Vehicle Wraps: Understanding Contours and Relief Cuts

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When a customer decides to wrap a vehicle whether it is an automobile, SUV or box truck, the complexity of the job will be determined by the complexity and curvature of the vehicle. While a box truck would represent a larger surface area than an automobile, the fact that only the flat sides and back roll-up door of the truck were being wrapped would make this particular job less complex than a smaller but very curvy or contoured vehicle. Big flat areas are much easier to wrap with vinyl than curvy ones!

With large trucks and semi’s it is the cab area that is more complex than the back and sides. This is because of the curvature of the cab area and the complexity of applying wrap vinyl to the grill, bumper and other more complex components of the cab. In the case of the grill many relief cuts will need to be made to ensure the slots of the grill are appropriately covered and match the rest of the truck. Relief cuts are also required where the vinyl needs to conform to any area where there are complex curves or where excess materials need to be cut away and seamed together around a curve.

Regardless of the scale or complexity of your next vehicle or fleet graphics project, consider contacting SignWorks at (510) 357-2000 for timely advice and tips that will make your project more manageable.