Who’s the Mack?

When wrapping a Mack truck, both the design and the production process better be as tough as the signature bulldog that stands guard atop the truck’s grille. Digital Graphic Solutions (DGS) Valparaiso, IN, embraced this challenge in developing a wrap for G. E. Marshall, a Valparaiso-based, construction-site-preparation company, on one of the customer’s Mack 813 Granite trucks. The approximately 500-sq.-ft. wrap’s artwork incorporates G.E. Marshall’s original logo, but DGS’ design team developed the rest of the rock-solid graphics using Adobe’s Creative Suite 4.

Mark Trumbull, DGS’s president, said Macks test installers’ skill because their hoods contain single-piece, fiberglass construction, which prevents seamless application. While creating an unbreakable image, the design’s chains effectively conceal the seams.

The Mack’s body presented other key design challenges. Trumbull said, “The 813’s curvature, where the nose meets the headlights, is one of the most extreme I’ve encountered. We were able to apply a single piece of film without relief cuts or image distortion. Also, the recesses on the rear cab are even more severe than on typical Sprinter panels. These are common failure points, and they often require professional installers to cut and tuck. Because we had a very conformable media, we were able to work the film into channels without using a knife or primer.”

For this project, DGS used Avery Dennison’s Graphics and Reflective Products Div.’s MPI 1005 Supercast media, which it printed on the shop’s new Seiko H104-S printer using OEM inks. The production team protected their tough-guy graphics with Avery’s DOL 1030 luster-finish overlaminate, which it applied with a 62-in.-wide, AGL laminator. Onyx’s ProductionHouse RIP assisted the graphic-refinement process. Trumbull said, “A RIP must provide integrated file compatibility, strong profile management and accurate gradient reproduction to ensure consistent results from front-end design through production output.”

The wrap met resounding approval from G.E. Marshall’s chief executive, Frank Marshall; DGS is currently designing two more wraps for them.