product can be stored under specified conditions without deterioration to its original properties.
Shore Resistance Test: A test that measures the resistance of a material towards indentation.
Shrinkage: Reduction in size of a self adhesive face material.
Single Sided PE Liner: See Liner / Release Liner. SSPE Liner offers excellent layflatness, good performance on plotters and is ideal for digital print applications.
Slit Pattern: The size (width) and number of smaller rolls to be cut from a master (large) reel of vinyl.
Slitter: Equipment to cut a larger reel of vinyl into smaller reels and to rewind the material into shorter reels.
Solvent Resistance: Resistance of a pressure sensitive material to the action of specific organic liquids.
Spectrophotometer: Instrument that measures colours and the differences between them.
Squeegee: Flat plastic tool used during the application of self adhesive film.
Stiffness: Property of a material which enables it to resist bending forces.
Substrate: Material (usually paper, plastic or metal) upon which an image is reproduced.
Surface Energy: A measurement of how receptive a surface is to ink/adhesion. A high surface energy produces excellent print results, a low surface energy could result in ink / adhesive bleeding from surface.
Tack: Property of a pressure sensitive adhesive which causes it to adhere to a surface during conditions of low pressure and short contact.
Tamper Proof: Property of low structural strength which results in destruction of material during attempted removal. Also see Ultra Destruct.
Tear Strength: Measurement of the force required to tear a material under specified test conditions.
Telescoping: Sideways sliding of the material layers in a roll, one over the other, so that the roll looks like a tunnel or a telescope.
Tensile Strength: Force required to break a material under specific test conditions.
Tension: Mechanical control of material in roll form between unwind and rewind stations. The condition caused by a force to extend, stretch or pull apart.
Thickness: Distance (thickness) between the two surfaces of a paper or film. Usually expressed in micrometers, millions or thousands of an inch. Also see Caliper.
Tie Coat: Coating applied to a face material to improve the anchorage of the adhesive, coating or ink.
Top Coat: A surface coating to a material designed to improve ink key or opacity or prevent migration or other properties.
Translucent: Transmission of light in a diffuse manner so that an object beyond cannot clearly be distinguished.
Transparency: Transmission of light through a clear film.
Ultra Destruct Vinyl: Material with a property of low structural strength which results in destruction of material during attempted removal. Also referred to as Tamper Proof.
UV Light: Invisible light radiation which may change colour and/or properties of paper and plastics after a considerable exposure period.
UV Stabiliser: Chemical compound which selectively absorbs UV radiation thereby preventing or delaying the change in characteristics of a plastic material or adhesive.
Vehicle Wrapping: Covering a vehicle with self adhesive vinyl. Can be used to achieve a complete vehicle colour change, to highlight specific features or printed vinyl used as an advertising technique. Offers the vehicle surface a degree of protection.
Vinyl (Polyvinyl Chloride or PVC): A synthetic material also known as PVC (PolyVinyl Chloride). In addition to stable physical properties, PVC has excellent transparency, chemical resistance, long-term stability and good weatherability.
Viscosity: Resistance to flow. It is measured by recording the time it takes to pass through a regulating hole.
Waterproof: Condition whereby a material is unaffected by water.
Weather Testing: Exposing of materials to actual environments in which their response on a number of key requirements is monitored. Usually the tests last for a minimum of twelve months.
Weatherometer: Equipment designed to test and evaluate weatherability under accelerated artificial conditions.

FAQs

Take a look at our FAQ section.
KPMF Glossary

Not sure of our terminology? Take a look at our glossary.

Application Guides

Quality Certificates

ISO 9001:2015
Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance. Quality Management System ISO 9001:2015 applicable to Design and Manufacture of Self Adhesive Plastic Film.
IATF 16949:2016
Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance. Quality Management System IATF 16949:2016 Product Design
ISO 14001:2015
Lloyd's Register Quality Assurance. Quality Management System ISO 14001:2015 applicable to Design and Manufacture of Self Adhesive Plastic Film.
ROHS Compliance - Issue 2
RoHS Compliance Certificate To the best of our knowledge, all of the products currently produced by Kay Premium Marking Films Limited comply with the requirements of the European Union Directive 2011/65/EU on the restriction of the use of recognised hazardous substances in electrical and electronic equipment, also known as “RoHS".
REACH - Article 33
Article 33 of REACH Regulation

Glossary

FAQs

KPMF Glossary

Application Guides

Quality Certificates

ISO 9001:2015

IATF 16949:2016

ISO 14001:2015

ROHS Compliance - Issue 2

REACH - Article 33