What is Mylar? Mylar, also known as BoPET (Biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate) is a polyester film made from stretched polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and is used for its high tensile strength, chemical and dimensional stability, transparency, reflectivity, gas and aroma barrier properties, and electrical insulation.
BoPET film was developed in the mid-1950s, originally by DuPont, Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) and Hoechst. The term, ‘Mylar’, is presently a registered trademark of the DuPont - Teijin Corporation.
Because polyester film is less permeable to gasses than other plastics, it is often favored in the food packaging industry. When used as a laminate, e.g., aluminum foil / polyester / LLDPE, it provides increased shelf life and freshness, as well as an excellent barrier against moisture and gas, notably oxygen. Vacuum metallization, also known as thermal evaporation, is the most common.
Wow, and it's really sterile for prints?
Absolutely. Metalized polyester is used in a wide range of industry that requires it to be sterile. Through it's vaporization of foil to adhere to the polyester film, it becomes sterile, and safe for use in pharmaceuticals/computer technology industries, and is also food grade. It is equally, if not more sterile as foil is when it leaves the manufacturer. When stored like this in Mylar, and accessed with a light, non-disruptive swabbing, a single print has the potential to be used over 500 times. With Mylar prints, I can guarantee that everyone is getting their lifetime worth of prints, every single time. A single print. 500 + uses.