We love colors and colorful reflectors are fun! So how do we make funflector® reflectors in all the colors of the rainbow when the 3M Scotchlite material only comes in clear (white), bright yellow and bright orange? (And the reason for that is that other colors result in material that does not reflect strongly enough to meet high standards).
funflector® reflectors are colorful because we put colored material under the clear reflective layer, as most manufacturers of EN13356 compliant reflectors do.
Some of our reflectors include a printed design and we also manufacture reflectors with custom logos and prints. There are different ways to do that and how it’s done matters to your safety. The quick way is to take ready made reflectors and print a logo or pattern on top and call it a day. However, when you do that, the reflective power diminishes because the ink does not let much light through. If it loses too much reflective area, it might also lose its EN13356 compliance.
To make the best possible use of every square millimeter of reflective surface, we print the interior layer first and put it under (or inside) the reflective layer when sealing the reflectors. Of course it is not super convenient; it makes it harder to do small (<1000) custom runs and it takes a little bit longer to manufacture. But what is the point of a nicely printed reflector if it does not reflect enough?
Our reflective slap bracelets, solid color or printed, are EN13356 compliant because they are wide enough, we use 3M Schotchlite reflective material and we print under it. Obviously, we recommend NOT to write on the reflectors with markers as that diminishes the reflective surface just like printing.
If you don’t like to be colorful, try our black reflectors. Hang them on black leather jackets and bags for a cool look! They are just as reflective as our white ones—and now you know why! 🙂
The funflector team
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