Vehicle Graphics Project of the Day: VSP Graphics Shop Car

To paraphrase Barbara Mandrell, Trace George, proprietor of Buffalo, NY-based VSP Graphics, was wrapping vehicles when wrapping wasn’t yet cool. The company, in business since 1996, began wrapping vehicles 10 years ago. At the time, the company didn’t own a wide-format printer – it executed wraps by applying cast-vinyl layers. In 2000, VSP purchased a Gerber Scientific Products EDGE and began fabricating four-color-process wraps.

“Using 11-in.-tiles made vehicle-graphic production tedious, but it helped us perfect our craft and catapult us into a growing market,” he said.

The company’s experience has spurred it to develop a 55-step program that addresses all phases from surface preparation to fabrication and installation. According to George, the company culled its procedures from 3M Graphics Market Center, MACtac, Avery Dennison Graphics & Reflective Products Div. and Oracal USA certification standards to develop its own certified program. The company also offers training courses for other aspiring wrappers.

“Basically, there are two types of vehicle-graphics providers,” George explained. “There are those who are interested in the quick sale, who just use clip art to turn out a job as quickly as possible without any thought of winning repeat business. Then, there are those who charge a little more and put time and effort into creating a legible, appropriate design for the customer. The latter shop will be the survivor because it will win repeat business and referrals as a reputable service provider.”

He said the easiest vehicle to wrap is a trailer without rivets. George estimates his team could wrap such a 54-ft.-long trailer in approximately eight hours. In contrast, he said the many curves, contours and non-stick moldings on pricey sports cars often prove the most challenging.

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George said the shop’s most common wrap subjects represent polar opposites – the SmartCar and the Hummer H3. He said, “The SmartCar offers a lot of artistic appeal and turns heads despite its small size. The H3 offers a large, very complex, contoured surface. Creating a standardized system for those required a lot of testing and patience, but it’s provided a big payoff.”

George often sees providers creating wrap designs with too many graphic flourishes to deliver an effective commercial message. He said, “It’s great that we have so many design and production advances at our disposal, but a message still has to be legible to potential customers. Clutter kills brand recognition.”

VSP puts its own shingle on four wheels with a distinctive, leopard-print wrap over a Mini Cooper. After having designed the program with Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator, they produced the wrap with MACtac's 5529 high-performance, air-egress, cast film paired with Permacolor overlaminate. VSP fabricated the graphics on its Roland DGA Corporation 54-in. SolJet Pro II printer and sealed them with a 60-in. Ledco Econocraft roll-fed laminator.

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