Few places have more demand for water-resistant and waterproof products than on a ship. Whether the vessel is as small a catamaran, as large as an aircraft carrier, or anything in between, water is a pervasive issue. Not only is there the abundance of water on which a craft floats, but there’s also the moisture in the air and the spray that comes up from breaking waves. It all adds up to water getting everywhere when out at sea — yes, even in the central depths of the craft, which you might have thought were far enough in to be safe.
Needless to say, waterproofing measures are more important than ever for any vessel that spends its life out on the water. Sheets of standard printer paper will hardly last the day, and posters aren’t much more durable. How, then, do you keep those all-important safety information signs in good shape? Lamination is hardly going to last, and custom signs for every different safety notice will add up to a major expense. This is doubly the case for Navy, Coast Guard, and Merchant Marine vessels given the number of different custom signs needed.
Waterproof Signage
As we mentioned, moisture is pretty pervasive on a ship. Not only can water quickly wear away unprotected paper materials, but the salt in the air can also affect the color and legibility of signage. Add in the power of the sun for fading inks, and you can see how a sign can be quickly destroyed if it’s not made of ocean-worthy materials.
When it comes to making custom, waterproof signs and notices, lamination tends to be the go-to option. It offers the flexibility to create your own custom signage, but that’s essentially the only benefit. The lamination sheets don’t provide any protection against colors fading, and the seal isn’t perfect, so it’s easy for water and salt to work their way into the seams — especially if the sign is bent or flexed in any way.
Custom signage is a more durable option, but it’s also the more expensive choice. Custom signs can be made with waterproof and fade-resistant inks, which is great in terms of durability. The flipside, of course, is the time and expense necessary to have those custom signs made. It’s hardly a swift or inexpensive process — and that’s without the extra hurdles that come along with producing signage for federally owned vessels.
A Better Alternative
Between the safety signage, training materials, and other paper needs on ships, the cost of making everything waterproof can rise quite quickly. Here at TerraSlate, we offer a better alternative to lamination and expensive waterproof signs. Our waterproof paper, posters, and adhesives give you the power to create your own materials. All of our products are waterproof, tear-proof, and colorfast, so you can trust that anything you make with our materials can hold up to the wind, water, salt, and sun of being out on the open water. Not only does our waterproof paper repel water, but it also repels grease, solvents, and chemicals so you can use safety signs and other notices that can hold up over time and hard wear.
Creating Custom Waterproof Signs Easily
When creating TerraSlate waterproof paper and our other materials, one of our key areas of focus was ease of use. Many waterproof paper and sign options rely heavily on post-processing techniques to get the protective benefits. This generally means sending files to the company (or paying their design team to create the mockup), relying on them to print and finish everything, then waiting for the shipments to arrive. All in all, it’s a lengthy process.
TerraSlate waterproof paper and our other products are all made to work with a standard laser printer or copy machine. Whether you choose waterproof printer paper or posters, you can easily print whatever you choose — the only limitation is the size of your printer or copy machine. Once your signage comes off the printer, it will be waterproof, tearproof, and colorfast without any additional finishing processes needed. TerraSlate materials also work well with ballpoint pens and pencil, both before and after printing. If you need training materials or other paperwork to remain waterproof, you can print off the charts, questions, or other necessary information and the details can easily be filled in later with a ballpoint pen.
Custom Materials Without The Custom Price
The other key factor that we focused on when creating TerraSlate waterproof products was the cost. Lamination and custom sign making can both become expensive ventures quickly, especially if you need to replace signs frequently. Our waterproof printer paper, posters, adhesives, and other options provide you with a resource to create your own custom materials for a fraction of the price.
Explore the TerraSlate store online and experience the difference for yourself!