Question 1

Can you print directly on a spinnaker?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Spinnaker cloth can be printed directly, in full colour, across the whole sail. sailprint.eu has developed four separate technologies for it, because a used club spinnaker and an Olympic-level race sail are not the same job. The process is chosen after we know the cloth, the coating, the age of the sail and how it will be used.

Question 2

Does printing add weight to a sail?

Accepted Answer

Every form of sail decoration adds something. The question is how much, and whether it can be felt in the sail's behaviour. sailprint.eu's lightweight processes are up to ten times lighter than other fine sail-print products. On the cloth you cannot feel the print. On the water you can certainly see it.

Question 3

Can you print on coated or siliconised sailcloth?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Coated and siliconised cloth is the hardest case in sail printing, because the coating is designed precisely so that nothing sticks to it. It is also the reason NaNo-Print exists: an ultra-light process that works on silicon-coated cloth and survives being pulled through a chute.

Question 4

How durable is printing on a sail?

Accepted Answer

On a spinnaker, the graphic lasts more or less as long as the cloth does. That is the honest answer, and it is also the design target: sailprint.eu works primarily for the competitive market, and you cannot have both unlimited lifetime and ultra-light weight. The process is chosen against how long the graphic needs to stay and what the sail has to do in the meantime.

Question 5

How do you put sponsor logos on a spinnaker?

Accepted Answer

Send the logo, the sail details and the intended use to your sailmaker and ask for the graphics to be produced by sailprint.eu. We decide with the loft whether the logo should be printed into the sail or applied as a changeable graphic, then produce it in full colour at a weight the sail can carry.

Question 6

Can you print graphics on laminate and 3Di sails?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Laminate and 3Di sails take large-format full-colour graphics produced as thin printed Mylar-based film, applied so that the graphic follows the membrane rather than sitting on top of it as a stiff patch.

Question 7

Printed sail graphics or stickers — which should you choose?

Accepted Answer

Print when the graphic should stay with the sail. Use a textile sticker when the message will change. Printing gives the lowest weight and the longest life; a sticker gives you the ability to swap a sponsor without touching the cloth underneath.

Question 8

What artwork files do you need for printed sail graphics?

Accepted Answer

Vector artwork is best: PDF, AI, EPS or SVG, with fonts converted to outlines. High-resolution photography is fine where the design is photographic. For the first conversation you do not need finished files at all — a rough visual is enough for us to say what is possible.

Question 9

Can you print graphics on a used sail?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Decorating an existing sail is a normal job, not an exception. It is the usual answer when a sponsor arrives mid-season, when a boat changes hands, or when a class or national mark has to be added to a sail that is otherwise fine.

Question 10

How do sailmakers order sail graphics from sailprint.eu?

Accepted Answer

sailprint.eu supplies sailmakers, not around them. The loft keeps the sail, the customer relationship and the build; we take the graphics and the printing decision. Work has been produced for or through UK Sailmakers, North Sails, Elvstrøm, Quantum, Doyle and One Sails.

Question 11

How thin or thick can the sailcloth be?

Accepted Answer

There is no lower limit. However thin the cloth, we can print it. The awkward direction is the other one: once cloth is thick enough to stop light passing through, the graphic has to be printed on both sides to read correctly from both — and that is its own piece of work.

Question 12

Does UV damage printed sail graphics?

Accepted Answer

Yes, but rarely soon enough to matter. UV degrades every material on a boat, printed graphics included. In practice a spinnaker goes tired in the cloth before the sun has done visible damage to the print — the sail reaches the end of its life first, and the graphic is still there.

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