Fully Furnished

The vehicle-graphics market has grown through the power of word-of-mouth and high visibility, coupled with decreasing production costs and increasing product quality since the millennium’s outset. What started as a marginal ad medium for rappers, dot-com entrepreneurs and other unorthodox businesses has evolved into a mainstream forum to tout real-estate agencies, restaurants, retailers and countless other establishments.

Vehicle wraps were the sole domain of Hummers, Escalades and other behemoths; they’re increasingly appearing on smaller vehicles, such as VW Beetles and PT Cruisers that offer appealing curves and contours. And, they add more appeal to once-forgettable vehicles such as vans, trailers and box trucks.

For Furnishing Quarters, a subsidiary of Executive Suites Hotels, we wrapped its truck fleet with the image of an inviting living room. From pre-wrap treatments to lamination, creating image-enhancing vehicle graphics is no accident – preplanning prevents poor performance.

Prep school

A very clean surface is critical for a vehicle-graphic installation. The painted surface must be dry before the chemical rubdown to ensure the vinyl application creates a heat-sealed bond that will meet or exceed the product’s five-year warranty.

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Installers should rub the paint down with cotton swabs doused with a liquid solvent, such as isopropyl alcohol, watered-down Windex® or Zap truck cleaner diluted to a 1:32 cleaner/water ratio. Work in a warm, dry location. I’ve tried installing in cold garages – the vinyl will become brittle and not stick.

The right stuff

To wrap vinyl around rounded surfaces – VW Beetles are the toughest – a heat gun or butane torch needs to soften the material to aid adhesion. To cut the materials, we used #11 X-Acto® knives – these pinpoint edges cut air bubbles. Burnishers, rivet brushes and squeegees are also important tools of the trade. Of course, there’s no substitute for skill and experience.

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Design basics

We measured the printable dimensions of the 16-ft.-long trucks and created templates at 1:10 scale using Adobe Illustrator®. We produced 300-dpi graphics in this system, and created a low-resolution PDF for client approval. Some believe InDesign®, Quark® or Freehand® are better programs, but, in truth, Illustrator was originally created as a vehicular, graphic-design tool – the curves and scale of its vector layouts accurately mimic the final print.

The file size of a typical Illustrator or Photoshop file varies form 40 to 120MB, which depends upon the design complexity. The file size impacts the uploading time RIP files require.

The print 411

We use a six-color, solvent-ink, Mimaki JV3 160S, which we cali¬brated to print with an Alpha Glossy ABV color profile. For maximum color retention, we selected the 16-pass, 720-dpi setting. This isn’t the cheapest or fastest way to create a wrap – I’ll be honest, it costs me money some¬times – but I insist our shop outputs high-quality material. The customer doesn’t want to hear, “It will look fine from 10 ft. away at 40 mph.” To uphold the manufacturers’ five-year warranty, we match the film with a cast, luster laminate.

That’s a wrap

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The installers taped the 4-ft.-long panels into place to match the approved scale drawings. They progressed from the back of the truck forward, which creates a stronger bond and makes it more resistant to potential hazards. After having adhered the film into place with squeegees sheathed in low-friction sleeves, they used torches and burnishing tools to flatten out air bubbles and wrinkles.

Rear doors, particularly multi-hinged, roll-up types, can be very problematic for graphic installations. All doors require extra time to heat and conform into place. After you complete the wrap, wash the vehicle with a mild soap solution and a sponge. Never run it through a car wash – this will invite edge lifting and create a disaster.

Vehicle wraps are a very rewarding and potentially lucrative market, which means it’s very competitive. It might be tempting to cut corners to save money, but you’re only sabotaging yourself in the long run. Invest the money, time and training needed to determine the best materials and techniques for your market.

More About Sam

Sam Kaplan studied advertising arts at New York City’s High School of Art & Design. From there, he attended the Parsons School of Design, where he learned a lesson about graphic design’s potential professional pitfalls.

“While a student, I created a snowflake logo and typography for Arista Air Conditioning, and these were applied as cut-vinyl graphics,” he said. “Today, that design travels on their fleet of more than 100 repair trucks and has won design awards, but I’ve never been credited by the company. It’s a good reminder that you should copyright every design you create.”

Kaplan spent 26 years on the creative team at several advertising agencies before reconnecting with the vehicle-graphics market (now inkjet wraps) in 1999, when he founded Mobile Ad Group. He said, “The digital age provided me the opportunity to create vehicle graphics on a local basis for the clients for whom I’d developed global campaigns with the agencies. Along with the Internet, vehicle wraps have foiled the old Madison Ave. ad-agency model and leveled the playing field. I’m grateful to 3M and Avery for delivering large-format media that helped create this market.”

For more information about his company, contact Kaplan at moebilladd@gmail.com.