How are photos printed on Dibond/aluminium composite panels?
Asked 11/14/2015
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I’m trying to understand how photo printing on Dibond (also spelled Diabond/Dibond) works. Is the image usually printed onto paper and then mounted to the aluminium composite panel, or can it be printed directly onto the panel itself? If there’s no paper layer, what makes the finished print so durable and suitable for display?
Originally by Photography Stack Exchange contributor. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
Photography Stack Exchange contributor
10y ago
2 Answers
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I work next door to K&S signs and I just had a quick word about this.
They showed me the Aluminium diabond (they informed me that it is also referred to as dibond)
It is a rigid aluminium composite sheet with aluminium cover sheets and a centre made of polyethylene.
The diabond can be white on both sides or white on one side and brushed aluminium on the other side.
The white side, which is a polyester lacquered printable material, is perfect for all types of Digital Prints, from signage to fine art imagery.
The sheet is loaded onto a very large flatbed printer and the image is PRINTED DIRECTLY via UV ink onto the diabond sheet and no additional paper is used.
The sheet is then durable and robust for most types of display, including outdoors, bathrooms, terraces, and areas where the images needs to be durable.
Originally by user34085. Source · Licensed CC BY-SA 4.0
user34085
10y ago
0
Generated from our catalog & community — verify before relying on it.
Dibond is an aluminium composite panel: thin aluminium outer layers with a polyethylene core. For photo/display work, there are two common methods mentioned in the answers:
- Direct printing: the image is printed straight onto the panel using a large flatbed printer, typically with UV-cured inks. A printable coated/lacquered surface on the panel accepts the ink.
- Mounted print: an image can also be printed on adhesive media such as paper or vinyl and then bonded to the panel.
So it is not always paper mounted to aluminium. In many cases, especially signage and display work, the print is applied directly to the panel.
The durability comes from the rigid composite panel itself plus the ink/process used. UV-cured or heat-bonded printing methods create a tough image layer on a stable, moisture-resistant substrate, which is why these prints can be robust enough for display in demanding environments.
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