Sign Builder Illustrated Vehicle Graphics 101 - November 2007 - (Page 15)

Gary C. Schellerer, VP operations, Signs by Tomorrow, Bloomingdale, Illinois, on materials and training: adding a large amount of bleed to the graphic helps when stretching around these problematic areas.” Jim Conquest, owner, Imagine-It Graphics, Menifee, California, on keeping vehicle surfaces clean: Jim Dawson, owner, Synergy Sign & Graphics, LLC, New Philadelphia, Ohio, on designing and cutting your graphics: “Obviously, you want to make sure you’re using the right films for the job. Make sure you’re using materials that will not only last through the life of the vehicle but would also have removable characteristics, so when the customer goes to remove the graphic, it’s not going to leave residue behind or create a huge nightmare for them on the removal side. “From an installation standpoint, it’s good to have employees trained by someone who knows what they’re doing. There are so many ways to install a vehicle wrap incorrectly, and the end result is always going to be that you’re going to have to do it over. That learning curve, for us, was a little bit less because we brought in people who knew what they were already doing to begin with. “And remember: Heat is your friend when wrapping.” Patrick Perrault, of Signs By Tomorrow, on working with rivets: “Make sure the surface is clean. Most of the guys we’re dealing with, especially with trailers, often wax their vehicles, and there’s always wax residue around the rivets and certain areas they have to deal with (like compartments). And if you don’t clean it off, you need to really be on top of that part of it. Get it clean first; the primers are working real well for a lot of projects. “For an Econoline van, I know the primer, especially when you get up to the gutter edges on the top of the vehicle (because they’re not really clean up there), you clean it off as best you can and use primer on it. That seems to work well.” “ L a y o u t p r o b l e m s h ave t o b e avoided at all costs. Measure twice and print once. We always take high-resolution digital pictures of our vehicle and do the layout on a layer over the picture in Photoshop®. This will help you avoid putting elements in places where they won’t be legible and/or hard to read. “Also, make sure you look at the vehicle closely, identify any problem areas, and develop a plan before you start the wrap. Deep indentations in the body are always fun to deal with. When we have deep indentations, we will either use 3M Tape Primer 94 and slit the graphic and press into the groove, or we’ll use a thick vinyl and prebridge over the gap, eliminating the problem area all together. It all depends how deep the groove is.” “A typical installation over rivets [Photo 5] is easy with a little practice. We install the graphic as if the rivets aren’t there. When we align the panels, we tack the vinyl into place, making sure it’s taut like a drum skin. After the vinyl is applied, we poke air release holes around the rivets and rub them down with our fingers. From there, we apply heat to the vinyl so it can be stretched across the rivet with the help of a rivet brush. “Back-door rivets can be a bit larger and harder to conform. Because the vinyl has to stretch further than a smaller rivet, we’ll increase the adhesion with a 3M product called Primer 94 [Photo 4]. Larger rivets will also require a relief cut around the circumference of the rivet so that it won’t fail over time.” Craig K. Hall, president/art director, LogosPrint.com (a division of Logos Marketing Inc), on wrapping bumpers: “Most problems occur when the vinyl needs to be stretched to conform around bumpers [Photo 2] and all other contour/convex areas. We’ve found that November 2007 SBI Vehicle Graphics 101 S15 http://www.sealandgraphics.com http://www.sealandgraphics.com http://LogosPrint.com http://www.sealandgraphics.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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