What Is Mylar Film Made of and What Is It Used For?

You’ve likely heard of Mylar and have seen it used in a hundred different ways. But it’s also likely you couldn’t explain exactly what it is beyond saying it’s “some kind of plastic.” So what is Mylar film made of, and what is it used for? Here’s a basic introduction to this amazing product.

Marvelous Mylar

Mylar is the brand name for a material known as biaxially-oriented polyethylene terephthalate or BoPET. As the name might suggest, Mylar is a polyester product. Specifically, it’s a petroleum-based plastic that can form clothing, upholstery, and film. Mylar has two great features for printing: it’s easy to print on and is flexible enough to serve different purposes. Mylar film is great for bags and other food containers, protecting food from air, light, and moisture, which can induce spoilage. It can do this because of its shininess and smoothness on one side, allowing it to resist oxygen and water. It has a frosted matte finish on the other side. This feature comes into play in other industries, particularly printing.

Perfect for Printing

As mentioned, Mylar is great for creating bags and other packaging. But that’s not the only thing it’s good for. Mylar’s matte side provides a perfect printing surface that really absorbs and holds the ink. This allows the printer to mark bags with ad copy, instructions, logos, UPC codes, and similar printed information for easy identification and more. But Mylar does more than provide fresh food and clear branding. It’s especially useful for the architecture field.

A+ for Art and Architecture

As mentioned, Mylar’s frosted matte side (or sides) is great at accepting ink, graphite, markers, and other writing and drawing media. That makes it the perfect surface for detailed architectural, engineering, and artistic drawings, plans, and schematics. Mylar is a forgiving surface as well, allowing easy removal of the media mentioned above in the event of a mistake or change. Mylar doesn’t smudge or wear out under erasers and light solvents and resists potential damage from spills and environmental factors. Finally, unlike papers with highly acidic contents, Mylar lasts a long time in storage without fading, crumbling, or otherwise breaking down. Its transparency or translucent quality also permits the underlaying of different colors and images without drawing directly on the paper.

Using Mylar

We’ve explored the question, “What is Mylar film made of, and what is it used for?” Now that you know the answer, you may see that it can help with your work. Contact us for a consultation about how a good roll of Mylar paper can add crispness, prestige, and longevity to your next project. We’re ready to answer all your questions and provide information you may not even know you need!