Signage Education: Things to Think About Before Printing And Laminating Your Vehicle Wrap
January 27, 2010
Here are some points to consider regarding printing your graphics. Consider these points carefully before you make any decisions:
1. First, are you printing on a cast vinyl? Cast vinyl conforms better to compound curves and rivets better than calendared vinyl.
2. Are you going to stretch the vinyl? If so, make sure the ink being used will also stretch. Some UV-curable inks do not stretch well and this can cause issues.
3. Are you printing with ink that will go the distance of the material warranty? Some ink manufacturers make claims that may not be accurate. The industry standard is five years.
4. Are you using a liquid laminate or a hard film laminate to coat the wrap vinyl? A liquid laminate will save you money while a two-mil cast vinyl laminate typically costs more. Or, are you using a UV-curable coating for your UV-curable print? No matter what you use, you should be aware that all warranty programs are matched to a specific ink, vinyl and laminate combination.
5. You may not be coating the vinyl at all as is the case of window perf. SignWorks uses hot solvent on window perf. because it’s unlikely that it will fail, peel off a window or fall off. After three years, the window graphics on back windows (angled up more than the side windows) tend to fade about 20 percent, and by the end of five years, they are faded by approximately 50 percent.
Some people put laminate on window graphics but they start to curl up after about a year and a half. The only problem with not laminating window perf is that when it rains, the holes in window perf fill with water, making it very difficult to see out of the windows. However, given the choice between failure before five years or blurry vision from the laminate, I personally prefer the water issue. Obviously, the choice is yours to make.
Signage Education: Prepping Your Vehicle for a Wrap
January 20, 2010
An essential first step to applying any graphics to your vehicle is to clean your substrate (the surface area of the car). This ensures that the graphics adhere properly and limits the risk of failure. It is very important that the vehicle is thoroughly clean and is a critical step in the application process. It is always a good idea to check with the material manufacturer to make sure you are following their recommendations for cleaning the substrate.
The first step is to remove all of the dirt and grime with a commercial detergent and water. A trip to the car wash helps to get as much dirt, salt and road grime off of the car as possible. Note: If you take the vehicle to the car wash, it is important to make sure the vehicle is completely dry before applying the graphics. This may mean allowing the vehicle to dry indoors overnight before applying the graphics.
If grease, oil, wax or other contaminants are present, wipe the substrate with a solvent such as Prep-Sol or Xylol. At SignWorks we will do a final cleaning with isopropyl alcohol (IPA) to make sure that any oily residue from the other solvents is not left behind. CAUTION: If you are using a solvent on your vehicle be sure to test in an inconspicuous area to ensure the solvent won’t damage the vehicle’s paint.
When cleaning the vehicle with IPA, we recommend using two lint free towels. One towel soaked with IPA which is used to loosen and clean off the contaminants (dust, dirt, wax, etc.). The second towel should be dry and is used to wipe away the excess IPA before it has a chance to evaporate. It is also important to pay special attention to cleaning the cracks and crevices of the vehicle where contaminants generally build up. For these areas, we recommend wrapping an IPA soaked towel around a squeegee to get down into the crevasses. After cleaning, preparation is the next most important step prior to applying vehicle wraps.
At SignWorks we will plan your install before we start by analyzing which piece goes where and which one we plan to start with. Today’s material does gives our installer some degree of repositionability, however, this is generally intended so the installer can “snap up” a small area for repositioning, not remove an entire panel to start over.
Before applying the first piece our installer will lay out the graphics and position them on the vehicle with tape. This enables him to check that all the graphics have been printed and allows him to check the positioning of the graphic and make necessary adjustments (or plan on adjustments) before actually applying the vinyl.
Once the graphics are positioned and there is a plan on where to start, it is time to begin applying the graphics.
Signage Education: Selecting Vehicle Wrap Materials
January 13, 2010
Nowadays vehicle wraps are used in place of expensive custom paint jobs. In addition to being a lower cost option to paint, vinyl can be removed when the advertising campaign is over or you are ready to turn in your leased vehicle.
This article will take you step-by-step through the process of selecting vehicle wrap materials and offer tips and tricks that ensure you receive a high quality vehicle wrap.
As with any product, the finished product is only as good as what you start with. So choosing the right vinyl for the job is essential. Since full wraps are expected to look and perform similar to paint, you will want to choose a material with these characteristics. Due to its manufacturing process, cast film is very thin (approximately 2 mil) and has excellent durability and conformability characteristics. This thin gauge of the film gives the vinyl a “paint like” finish that many customers are looking for. When properly applied these films generally last 5 years or more. Consequently, cast vinyl film is the ideal film for full vehicle wraps.
If you are more concerned about the price and don’t need the extended durability of a cast film, there are economy vehicle wrap options available from various vinyl manufacturers. Keep in mind that these economy vehicle wrap films are generally “calendared” films and will not have the same performance characteristics as cast films. For example, you can expect some degree of tenting (material lifting) in areas of the vehicle such as deep crevasses. These economy films are developed to provide a good looking graphic that will last up to one year at an economical price.
****
