Ski Builders Forum

Miller Studio in Auburn, WA www.millerstudio.net

We have been in the business of board graphics since 1981. We carry, order and import materials from Isosport, Crown, Transilwrap, La/es, CPS and more for the water, snow and skate producers in the US, Canada, Europe and China.

Our graphic services include but are not limited to:
digital sublimation papers
screenprint sublimation papers
sublimation transfer to pbt and nylons
direct epoxy printing of base material
direct epoxy printing of top materials

We carry a few bread and butter materials in white gloss pbt fleeced backed, white gloss nylon sanded and flamed, and clear Isosport 8210 nylon, Crown base and many other materials on request. We also carry a variety of specialty fabric and plastic materials mostly for water sports...some of which has carried over into snow manufacturing.

Where have you been all of my life (and maybe speaking for eveyone here)!

Anyways, I have always been curious about direct printing, is it epoxy through an inkjet printer? Catalyst and all? Does it need a flood coat, or do you print white as well?

I am sick of Iso PBT, the durability is crap. I would take crown UHMW any day over that stuff, if only I could get good results printing on it (sublimating).

Thanks for posting!!!

The direct printing is epoxy via screenprinting with catalyst and all. We ONLY use Basler epoxy from Switzerland on all European nylon materials and some base printing. We also print some Crown and Isosport base products with a Us made ink that we helped develop a couple decades ago.

Basler developed a specialized was to print via inkjet, however it proved too costly to take on. They only sold a few and they went to huge manufacturers.

We have eventually sampled and moved all of our ski manufacturers over to nylon to avoid the chipping in production and when the tips cross. The majority do sublimation on white nylon and quite a few are building with epoxy printed clear nylons. Quite a few of my clear nylon customers are building with blank sheets or minimal graphics to show core/carbon or layered graphics (fabrics, paper wood burns on the core etc.)

I always tell my customers that nylon is not for everybody so test test test. Once in a while we heard of poor bond results with nylon to only find that too much pressure and/or not enough resin saturation as the culprit. We do not build boards and because we work with such a wide variety of builders from big to small with varying resin and construction methods that all we can do is repeat the word...test test test.

Just want to give a shout out to Miller Studios. I have been using PBT topsheets for a few years and this year decided to build cap skis (i accually finally figured it out) so decided to go with the thinner nylon material from Miller for a easier sidewall wrap. I have to say the product is so much nicer than the PBT. It is way easier to work with, lighter, and sooooo much more durable. The service they provided me is top notch. I always recieve my product in just a day or so, even before I get a invoice. I give there service, and product an A plus. Check it out, you won't be disapointed....kt

Why has Miller Studio been a secret for so long unless I have missed something?

I just hope you are ok with small orders as in "I just need one of these printed, not 500."

I would love to try out the nylon topsheet as I find the PBT to be a bit chip prone.

Anyone have rough pricing? Im also interested in nylon as the small underbrush has the sides of my topsheet look like it was media blasted with 3/4 stone, and i only have maby 10 days on it

-Jacob

Thanks for the shout out KT. We do not have problems with knocking out single top sheets other than we need to somehow cover the costs of producing singles. A lot is based on length and quantity per image. We typically start at $40 for pbt tops in typical snowboard lengths and $45 for nylon in those same dimensions. We custom quote larger quantities.

BTW If anyone wants to chat, see material samples or discuss finished product on the floor at SIA in Denver, Craig and I will be doing a one day trip on Friday the 27th from about 11am to 7pm. Drop me an e-mail and we will make sure to hook up.

For what it's worth Vince is a real nice guy. I ordered some ISO from him about a month ago (going to order more by the way next pay day in about a week). Shipping is fast and he processes right away. Great email contact and on the phone. Super helpful and doesn't mind answering all of your questions.

Can you give us a price list on our raw materials? I looked on your we site but did not see anything. The more choices we have for materials the better.

I do not have an open price list for all my materials and services. I can make one if you want but the pricing will be high to protect myself. The price of the material, value of the Euro, shipping and customs costs are always different, so all I can solidly quote is what is presently on my floor. If you e-mail me with your material needs and volume, I can quote accordingly.

Miller Studio wrote:I do not have an open price list for all my materials and services. I can make one if you want but the pricing will be high to protect myself. The price of the material, value of the Euro, shipping and customs costs are always different, so all I can solidly quote is what is presently on my floor. If you e-mail me with your material needs and volume, I can quote accordingly.

Hi Vince!
I am very interested in printed nylon topsheets. I use the vacuum method. What would you recommend? Most impotant of all, Do you ship to Sweden?

Thanks/Marcus

Yes, we can ship anywhere. I just sent a 20lb box of t-nuts to Austria and it only cost $48 US. International Flat Rate boxes by USPS are great!

Drop me an e-mail if you haven't already
vince@millerstudio.net

Just want to vouch for Vince, I had them sub a nylon topsheet for me and picked it up yesterday. Excellent work, very impressive client list, and to top it all off an incredibly nice guy!

Thanks for taking the time to show me around, I'll let you know how the skis go!

Was Miller studio Creative Edge in the past where Iggy got his original graphics printed for ON3P? Seems too much of a coincidence that there are 2 ski graphics companies in Auburn!