Well! If its not a very complicated design you can buy the 3m reflective material and "cadcut" it on vinyl cutter. I did the job for a manufacturer so don't know about the supplier. I don't think it will be very difficult to find a supplier of anything anymore, thanks to internet.
Inks are composed of a water-based (latex) ink base combined with retroreflective lenses. They are used for direct screen printing onto fabric for decorative, reflective images.
__________________
How are you measuring? retired Ulano Technical Support Screen printing since 1979 - SGIA Academy Member
i'm not sure the ink carries the same safety rating(or any rating at all) that the tape does. using on safety jackets might be a legal issue. sorry. stan
3M replies fast. I got a reply today about this ink with some options for local (or semi-local) distributors. For anyone interested, your best bet is to contact 3M for info pertaining to your location. They were not able to point me to an online distributor which is what I was hoping for.
If I can track this stuff down, I'll post here about the pricing too :-)
============================================ Richard Labov, Chairman of Union Ink Company has written:
There are no OSHA regulations or any other Federal regulations on any reflective ink.
There are however, Standards from NFPA (National Fire Protection Association ) which call for retro-reflected candlepower of 200-500. Most municipal Fire and Police Departments in the USA require that this standard be met on "Turn-out" gear or Safety gear.
3M, maker of the reflective beads and Scotchlite, will tell you that neither their reflective ink nor any one else's (including Union and Pavonine) can come any where near to 200 CP. Most inks, including theirs, are in the 25 CP area, and one might get up to 50 CP with special treatment (dusting on reflective beads).
While Union's, Pavonine's, 3M's, Rutland's, Wilflex and other inks on the market are good for all kinds of athletic gear (joggers, bicycle, etc.), it is impossible to meet the NFPA-Fire Dept. standards with a reflective ink.
The only way to meet their standards are with Scotchlite plastic film, sewn or adhered, or making a transfer using the new special Scotchlite Plastic film for transfers and screen printing the special transfer adhesive on the back of the film.
Inks (for the athletic gear) are available by the quart from many sources.
with kind regards,
Richard Labov, Chairman 800-526-0455
Union Ink Company, Inc. 201-945-5766
453 Broad Avenue
__________________
How are you measuring? retired Ulano Technical Support Screen printing since 1979 - SGIA Academy Member
A while ago I was looking into printing reflective stripes for a local construction company, but the ink is not nearly as reflective as the tape, yet still very expensive. One Stroke has one and there advice was to itemize the cost of the ink on the customer's invoice, which I had never before thought of doing. I was nervous about buying a $250 gallon of ink that wasn't going to be what I needed. I ended up printing on the ANSI approved reflective clothing, and I am going to say that everyone was much happier than they would have been.
Where can I buy 3M reflective ink ? 
