Tag: wraps

The Art of the Vinyl Car Wrap

Eye-catching vinyl-wrapped vehicles are becoming more and more common on our streets. And no wonder – these mobile billboards make millions of impressions a year and can be used for long-term or short-term promotions with the addition of a decal. Flexible and cost-effective, vinyl wrap advertising is catching on fast.

If you’re looking for a company capable of creating vehicle signs in Lewes, you’ll need to check out whether they have a dedicated vehicle wrapping team. Why? Because wrapping a vehicle so that there are no lines, bulges and wrinkles to spoil the integrity of the design is an art.

Why You Should Vinyl-Wrap Your Vehicles

Think of a vinyl wrap as like lightweight armour for your car. Properly laminated, it can last ten years, during which time your vehicle is protected from wear and tear and damage from the elements. Highly mouldable and stretchable, vinyl can make your car look immaculate and give a professional shine to your advertising campaigns. And when you want to change your branding or make your campaigns more responsive, you can either opt for a partial wrap and decals or start all over again with a full body wrap.

Measure for Size

Before you even think about ordering your vinyl wrap, you’ll need to measure up your vehicle or vehicles so you have a good estimate of how much vinyl you’ll need. Don’t skip this step – a vehicle left half finished because you didn’t order enough vinyl will create a really poor first impression.

The easiest calculation is to measure the length of your car, multiply by three and add an extra five metres. The best way to plan for how much vinyl you’ll need for a professional car wrap is to ask the professionals and work with them on creating a design that will take advantage of the particular bodywork of your company car or van fleet.

Clean It Up

Next you’ll need to clean like you’ve never cleaned before. Waxes and oils affect the adhesion of the vinyl, so it’s critical that these are stripped from the car body before wrapping can start. Get right into the wheel wells and under the hood, as these are areas that you don’t often see yet can compromise the effect of your body wrap if you don’t pay attention to them.

Then you’ll need to give the bodywork a thorough going-over with paint cleaner and alcohol to get rid of any traces of grease. Also pay attention to any rust or paint chips. Because vinyl stretches over your vehicle like a second skin, any obvious blemishes will stick out, so fill any chips and deal with those rust spots. The rule of thumb is if you can feel it, it will show up on the outside – and that includes dead bugs!

Plan It Out

Before a wrap is applied, an installer will size up the vehicle and make a start with the most awkward pieces like the bumpers or the bonnet. It can often be easier to detach mirrors and trim rather than spending a long time trying to work round them. It might take five minutes to remove them and make your life easier.

Never Over-Stretch

Each piece of the wrap is applied separately by removing the backing paper and then smoothing into place with a squeegee. Sounds simple? Far from it. Experienced wrappers will know just how far a wrap can be heated, stretched and repositioned, but over-stretching the vinyl is one of the easiest mistakes to make. Do that and you’ll thin out the glue, resulting in imperfect adhesion of the vinyl. You’ll also distort the pattern and affect the finish, whether it’s matte or glossy.

Cut It Out

A really good installer can trim away the excess while the vinyl is in position on your car. The easiest way to achieve a good result without the risk of cutting into the paintwork is to peel away the edges, trim the vinyl to fit, and reapply.

Where you’re dealing with creating accurate seams, a product like knifeless tape will allow you to overlap two pieces of vinyl over the tape and then pull away the Kevlar thread, which neatly and accurately slices away any unwanted vinyl for a seamless finish.

Don’t Forget the Post-Heat

If you’ve applied a partial wrap to flat areas like car doors and bonnets, where no stretching of the vinyl is required, you can skip this step. But if you’ve applied a full car vinyl wrap, including mirrors and bumpers, then it’s imperative that you apply a heat gun to those areas so your stretched vinyl doesn’t shrink back to its original state.

Why Do I Need Vehicle Signs?

In a busy city like Los Angeles, a car with a full vinyl vehicle wrap can generate a staggering 30,000 to 70,000 impressions a day. Even in the UK, a long-haul truck with a vinyl wrap will generate ten million impressions during the course of a year.

But unless your vehicle wrap is done to the most professional standards, you’ll only create a poor first impression which turns potential customers off. At the Sussex Sign Company our technicians are highly experienced, and they’ll ensure that you get the maximum return on your investment from this powerful form of mobile advertising.

If you’re interested in getting your vehicle wrapping done by the professionals, contact us via phone or email today and we can discuss implementing your car wrap design ideas with our fully integrated design, manufacture, installation and maintenance services.

Finding The Best Sign Company In Seaford To Create Vinyl Wraps

When it comes to outdoor advertising, a vehicle body wrap offers one of the lowest costs per impression. A well designed and executed custom vehicle wrap gives you plenty of strategic versatility for both long and short term campaigns and really demonstrates your company’s creative side.

In fact, if you want to target local customers in Seaford, there is no better way than by using car advertising wraps and driving, or parking, in the centre of town. You’ll raise awareness of your product or campaign if your vehicle is seen in busy areas, at sports events and trade shows.

Beyond their versatility and brand consistency, the use of a vehicle body wrap has some non-marketing benefits, too. A car vinyl wrap cost is a fixed cost, and this weather resistant outer wrapping will protect your vehicle’s paint work from damage, adding to its resale value.

You’ve done your research, and now you’re ready to invest in one of the most powerful and economical advertising tools around. So how do you find the best sign company in Seaford, to create vinyl wraps that will boost your visibility and target the right audience?

What services does your sign company offer?

Ideally, your sign company will have a range of integrated services from concept and design through to installation. You can use separate companies for each stage of the process, but it’s more cost effective if you can integrate the different stages of the process.

However, design is critical in creating a car wrap that attracts the eye, so don’t be tempted by a sign company that offers great printing or installation services at the expense of an eye-catching design.

Why great design matters

You need a sign maker who understands that an effective vehicle vinyl needs to work consistently with your existing branding. They should create a car wrap design that uses the right font and an accurately produced logo, combined with colour coordination and image quality for an outstanding result.

Whichever sign company you’re considering, ask to see their portfolio to assess the quality of their designs. If it takes more than 5 seconds to understand what product or message is being sold, then that design is a failure. If you can control the rights to your own design, then you’ll be able to use it in future. It may be that you have a talented designer on your team – however, it pays to make use of professional car wrap design expertise to get it absolutely right, for maximum impact.

One final thing to consider is whether your campaign will be long or short term, as this can affect the prominence you give to certain elements of the design. You may even prefer to leave space in a design intended for long term use for short term campaign flashes.

What print and finish technologies does your sign maker offer?

Printing and finishing technologies in car wrap vinyl are constantly evolving, so if you want a particular effect or finish, the chances are that it can be achieved. Vehicle vinyl is one area where there’s no ‘one size fits all’, so it should be relatively straightforward to get what you want when it comes to your vinyl wrap.

When you’re investing in car wrapping, it’s important to use the right media for your needs. If you’re intending that your car wraps become a fundamental part of your long term marketing strategy, then you need to use long lasting and durable cast vinyl. This conforms easily to the contours of your vehicle and will continue to look its best for up to 7 years. For a short term or one off campaign, then an intermediate or calendered vinyl is more cost effective.

Make sure that your chosen sign company offers these products, along with a good quality and durable ink, that will stand up to British weather conditions. Look out for any warranties and guarantees that your sign maker offers, and ask for a sample of printed vinyl wrap to ensure that colour reproduction and stability will give the best possible result for your campaign.

Finally, your sign company should offer at least liquid lamination to protect the investment you’re making in vinyl car wrapping. If your budget can stretch to film lamination, then you’ll experience a better level of protection and easier vinyl wrap removal at the end of its useful life.

Installation counts

A stunning design and outstanding finish won’t mean much if your car wraps are incorrectly installed. A good sign maker will understand that high quality installation is an art, the final piece in the jigsaw when it comes to car wrapping for optimum effect.

Not only will an experienced installer inspect your vehicle before wrapping, they’ll also understand the material they’re working with and exactly what it can and can’t do. It pays to be aware that installation usually involves the use of knives and other sharp objects that can damage your vehicle’s bodywork when improperly used – another reason why experience counts.

A talented and experienced installer will pay attention to detail and will wrap your vehicles in such a way that it maximises the lifespan of the vinyl wrap and offers optimum protection to your vehicles.

Finding the best Seaford sign company for vinyl wraps

If you pay attention to design, printing and installation, you should be able to find an experienced and reputable sign maker who can meet your vinyl car wrapping needs. At the Sussex Sign Company, we specialise in all three, to create vinyl car designs and installations that really stand out from the crowd. If you’d like to know more about the vinyl and sign services we offer, get in touch with our friendly and knowledgeable team via email or phone and they will be happy to help.