If you’ve ever been driving around and seen a car or truck in the middle of an expressway with a bright graphic on the back of it, you’ve probably seen what is called a vehicle wrap. It’s a marketing strategy that’s used by many companies in North America as a way to get their logo or advertising message on a vehicle. For example, car manufacturers like Honda uses vehicle wrap advertising to promote their dealerships, while banks like Bank of America use vehicle wraps to give themselves a more professional image. In order to place your advertisement on a vehicle, though, you need to have a pretty good understanding of the vehicle wrap process. Here’s how it works:
When you’re creating a vehicle wrap, it starts with an image. The graphic designer would create an image, usually taken from an electronic file or computer file, of what the customized graphics would look like once completed. Most companies use stock images, but some specialty graphic designers may create customized graphics from high-resolution digital files like illustrations or photos. Once the image is ready, it needs to be processed with pressurized water to eliminate any excess moisture.
After the image is ready, it needs to be primed. A low-pressure spray is used to add primer, followed by a low-pressure wash to coat the entire surface of the vehicle wrap. After everything has been painted, an electrostatic charge is applied to make sure that the colors don’t bleed.
Now it’s time to apply vinyl wrap. The process varies depending on the size of graphics. For larger graphics, two separate machines are used to apply the graphics, one positioned directly behind the customer and the other at a distance. The vehicle wrap can be cleaned immediately after washing and a protective coating of polyurethane is applied to make sure it stays on. This coating should be inspected regularly to ensure that it isn’t coming off before the vehicle wrap is removed.
Vehicle wraps offer a great opportunity to advertise in a number of ways. While most businesses can hang their signs on the side of a truck, a vehicle wrap is a great way to advertise on the side of a passenger vehicle. Pressure washing and heat treating the vehicle wrap after wrapping it around a vehicle has proven to increase the longevity and strength of the vinyl wrap. Some wraps are also applied with adhesive instead of pressure washing, which helps to keep them on better. Some companies even use heat guns to apply pressure washing, which helps to loosen the wrap and get it easier to remove, making it a more efficient method of wrapping trucks.
To ensure the best results, vehicle wraps should be installed by a professional installer who is familiar with the installation process and has experience in the installation of wraps. Not only will the vehicle wrap look good, but the installation process will be easier and faster than if you attempt the installation yourself. Vehicle wraps can be custom made to fit any vehicle perfectly and can also be designed to fit around any door or window. For added protection, some wraps are also made with a peel and stick system where adhesive can be used to secure the vinyl wrap to the vehicle. While the majority of wraps can withstand high temperatures, there are occasionally instances when heat treatment is necessary, so ask your dealer or manufacturer if the installation process would require heat treatment. For more details on vehicle wrap just visit www.tacomasigncompany.com.