WHAT IS A VEHICLE WRAP?
Vehicle wrapping is a special process in which your vehicle is literally "wrapped" in printed graphics so that very little of its original paint colour is visible. The graphics are printed onto an adhesive vinyl film which sticks to the surface of your vehicle.
WHAT TYPE OF IMAGES CAN BE PRINTED ONTO A VEHICLE WRAP?
In a word, anything! Your wrap can be designed any way you like, with full colour backgrounds, photographic images, logos, text, whatever you like. You can almost imagine the vehicle wrap being like a billboard or giant printed leaflet applied to your vehicle.
IS THE PRINTED VINYL PROTECTED?
Yes - every wrap print is fully laminated with a purpose-made clear laminate film so that the actual printed surface is never exposed to the elements. This ensures long life and good performance, and offers resistance to scratches and extra protection from the sun's UV rays.
HOW IS A VEHICLE WRAP DIFFERENT TO PAINTING?
Paint tends to be permanent, whereas wrapping isn't. In fact wrapping offers your vehicle's painted surface a protective layer which preserves your paint. It's also possible to strip the wrap off and change it without expensive resprays.
CAN YOU SEE JOINS IN THE WRAP?
Yes, sometimes. It really depends on the job and the size of the coverage, as well as the complex shapes we are trying to wrap. Vehicle wrapping can offer truly stunning and beautiful results but you do need to remember than we are covering your vehicle in big stickers, not painting it! It is sometimes necessary to make joins in the work although from a realistic viewing distance they are hardly visible.
WHAT PREPARATIONS ARE NEEDED?
There are several important preparations before we can start the wrap:[1] The vehicle must be clean. We always use special preparation chemicals to give the vehicle a thorough clean before application, but we do expect the vehicle to arrive reasonably clean to start with. If your vehicle arrives dirty then we may have to charge extra for the additional cleaning work.[2] Removal of lights. We don't tend to remove the main lights as we can work with them pretty well, but we do try and remove any protruding lights such as side indicators and reflectors if possible.[3] Removal of badges and number plates. Badges and number plates almost always come off. In some cases the removal of badges may damage them; we do our best to look after them but some badges are simply too fragile to remove in tact
Removal of wing mirrors. It is always best to remove wing mirrors before a wrap as these can be a major obstacle to good wrapping. Please note that some vehicle types have mirrors which are difficult to remove (they may require specialist knowledge or tools) so we always recommend you get the mirrors removed by a qualified mechanic prior to bringing the vehicle to us. Your mechanic will also replace them afterwards.
DOES VEHICLE WRAPPING HARM THE VEHICLE SURFACE?
No. The wrap acts as a barrier and protects the paintwork from chips, scratches, sun fading, acid rain, and much more. In fact rather than harm the paint it actually preserves it so that when you do finally strip the vehicle, the paint will still be in near-perfect condition, which can increase the value of the vehicle at trading-in time. However if your vehicle has had a paint respray, blow-over, re-laquer or has poor quality paint prior to the wrap then we cannot guarantee the same conclusion. In these cases paint surface damage is common.
IS A WRAP DIFFICULT TO CARE FOR?
Not at all - Mild soap and water is all you need to wash it down.
HOW OFTEN SHOULD I CLEAN THE WRAP?
Every time it starts getting dirty! It is essential that you keep the wrap clean as road grit and wear and tear can degrade the performance of the wrap.
CAN WRAPPED VEHICLES BE PUT INTO A CAR WASH?
Yes, this is fine.
CAN WRAPPED CARS BE CLEANED WITH HIGH PRESSURE JET WASHERS?
We do not recommend this. High pressure jet washing can force the edges of the wrap to lift and once that happens, the problem only ever gets worse.
HOW IS THE DESIGN PROCESS HANDLED?
Often the client doesn't know what he or she wants the wrap to look like. We not only print, laminate, and fit the wrap, we can also design it for you. There are an awful lot of very good graphic designers around, but designing for a vehicle wrap is best left to the experts who understand the particular challenges and intricacies of the process such as vehicle bodywork grooves and handles, all things which regular graphic designers may not be aware of when they design. It has been known for a professional designer to submit a design for wrapping which looked terrific on paper, but which then had to be pulled apart because it was unworkable in practice.
I WANT TO USE MY OWN CHOICE OF GRAPHIC DESIGNER - IS THIS POSSIBLE?
Yes. It is always advisable to put your graphic designer in touch with us so that we can communicate and advise your designer on how best to produce a workable design. We won't interfere with the creative process, but we really should keep an eye on the practicality issues throughout.
HOW LONG DOES IT TAKE TO WRAP A VEHICLE?
A vehicle wrap is an investment in your business and should not be rushed! You need to timetable your deadline properly so that you get the perfect job in a realistic timely fashion. The design process is usually resolved in a week or so, then there is 2 - 3 days for printing and laminating all the graphics. The actual fitting is a slow, careful process which can take 2 - 5 days depending on the size and complexity of the vehicle.
ARE WINDOWS WRAPPED?
The answer to this is up to you. We normally use a special perforated film for the windows . Window wrapping or “ONE WAY VIEW” using perforated film is an extra cost.
IS THE ROOF WRAPPED?
On small vans and cars we do wrap the roof if you want us to because the roof is visible at standing level. On large vans we don't wrap the roof. This is because of access issues, and the van roof is often ribbed. If you absolutely must have your large van roof wrapped then please talk to us and we can explore the possibility.
HOW LONG DO WRAPS LAST?
Most commercial vehicles are on three year lease terms and so the wraps are designed to last beyond the full three years of your vehicle lease. However, if you own the vehicle then you can reasonably expect your wrap to last at least 5 years (and possibly longer) before it will need removing.
CAN WRAPS BE CHANGED?
Yes. We can change either the entire wrap by stripping the old one off and applying a new one or we can remove sections of the wrap to reflect small changes in your advertising.
WHAT HAPPENS IF THE VEHICLE IS IN AN ACCIDENT?
Generally, after the vehicle has been repaired, we can print and wrap just the section you need rather than doing the whole job again. We do have to let the new paint bleed off for a couple of months though.
DO VEHICLE WRAPS COST A LOT OF MONEY?
The answer to this question really depends on how you view your wrap. Compared to traditional vehicle graphics (for example, a van with a logo on the side and a phone number on the doors) wrapping is a much more expensive option. However, you need to understand that wrapping is a completely different technique to standard vehicle graphics and the work the vehicle does is much more effective as a means of mobile advertising. Compared to other forms of advertising, wrapping is actually one of the most cost-effective methods you can spend your money on. Wraps offer the most exposure for the least amount of money. One estimate suggests that if you live and work in a city of around 50,000 people, your vehicle wrap will achieve over 8 million impressions. Compared to directory advertising, TV or radio, or printed advertising, wrapping costs less per-impression by a long shot and yet will be your biggest, brightest, most visible advert. It is becoming widely recognised as the best value advertising possible.