Big Picture - May 2018 - 8

What You Missed: Roland's 'Born to Wrap' Workshop
Matt Richart and Dallas Fowler, co-owners of Louisville,
Kentucky's Digital EFX Wraps (digitalefxwraps.com), hosted
a two-day Roland DGA "Born to Wrap - Basics and Beyond"
workshop in April. The class, sponsored by Avery Dennison,
is part of a nationwide series aimed at graphic designers,
production managers, print operators, graphics installers, and
shop owners looking to expand their businesses. Big Picture's
associate editors attended Day One of the training to learn all
about vinyl wrapping in the classroom and on the shop floor.
Nineteen installers attended the wrap training - some
from suburbs of Louisville (including two Digital EFX Wraps
employees looking to gain more installation experience), while
others traveled hundreds of miles from Arkansas, Missouri,
and Florida. Attendees' level of familiarity with vinyl ranged
from no prior experience to 18 years in the signage and
graphics industry; some eager installers had backgrounds in
teaching, flooring, car detailing,
or plumbing, while others brought design and production
knowledge from the wide-format, signage, and vehicle wrapping
industries. One thing all class attendees had in common? A
desire to master the ins and outs of vehicle wrapping.

BACK TO SCHOOL
"Our goal today is for attendees to walk away with
confidence," Richart said, welcoming the class to the first
day of training. Day One of the workshop began with a
"nickel tour" of Digital EFX Wraps' 6800-square-foot
facility - the third location the shop's inhabited since its
inception in 2004 in a 1400-square-foot space with a single
Roland wide-format printer. The shop's multiple machines
are now housed in the front of the building: a strategic move
that helps Digital EFX Wraps close 90 percent of potential
jobs when a client visits the shop. There's just something
about seeing a large-format printer in action that piques a
customer's interest: "If you have a big client coming in,
make sure that your printer is running. Load in some paper
or banner material and show them that you're doing work
in house," Richart explained.
Next, the class headed upstairs to the shop's classroom
area for Vehicle Wraps 101. Richart and Fowler - both
20-year vinyl-wrapping-industry veterans - presented a
rundown of everything a wrap dabbler or expert needs to
know when expanding a wrap business, from printing and
laminating to vehicle prep, sales/marketing, installation,
trimming, finishing, shop setup, and quality control. Richart
stressed the importance of seeing a vehicle in person and
taking photos before wrapping it to avoid problems with
unwrappable areas, rear windows, and other potential issues.
Fowler emphasized how important it is to develop a streamlined workflow: "How can you do something 10 times and
have it turn out the same every time? It's all about process -
pin down a process that works."

BIG PICTURE

May 2018

WRAP CLASS

Ready to put all that newly acquired classroom knowledge to
use, the cohort headed to the shop floor for some hands-on
learning. After an overview of tools and materials, Fowler
demonstrated everything from wrapping a flat surface to the
nuances involved in installing vinyl on corners, ridges,
bumpers, and door handles. Armed with tips, tricks, tool
belts, and squeegees, attendees grabbed scraps of vinyl and
got to work wrapping car hoods, doors, and sides, with
Fowler and Richart ready to offer advice when any issues
cropped up - including one of our editor's propensity for
squeegeeing her way into a very wrinkled corner.
After an exciting and educational first day, attendees
returned to Digital EFX Wraps for a second day spent
installing a full car wrap emblazoned with a Born to Wrap
graphic. Some installers opted to stay for a third day of
training focused on business and design, covering "everything from marketing, generating new business, working
with different types of customers, pricing jobs effectively,"
and using Roland VersaWorks software, according to the
training website.

http://www.digitalefxwraps.com

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Big Picture - May 2018