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 Skins Demystified
Solution What exactly are "skins"?

They're adhesive-backed vinyl pieces pre-cut to fit your iPod. While there are some products on the market that are made of hard plastic or rubber, most of the time when you're discussing skins, you're talking about flexible adhesive-backed vinyl. That said, not all skins are the same.

If they're all vinyl, what's the difference?

You've got to understand that with vinyl films, there are basic two types of material. The vinyl itself can be made using one of two methods: "cast" or "calendared".

Calendared vinyl is fairly inexpensive and is meant mostly for short-term applications on signs. It has a moderately glossy finish, but can have some problems with fading and color inconsistencies and is prone to shrinking over time, especially when exposed to heat (like those your iPod puts off when charging). It's also less pliable and doesn't conform as well to compound curves.

Cast vinyl costs roughly 2.5 times as much as calendared vinyl, but is notably higher quality. Cast vinyls have a much higher gloss point (frequently as shiny as automotive paint), don't discolor and won't shrink over time. They conform easily to just about any curve and last 7-9 years.

Isn't that overkill for an iPod?

Not really. We want your skin to look the same years from now, so we use the cast materials almost exclusively. While our profit margins are less than someone using the cheaper materials, we're focused more on the long-term relationship with our customers.

What about your printed skins?

They're our specialty! The printed skins use cast vinyl with a special patented adhesive that allows you to remove and reapply the skin. You can tell just by looking at the grey diamond pattern on the underside of the skin that there's something different.

This technology allows air bubbles and wrinkles to simply be pushed down and out, making application a breeze. It's also more forgiving on people who might make errors during the installation process, as it can be removed and applied again. During application, the skin can be removed and reapplied as desired, and the skin will never leave any nasty goo on your iPod. There's no need to use water or application fluid - just apply and you're ready to go.

What's the "Battle Armor" thing about?

Once the skins are printed, we take an extra step and apply a super-glossy clear covering over the print. This increases the overall strength of the skin, makes it impossible to smudge or smear the design, and because of the nature of our production process, ensures that the color will remain bright and vibrant for over 5 years. We did evaluate cheaper laminates but they were either too thick, not shiny enough or the finish wasn't of a high enough quality.

Shouldn't your skins be thicker?

No... as we explained above, with vinyl products thicker means cheaper materials. The total thickness of a completed printed skin (with Battle Armor coating) is around 6-7 mil. While we'd love to profit from using the thick stuff that costs a fraction of what our materials do, we're concerned about fitment and longevity. Also, thicker skins don't wrap around compound curves (ie, around the corners of the iPod). In order to offer maximum coverage and proper fitment, we're obligated to continue using the high-dollar premium materials you've come to expect to see in our products.

How do they compare to others skins on the market?

The reaction we've seen and heard and seen is overwhelmingly positive; the consensus seems to be that we produce an extremely high quality product. The same attention to quality and detail is evident in every Skin we sell.

Article Details
Article ID: 1
Created On: 13 Sep 2007 09:00 PM

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