A purple-heart, military-themed wrap
was crafted for this truck by Road Rage Designs.
Wrap Design 101:
Keep It Simple
When it comes to wrap design, understand
the medium—and remember the
old adage, “less is more,” said Harris.
“Wrap design is diff erent than a
sign or banner because there are lots
of curves on a vehicle,” she continued.
“On vehicle wraps, for example,
where the hood meets the fender you
need a nice fl ow. Th e most important
objective for any business investing
in a wrap is to communicate who they
are, what they do, and how to get in
touch with them. Some people want a
to put a laundry list on the vehicle, but
if the audience can’t read the copy in
three seconds, the wrap doesn’t do the
company any good.”
“A graphic is only as good as it’s
design,” Howland added. “Th at’s the
bottom line. You can have the best media
and inks, the best guys installing,
and if it is not designed well, the wrap
is useless. Speaking with your client is
critically important. Know their brand,
and do not deviate from their brand
standards.”
A Seamless Install
Once you have your design printed, the
hard work begins.
“Working with vinyl is one of the
biggest challenges,” he said. “It is so important
to place it on the vehicle before
you install it. You have to make sure
you can get it on there straight. And,
try not to have any seams—or hide the
seams. We will place them as low as
possible on the vehicle. Th at way, the
wrap looks more like a paint job than
a sticker.”
Cleaning the surface of the vehicle is
also vitally important.
“Get into every little crack and
crevice,” she said. “And, you will save
yourself a lot of aggravation if you can
take door handles and mirrors off .”
Side-Stepping the Print
A beautifully printed wrap can elevate
a brand and its products, but an
emerging trend in wraps is skipping
the print altogether.
“What is up and coming—and has
been big on the Coast—is color changing,”
said Harris. “People may have
A vehicle wrap for “Cars 3” was applied onto a Coppertone van by Road Rage Designs.
and quality are really nice.”
However, media choice matters, too.
“Th e best fi lms used today allow you
to reposition the graphic during the
installation,” he said. “We love eco-solvent
inks, but people also use latex. Th e
durability of the inks should be fi ve to
seven years outdoors if you laminate
correctly. Use cast fi lm with a laminate
for best results.”
Goodwin reminds PSPs to have a
sizable table on hand to lay out the
graphics—and to have patience.
“Go slowly and take your time with
projects,” he said. “Th e vinyl will talk to
you and tell you what it needs to do. If
you are rushing it, you will have problems
right off the bat. Take care of your
equipment, too. Maintenance is really
important. You want to clean your print
heads and avoid head strikes if possible.”
While many wrap services can be
outsourced, Richart emphasized the
benefi ts of building an in-house business
model.
“Th ere are companies that have printers,
and then subcontract the installation,”
he said. “Some subcontract the
printing and do installation only. We’ve
always said, as in any business, the
more of your workfl ow you can keep
in house, the more successful you can
be. Operating that way allows you to
keep control over the quality, costs, and
timeline. Even though you will have a
little more overhead, that control gives
you a leg up on the competition.”
12 Wide-Format & Signage April 2018 PrintingNewscom
/PrintingNews.com