The key to vehicle wrapping

Vehicle graphics are increasing in popularity both as a method of decoration and also to protect the bodywork beneath. Sophie Matthews-Paul explains how it's carried out.

Consider the numbers of miles travelled by a well-livered vehicle and multiply by the many thousands who will see any graphic it carries and it's easy to see how this type of promotion appeals both to large organisations and small businesses.

Vehicle wrapping has moved on from the early days when choices were relatively limited in terms of output and end result. One of the keys to a successful application lies in your knowledge of how the media needs to be treated to enable absolute precision and accuracy once in place, along with conformability over irregular surfaces, rivets and sills. A messy job will soon deteriorate and fail to fulfill its intended purpose of providing a mobile, easily identifiable mobile medium.

There is no penalty for producing one-off vehicle wraps; the time involved for working on a single vehicle in application terms is the same as multiples and this brings the added benefit that varied or individual graphics can be applied to a fleet which can contain exclusive data, such as the driver's details or local phone number. Production of graphics relies on accurate details of the wrap being generated in a computerised format at which point it's often a prudent idea to show the client how his job will appear on the road, particularly if it's the first time his vehicle has been placed in the hands of a display specialist.

Since the days of computerised vinyl cutting there have been specialist templates which can be bought online or on a CD which include just about every vehicle, shape and size ever to appear on the roads. But, in common with new generation design, these outlines have continually to be revised to accommodate revised models which might vary in shape only slightly yet present you with a different set of shapes with which to work.

Typically this software, which provides the basis on which to produce designs, ensures that graphic elements and logos are in the best position for the vehicle being wrapped. It takes into account the location of elements, such as windows and door handles, and enables the display producer to produce a job which is tailor-made for the car or van. Libraries of vehicle outlines are regularly updated and the files are created as vector images meaning that they are platform independent. As such they can be imported into any regular graphics or sign-making package, including Adobe CS Photoshop and Illustrator, CorelDraw as well as dedicated production programs. Working with fully-scaled visuals also simplifies quotations and presents a full idea of the appearance of the end job.

Vehicle wraps are also areas where solvent-based wide-format digital printers have retained enormous popularity. The formulation of UV-curable inks, and the method in which traditionally they are cured, has not lent itself thus far to gaining great market share in this sector. This is because the inks are dried onto the surface of the media instead of keying with the material itself. With conventional free radical inks, the hard nature of their chemistry can cause problems with cracking and flaking if stress and conformability are applied. This is changing with the introduction of more flexible ink products and these are beginning to be used with success where bends and, even, folds are required without any resistance.

The right materials also need to be considered when working with vehicle wraps. Low-end self-adhesive vinyls tend to fall in to the calendered category. In general terms, cast films are regarded as a premium product and tend to be more costly because the manufacturing process is more complex. These products start life as a liquid mixture which is poured onto a casting sheet and passed through ovens to allow the solvents in the composition to evaporate, resulting in a solid film which is ready for further processing, such as the application of adhesive.

The manufacturing of calendered films differs in that, once the raw ingredients have reached the temperature in which they become molten, they are extruded and passed through rollers - or calenders - which flatten the material into a thin, flat sheet. These vinyls tend to be thicker than their cast counterparts and normally have a shorter life cycle.

It is the processing which makes cast films generally better suited to vehicle wrapping applications. Cast films, because of their manufacturing process, do not retain a memory and, thus, do not pose problems with shrinkage which can happen with calendered products. Whilst handling might need more care, the thinner and more conformable nature of these materials are benefits when working with complementary inks and when being applied across irregular surfaces. In essence, the media being used needs to be of an automotive grade or it is likely that it won't produce the performance or the durability required.
There are other considerations with materials, too. Particularly when working with vehicle bodies, it's important that the film's self-adhesive properties allows removability and repositioning during application, even if it's only a question of sliding it by a tiny amount.

Similarly, with print, the inks need to have sufficient density to complement the material being used but, even with a product that boasts a long exterior life, vehicle wraps really need to be overlaminated. Cars and vans are probably more susceptible to the rigours of everyday grime, grease and chemicals than other type of display application and, in addition, are passed through cleaning processes as well as having to cope with the elements ranging from bright sunlight through to torrential rain, hail and snow. Providing adequate protection against UV light plus high resistance to a range of external sources of dirt means that a good quality laminate is essential to complete the job satisfactorily and, again, conformability is important. This type of additional layer has the advantage of enhancing the appearance of the end job, giving it a greater gloss and promoting the vivacity and brilliance of the colours that have been printed.

Car and van wrapping isn't cheap but it benefits from a mix of creative and application skills and is most certainly an area where quality and time cannot be compromised. The end effects, however, aren't merely decorative but also offer protection to a vehicle's original paintwork. Even in the days where computer-cut vinyl graphics took over from hand-painted liveries, after removal it was still possible to see where the original display had been placed, particularly if it had been in place for several years. These "ex-lettered" vehicles achieved a lower resale cost as a result. Today, where wrapping includes all external bodywork, a properly executed application using the right materials and production processes should mean that, once the graphic has been removed at the end of its life, there should be pristine paintwork beneath.

How Mister Vinyl does it
The aptly-named Peterborough-based Mister Vinyl includes vehicle wrapping in its portfolio of display-related services, with the company saying it's an area which continually attracts customer interest. Daral Brennan says his fascination in this sector started after he'd bought a Roland SolJet Pro III XC-540 eco-solvent printer. "I was introduced to the Roland Academy based within Walsall College, and one of the courses offered was vehicle wrapping," he explains. "Having already completed most of the others on offer, including Illustrator, Photoshop, Intermediate Digital Printing and Colour Management, I really wanted to try my hand at this. I found the whole concept quite fascinating and a real challenge."

Brennan's shrewd interested led him to discover that this type of wide-format digital production was a service that wasn't promoted actively in his location. His Roland printer offers him the versatility he needs for the vehicle wrapping sector and, although there is fierce competition in the film market, Mister Vinyl's personal preference is with 3M's Controltac IJ380 and Scotchcal Overlaminate 8580.

This marriage of printer and material has worked well for Mister Vinyl and it's complemented by his knowledge of the software and templates needed. "I use Impact Vehicle Outlines, suppled by Graphic Solutions Limited, which are updated regularly when a new registration number is launched," he states. "My preference is for Adobe CS4 to produce everything in house. This, combined with Roland's VersaWorks, is a combination that works well for me. Having used Adobe products for around 25 years, I'm also comfortable with my own ability. I also have CorelDraw and Signlab 8, both of which are excellent but I always come back to Adobe - it's like an old friend."

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