Sign Builder Illustrated Vehicle Graphics 101 - November 2007 - (Page 12)

Lesson 1 Getting Started selves, it became clear that some were there for the physical experience, and some for the business side (curious about pricing issues and marketing). Promising to cater to both segments, and reiterating the “hands-on” nature of the event, Burton assured we would only be in the classroom environment for an hour, at most. “Which means no PowerPoint™ presentations,” he said, provoking a slight cheer from the crowd. With that, Burton introduced the workshop’s instructor, Dallas Fowler of Digital EFX Wraps (www.digitalefxwraps.com) in Louisville, Kentucky. In business since 2004, Digital EFX has wrapped some 500 vehicles, giving Fowler an arsenal of experiential knowledge that was evident in both his instructional lectures and his hands-on vinyl application demonstrations. Remaining in the classroom, Fowler went over several important steps and rules that any wrapper should follow when a vehicle graphics job is brought into your shop: Photograph the vehicle. “This gives you an idea of the car condition. This also puts the potential customer into your shop, which means he’s serious, and now he knows you are too. Also take this time to measure the vehicle on all sides, in order to best determine your print width for the job.” Quote a price. “Many factors go into your quote: difficulty of the install based on the condition of the car, its divots, angles, etc. You don’t want to overprice the customer right out the door, but you don’t want to underprice yourself either, which might show you don’t really value your own work.” Only discuss the job with the vehicle OWNER. “You don’t know how many times the person dropping off the vehicle isn’t the owner, and when the job gets done, the actual owner shows up and says, ‘I didn’t approve that price,’ or ‘I didn’t want that section wrapped.’ So always talk business with the vehicle’s owner—and no one else!” Print out samples. “Colors and finishes can look different in different light. Print out some samples and show the customer in sunlight, if possible, and against the vehicle’s existing paint job.” Have the customer sign-off on removal. S12 SBI Vehicle Graphics 101 November 2007 “Removal of vinyl graphics can occasionally damage already bad paint jobs, so try to have a customer sign a contract acknowledging his paint job is in bad shape and is susceptible to damage during removal. This will cover you should anything happen.” Market yourself. “We put the Digital EFX company phone number someplace on every wrap we do, essentially making every job an ad.” Fowler added that the average wrap project takes two to three days to complete, with at least two employees working on it. Digital EFX offers two-year warranties on all of its wraps and only uses laminated media for all its jobs. And with that, we moved on to the workshop. A large open space with various printers and presses, the workshop floor on this day housed a mini-van (bare of any graphics) ready to be wrapped. A screen on the wall showed the mini-van’s various angles and sides, laid out using graphic design software for printing and cutting graphics. “Measurements are a huge part of the process before anything begins,” Fowler emphasized. Each attendee was given a tool belt (courtesy of Roland), which held several squeegees of varying styles for use in applying vinyl (from various companies—Roland, Avery, MacTac, and softedgesqueegee.com), an X-acto ® knife for cutting the vinyl, and a thin wooden peg with a pin at the end (used for poking small holes into air bubbles, if necessary). We were then shown a pile of 10-by-12 vinyl graphics, from which we were encouraged to grab and start applying. With our tool belts around our waists and our graphics in hand, we really looked like we knew what we were doing. Well, some of us, that is. This wrap novice, as may be evident in the accompanying photos (that’s yours truly in the black, long-sleeved shirt on the previous page), struggled to get past the awkward frustration that is any first time. I repeatedly placed the small graphic on the car door, only to have it repeatedly fold, bubble, or come to rest unleveled. Grabbing my trusty squeegee, I managed to caress some of those bubbles out from under my application, but only after http://www.digitalefxwraps.com http://www.digitalefxwraps.com http://www.XtremeFills.com http://www.XtremeFills.com

Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of Sign Builder Illustrated Vehicle Graphics 101 - November 2007

Sign Builder Illustrated Vehicle Graphics 101 - November 2007 Table of Contents Welcome to Vehicle Graphics 101 Firsthand from a First-timer Pitfalls, Problems, and Paths to Glory Adventures in Vinyl Removal Hitting the Market: Put Yourself Out There Product Manufacturers Listings Wrap-related Calendar

Sign Builder Illustrated Vehicle Graphics 101 - November 2007

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