Rubylith® Masking Film

CUTTING AND STRIPPINGCut on a hard surface, with only the artwork between the film and the work surface. A light table makes a particularly good cutting surface, combining good visibility with a hard, glass work surface. Tape down the film and artwork in all four corners. Use a sharp blade to cut the film. (A dull blade will tear the film, causing poor edge definition.) Hold the cutting blade as nearly vertical to the film surface as possible to produce good shoulders and sharp printed edges. (Angled cuts cause poor definition.) Do not bear down when cutting, as the relatively soft emulsion layer is less than 50 microns (2/1000 of an inch) thick. Excess pressure causes poor edge definition, planed shoulders, water-retaining grooves in the backing material, burned edges, and poor adhesion along edges. The tip of the blade does the actual cutting. Peeling film with the cutting blade risks snapping off the blade tip. Use a separate peeling tool. Place it slightly inside the cut line, on the emulsion surface to be stripped. Push the film away from the cut line and raise a small portion of the emulsion from the backing material. With the peeling tool, gradually enlarge the area of film raised until it can be grasped between the forefinger and the blade of the peeling tool. Peel away the film.