[Lizzard Sergio]

Hi guys...
The "paint" used in printing wetsuits is a specially designed ink which has a liquid rubber base. The reason for this is that the ink needs to be able to stretch with the neoprene as it flexes. Printing on standard nylon outers is easy as the ink bonds to the nylon layer and stretches with it. When it comes to printing on smoothskin rubber its much more tricky as the chemical composition of the ink has to be entirely different. The concept is pretty much like printing on kids party balloons. When the neoprene is printed in its flat sheet form (before it is glued and sewn together) it works fine. However due to the oil content in the smoothskin rubber it is difficult to get the ink to bond correctly and when the suit is being worn and it flexes and stretches, the ink simply flakes off. We are testing some new inks at present and are trying different processes to see how it turns out. I think I have it pretty much figured out but still have a few more samples to try. The end result will be a smoothskin rubber outer layer with a cammo pattern and open cell on the inside. Sandwiched between the two layers is a layer of nylon so that the seams can still be sewn and therefore create a much stronger suit. I will keep you guys posted on how it turns out and send some pics to however is interested.
Safe Diving..
Sergio
Lizzard Wetsuits