Car wraps offer the lowest cost-per-impression of any major advertising medium. Studies conducted by 3M have shown that vehicle wraps are the the most cost effective form of advertising available today. In a city of 50,000 people a vehicle wrap can get up to 8.3 million views per year.
In large metropolitan area, like Toronto, vehicle wraps can be viewed up to 20,000 times per hour. In smaller cities like Brampton or Mississauga a car wrap can make 5,000 impressions per hour on a shopping mall or a busy street. Vehicle wrap advertising reaches the broadest audience possible, including consumers not exposed to newspapers and television. Since a car wrap lasts 3-5 years and beyond, it will be seen by millions of people over that period of time.
Vehicle wraps get you noticed. According to fellerscertified.com nearly 80% of people say they remember what they see on vehicle wraps. This kind of retention rate can definitely help grow your business.
A vehicle wrap works for you 24/7 and it’s a one-time advertising expense, unlike other media like radio, TV, yellow pages or even newspapers and magazines. Another study from 3M shows that you would have to spend over $130,000 on television ads to generate equivalent annual impressions of a $3,500 vehicle wrap.
Another benefit of having your car wrapped is that there are no monthly or yearly expenses, no maintenance fees / renewal charges. Furthermore, vehicle wraps are considered the most cost-effective solution out of any customization / personalization method for advertising your service or product . If you’re not considering wrapping your vehicle, there’s a strong possibility that your competitor is, making them one step ahead of you.
A correctly installed wrap doesn’t damage the vehicle’s exterior. To the contrary, it works as a buffer and guards the paintwork from chips, scratches, sun fading, acid rain, and more. In fact rather than ruin the paint, it actually protects it. When you do eventually remove it, the paint will still be in near-perfect condition, which may increase the value of your vehicle when trading in or selling. If your car or truck has had a paint respray, re-laquer or has low quality paint before the wrap was installed, then we can’t ensure the same result. In such cases paint surface damage may happen. Car wrapped vehicles can be put into a typical car wash, but washing the surface with high-pressure jet washers isn’t advised.
Smaller businesses, big corporations, media outlets and many others that want to get recognized are switching to vehicle advertising as the trendiest and the most cost-effective form of outdoor advertising. When wrapped, one company car or your fleet of vehicles can start earning you more money than you think, faster than you think.
The cost: The cost of wrapping a vehicle will vary depending on the type and size of vehicle and the wrap itself. However, costs can commonly range from as low as $900 on a small vehicle and up to $3500 or more on a large vehicle.
The Design: The first place to begin the process is the design, and this is the most difficult to get right. If the design is even marginally inaccurate then the entire wrap could be rendered unusable. Designing for wraps is totally different than other kinds of design work. As with any new advertising method, you need to master the media and fully grasp what will capture the attention of people. It’s more than simply placing images on a car. You should avoid the use of excessive text or colours. Lots of people are choosing rainbow designs or generally going overboard with flashy graphics on their vehicles, which causes the audience to overlook the actual message. Creating an eye-catching statement is definitely amongst the greatest challenges in creating vehicle wraps. You must keep it simple with a powerful message. You will only have a couple of seconds to get the message across as the vehicle passes by.
Another huge mistake people make with wrap designs is attempting to set up a one-dimensional design on a three-dimensional vehicle. Typically where your hood and your front bumper transition to the sides of the vehicle is tricky. You are essentially installing a flat design on the hood and on the side of the car. An inaccurate design will not transition perfectly.
Knowing the size and shape of the vehicle and all its intricacies is an essential portion of the design process; thus, taking measurements before you do any design work is imperative. You truly need to have an excellent handle on templates, because the positioning is crucial. If you have to do lots of reprints, then it becomes excessively pricey and may break your bank. The objective is to know every square inch of the vehicle’s body.
Most wrapping companies will not even get involved with the design as it is time-consuming and requires advanced skills with a great deal of experience.
Unlike other companies on the market, A1A Signs & Graphics Inc. can comfortably take care of your graphic needs from design to print. We employ a crew of highly skilled and very experienced graphic designers who can fulfill your wildest car wrap design fantasies on time and on budget, with unsurpassed precision.
The Print: The ideal printing results come from high-end commercial printers like HP Scitex and VuTek’s which have lower resolution than machines like Mutoh and Mimaki but they are less expensive and faster. Viewing distance and resolution are definitely the most confusing aspects involved in the vehicle wrapping industry. What the majority of people don’t understand is that viewing range goes in conjunction with the resolution and size of a graphic. It’s not at all required to have a truck wrapped with photographic quality print which is 720 dpi and higher if your viewer is going to see it from the distance of 15 feet and at 100 km/hr!
The Material: The self-adhesive vinyl utilized for wrapping plays an extremely important part in the longevity of your vehicle wrap. Inferior vinyls can fail making the wrap look untidy and unprofessional and when it comes to removal they can leave a glue residue, which takes hours, if not days, to fully remove.
People try to cut corners using different brands and there are many, but then installation becomes so difficult that you can mess it all up. If you use high end products from Avery or 3M, it can cut 30 percent of the installation time, as it cuts down on wrinkling, bubbles and waste during installation. It also offers 100 percent clean remove ability on the adhesive if it’s a sound OEM paint surface. This technology cuts down installation time, which means your vehicles can return to work sooner!
Whatever the brand name, industry experts emphasize the use of cast over calendared vinyl for car wrapping. Whereas calendared vinyl begins as a solid and is melted and molded into a sheet, cast vinyl begins as liquid. It results in that calendared vinyl has a memory of being something different and cast vinyl doesn’t.
In practical application, if you apply calendared vinyl over a rivet, then it will tent due to the fact that calendared vinyl has a tendency to shrink a little. Cast vinyl doesn’t shrink so it allows installers to go over protruded elements such as rivets, corrugation and complicated curves, running both vertically and horizontally, more easily and with longer-lasting performance.
The Installation: When the design and print work is complete, the next phase is preparing the automobile for wrap installation. Correct cleaning of the substrate before application is absolutely critical to the successful wrap installation, simply because if the car is not meticulously cleaned immediately before application, then the ultimate result could be the loss of adhesion. You have to ensure to get all the dirt removed from any curves and grooves, as it can effect how the film adheres to the body’s surface. Nearly all vinyl manufacturers strongly recommend cleaning the vehicle with a strong detergent and water. If grease, wax or other leftover impurities is present, then the substrate has to be scrubbed with a solvent, i.e. isopropyl alcohol, and delicately wiped out. But, before you do that make sure to test the cleaning solvent on an inconspicuous section of the surface first to test for potential damage.
If you are uncomfortable with any of the above techniques, don’t attempt to install vehicle wraps alone. Just keep in mind that it doesn’t seem to be difficult to apply vinyl wrapping yourself. The question is if it’s being done competently or not. If its not, it will cost you more money down the road and it will make your wrap look like it was installed by an amateur.
A professional installer will use the right materials and equipment to install the wrap. This is important because one day you will need to remove it, if you intend on selling your car. If the incorrect material is applied, it will likely be very difficult to remove without damaging your clear coat, paint, or both.
A1A Signs & Graphics Inc. is a professional and preferred vehicle wrap installer in the GTA. We can handle the entire process of wrapping your vehicle, from design to print and installation, guaranteed. Take full advantage of our knowledge and expertise to help you get the most out of your auto wrap.
A1A Signs & Graphics Inc. offers attractive, high quality commercial signage including custom car wrap, vehicle graphics, car stickers and decals, indoor business signs, and outdoor commercial signs.
