Non-PVC Pressure-Sensitive Media for Wide-format Applications

As the use of flexible PVC inkjet media has grown over the past decades, so has consumer awareness of the environmental hazards of all types of plastic waste. So, it’s not surprising that more customers and prospects ask about environmentally friendly alternatives to traditional self-adhesive vinyl for wrap projects.

A number of non-PVC adhesive-backed print media and laminating films are now available for wide-format graphics. But a PVC-free material might not be the best option for applications like vehicle wraps that require extreme conformability and long-term durability.

What’s the Problem?

Some graphic buyers may have qualms about PVC inkjet media because printed, adhesive-backed PVC is not recyclable via curbside or local solutions. Others may still think that PVC manufacturing pollutes the air and/or releases harmful chemicals into landfills or, when incinerated, into the air.

This article highlights just a few of the self-adhesive non-PVC inkjet media and laminates that are available for vehicle wraps and wall, window, and floor graphics, as well as some common perceptions about why PVC hazards may be outdated.

The Impact of Regulations

In those early days of the transition from screen-printed graphics to wide-format digital printing, PVC was made with harmful chlorine and phthalates that could seep into the air during manufacturing or incineration. Chlorine gives PVC its high durability, flame retardancy, and chemical stability. Phthalates are plasticizers that gave PVC the flexibility to wrap around curved surfaces on vehicles, machines, and furniture.

In the 2000s, the European Union and the state of California began enacting regulations restricting the use of potentially harmful chemicals in manufactured products.

PVC-free laminating films can be used for temporary advertising graphics on high-touch/high-traffic surfaces. Shown here is GF 213 Traffic Graffic, a 3.75-mil non-glare embossed polypropylene laminating film with a clear permanent adhesive. GF 213 is approved for indirect food contact and is UL-410-approved for slip resistance on interior floors and commercial carpets. | Credit: General Formulations

To comply with regulations such as the EU's REACH, RoHS, and California's Prop 65, vinyl manufacturers have developed cleaner production processes, more durable applications, safer plasticizers, and greener methods of obtaining chlorine.

Today, vinyl manufacturers obtain chlorine which is a byproduct of oil and gas production, and bind it in a chemical matrix. By stabilizing the chlorine in a non-reactive state for its useful life, potential hazards of PVC are locked up for years. Chlorine vapors won’t be released unless the film is incinerated or contour cut with a laser.

Modern incinerators use steps such as high-temperature combustion, acid-gas scrubbers, activated carbon injection, baghouse filters, and real-time emissions monitoring to reduce or eliminate harmful dioxins released during the burning process.

According to Jay Kroll, director of Product Education at General Formulations, “Current film formulations are no longer produced with heavy metals, phthalates, and other ‘bad actors.’ Our PVC is all REACH- and RoHS-compliant, and nearly every product or ingredient we carry meets California’s Prop 65 standards.”

Non-PVC Materials for Vehicle and Wall Wraps

General Formulations’ adhesive-backed non-PVC GraphiTex polyester fabric can be used to print long-lasting wall murals for offices, lobbies, and residential bedrooms. | Credit: General Formulations

While reducing the overall environmental impact of PVC graphic films, companies and PRINTING United Alliance members including General Formulations, Orafol, 3M, Avery Dennison, and Arlon Graphics have introduced PVC-free media options and laminating films for banners, wall wraps, and short-term promotional graphics. These PVC-free films are made with fewer raw materials, so their overall environmental footprint may be smaller.

Polypropylene (PP) is a 100% thermoplastic polymer for permanent outdoor vinyl signs and backdrops. It is typically available in thin, semi-rigid, water- and chemical-resistant sheets.

Polyethylene terephthalate (PET aka polyester film) is more pliable than polypropylene and can be produced either as a flexible film or woven into a fabric. Flexible PET films are used in one-way see-through window graphics. Woven polyester fabrics are used to make short- and long-term graphics on walls, doors, and other flat surfaces. Polyurethane (PU) combines polymers and urethane to form a material that is resistant to the heat from the sun’s UV rays. PVC-free laminating films are also being developed.

“Protective overlaminates are a must for any printed graphic film, whether it uses PVC or non-PVC materials,” says Alex Wixted, product manager at Avery Dennison. “We have engineered a new PVC-free overlaminate that can be paired either with PVC or PVC-free wrapping films. Installers in sunny, hot climates have shared that pairing a PVC-free overlaminate with a digitally printed PVC film actually improves the longevity of the printed graphic.” Wixted says it keeps the base film from yellowing over time due to extended exposure to UV light.

Examples of PVC-Free Self-Adhesive Films

Arlon VITAL DPF V9700 is a premium cast polyurethane (PU) film for full and partial vehicle wraps, commercial fleet graphics, and wall wraps. It is cast from a water-based formulation that reduces VOCs by 57% during manufacturing. It has high heat tolerance, enhanced structural stability, and FLITE technology, allowing for repositioning during installation and clean removal.

Kristin Lanzarone, owner of WrapStar Pro and certified trainer at Arlon Graphics, says Arlon’s non-PVC film DPF V9700 is extremely conformable

“I highly recommend it for vehicle fleets because of its durability and longevity,” She says. “Not only is it high gloss, but it’s also self-healing.”

Minor dings and scratches on the film surfaces disappear as heat is lightly applied and particles in the underlying layers rearrange themselves. Heat also makes installation easier, Lanzarone says, because heat helps the polyurethane film mold to the contours of the surface. On flat surfaces, less pulling is required to make the print lay flat, she adds.

WrapStar Pro recently used Arlon’s DPF V9500 film and V3370 satin overlaminate to create award-winning interior wall wraps for the restaurant Mario’s Early Toast near Sacramento, California.

3M Envision Print Film 48C-20R is a non-PVC wrap film for indoor and outdoor graphics on windows, walls, floors, and signs, as well as partial vehicle wraps on flat or gently curved surfaces. For ease of installation, it includes 3M Controltac for repositionability and 3M Comply adhesive to release trapped air that causes wrinkles or bubbles during installation.

3M Envision Print Film 48C-20R can be printed with latex, UV, and solvent/eco-solvent inkjet printers, as well as screen-printing UV inks. Prints can be protected with 3M’s non-PVC 8048G (gloss) and 8050M (matte) laminating films, which are also GREENGUARD Gold Certified.

GF 234 GraphiTex from General Formulations is a 7-mil matte white coated polyester fabric with an acrylic removable adhesive. The coating keeps the fabric from fraying and having loose fibers during cutting. Murals printed on GraphiTex can last up to 10 years indoors. The fabric can also be used for point-of-purchase and indoor signage.

Avery Dennison PVC-free MPI 1405 film can be used for outdoor and indoor signs and designs that will be applied to textured brick walls and other outdoor surfaces. It features air egress technology for easy installation and a long-term removable adhesive. At ISA Sign Expo 2025, Avery Dennison previewed its new DOL 7460 PVC-free laminating film with ADReva technology.

Photo Tex has been used to make graphics for walls, windows, doors, and floors in stadiums, museums, and offices, for more than 20 years. 

“The new overlaminate provides exceptional conformability and durability, and creates a full PVC-free solution when paired with Avery Dennison MPI 1405,” Wixted says.

Photo Tex, its manufacturer reports, was North America’s first self-adhesive polyester fabric for wide-format graphics. Backed with a removable, repositionable patented adhesive, it was introduced in the U.S. in 2004 for temporary graphics on walls, doors, and glass. As the product has continously been improved and gained the necessary certifications, Photo Tex is now used in stadiums, offices, airports, museums, and convention centers; on windows; and as home decor.

Photo Tex is available in three versions to cover all aspects of walls, windows, doors, and floors, and can handle water and temperature changes. The Original Photo Tex is for single prints and elevator doors. The Original S is water resistant for outdoor glass. The Original EXS works well with UV inks for certified decals for smooth floors and tight-weave carpets. Opaque versions give multi-panel full-wall murals a seamless look by hiding the areas of overlap.

Lintec of America offers ECO 2100ZC, a polyester-based window graphics film made from 100% recycled content. The permanent, optically clear adhesive ensures distortion-free installations. The UV-printable, scratch-resistant coating extends the lifespan of the applied graphics.

Other PVC-free materials include NatureWalk polyester adhesive textile film from Continental Grafix and Orafol’s economical ORAJET 3740 and 3720 polypropylene films with removable or permanent water-based adhesives. Suitable for use with UV and UV-gel inks, the Orajet films are for short-term outdoor signs and promotional window graphics, as well as exhibit, special events, and point-of-purchase signs.

Recyclability

PVC manufacturers promote PVC-alternative films as “non-PVC” or “PVC-free” materials. Although the unprinted materials may be recyclable, graphics printed on non-PVC pressure-sensitive films are not easy
to recycle.

Once an adhesive has been applied to the back and inks are deposited on the film’s front surface, the graphics can’t be recycled through curbside pickup or local recycling centers.

Like other plastic materials, the printed graphics must be sent to large recycling facilities equipped to remove inks and adhesives before converting the clean recycled base film into pellets that can be used to manufacture other products.

PVC Versus Non-PVC Films

It’s risky to make broad generalizations about wide-format inkjet materials because innovations are continuously being introduced and refined.

Compared to PVC graphic films, some non-PVC materials may be less conformable than PVC films, and therefore better suited for the flat sides or slightly curved surfaces of vehicles.

And coated non-PVC films will typically cost more than uncoated adhesive vinyl that can be printed with solvent and eco-solvent inks.

While Kroll believes vinyl continues to be the most versatile category of print films, he notes that “everything has been moving toward an improved experience for the printer, installer, and end-user.”

As shorter-run digital printers are incorporated into industrial settings that continue to use offset or screen printing presses to produce higher volumes of labels and decals, many pressure-sensitive films are designed to work with both digital and analog presses.

“The same General Formulations wall, window, and signage materials that can be printed on a wide-format printer that uses UV inks can also be printed with UV inks on sheetfed offset presses and screen printing presses,” Kroll says. Some cross-platform products will also work on narrow-format digital toner printers.

“As PVC-free technologies have evolved, we have found them to be conformable and durable for various applications, including signage and vehicle wraps,” Wixted says. He emphasizes Avery Dennison’s expertise in materials science: “While some PVC-free solutions have cost implications, we have the capability to design new materials that are more robust and have PVC-like performance.”

If you have trouble keeping up with ongoing changes in adhesives, materials, coatings, and their safety and environmental certifications, plan to attend the 2025 PRINTING United Expo in October. Big events such as PRINTING United Expo provide a quick, in-person overview of current materials and applications as well as the latest advances.