Teslin is a waterproof synthetic printing medium manufactured by

PPG Industries PPG Industries, Inc. is an American Fortune 500 company and global supplier of paints, coatings, and specialty materials. With headquarters in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, PPG operates in more than 70 countries around the globe. By revenue it is ...

. Teslin is a single-layer, uncoated film, and extremely strong. Its official website states that it is recyclable and non-toxic. The strength of the lamination peel of a Teslin sheet is 2-4 times stronger than other coated synthetic and coated papers. Available thicknesses run from 7 mil to 18 mil, though only sizes 10 mil and 14 mil are sized at 8.5" by 11" for printing with most consumer printers. Also available are

perforated A perforation is a small hole in a thin material or web. There is usually more than one perforation in an organized fashion, where all of the holes collectively are called a ''perforation''. The process of creating perforations is called perfor ...

versions, specifically, 1up, 2up, 3up, 6up, and 8up. Teslin is commonly used for producing waterproof maps, door hangers, flash cards, horticultural tags, parking permits, and more. Teslin is also widely used in the plastic gift and loyalty card industry. In 1984, the first Teslin-based plastic card was produced by Ron Goade, done through laminating the Teslin substrate after having been printed on and then cutting multiple cards out of the laminated sheet of Teslin.

Teslin Grades

There are various grades of Teslin available, each with their own use case depending on printing method and end use. Most grades of Teslin can be used with an

offset press Offset printing is a common printing technique in which the inked image is transferred (or "offset") from a plate to a rubber blanket and then to the printing surface. When used in combination with the lithographic process, which is based on t ...

, but other types of printing require their own grades to ensure compatibility. Teslin grades are referred to as a letter and number designation (e.g. "SP 1000"). The letters are the type of Teslin, and the numbers represent the thickness where 1000 is 10 mil, 600 is 6 mil, 700 is 7 mil, etc.

SP Grade

The Synthetic Printing (SP) grade of Teslin is the standard grade of Teslin. It's ideally used with an

pigment A pigment is a colored material that is completely or nearly insoluble in water. In contrast, dyes are typically soluble, at least at some stage in their use. Generally dyes are often organic compounds whereas pigments are often inorganic compo ...

-based inks in an

inkjet printer Inkjet printing is a type of computer printing that recreates a digital image by propelling droplets of ink onto paper and plastic substrates. Inkjet printers were the most commonly used type of printer in 2008, and range from small inexpensi ...

. It should not be used with

dye A dye is a colored substance that chemically bonds to the substrate to which it is being applied. This distinguishes dyes from pigments which do not chemically bind to the material they color. Dye is generally applied in an aqueous solution an ...

-based inks. Because this is the standard grade of Teslin, it is available in the greatest number of thicknesses: 6 mil, 7 mil, 8 mil, 10 mil, 12 mil and 14 mil.

SPID Grade

The Synthetic Printing (SPID) grade of Teslin is ideal for use with

laser printer Laser printing is an electrostatic digital printing process. It produces high-quality text and graphics (and moderate-quality photographs) by repeatedly passing a laser beam back and forth over a negatively-charged cylinder called a "drum" to d ...

s. SPID grade is coated on both sides to enable the sheets to be fed into and through laser printers and copiers. It is normally available in 10 and 14 mil thicknesses.

IJ-WP Grade

The IJ-WP grade of Teslin is specifically made for use in both dye- and pigment-ink-based

s. It should not be used in any other print process. The only standard version of IJ-WP Teslin is IJ1000WP (10 mil thick). IJ-WP Teslin is coated on both sides to allow ink to set. Like all other grades of Teslin®, it is waterproof once the ink has set. This grade of Teslin is most popular for creating waterproof maps and signage.

Digital Grade

The Digital grade of Teslin is made to be used in digital printing presses. It is available in 10 mil thickness.

HD Grade

Teslin HD(higher-Density) substrate is suitable for applications that required greater stiffness and tear resistance than what is provided by Teslin SP grade. However, Teslin HD still has similar printability to the Teslin SP grade.

TS Grade

Teslin TS is a thermally stabilized grade which is more resistant to shrinkage when exposed to elevated temperatures. This is best used for applications where fixed graphics are printed before digital or laser printing of variable data.

ID Cards

Teslin Paper is also used to make professional ID Cards by countries around the world. The paper is printed on using an

and then laminated and cut to a CR80 driver's license size. This technique does not require an

ID card printer In computing, a printer is a peripheral machine which makes a persistent representation of graphics or text, usually on paper. While most output is human-readable, bar code printers are an example of an expanded use for printers. Differ ...

and is much more affordable.

References

External links

Official website
{{PPG Industries Synthetic paper Brand name materials Products introduced in 1984 PPG Industries