Cut and Trim for Vehicle Wraps

Wide-format printing is one of the fastest growing segments of the graphic arts industry. The Graph Expo show in late October (Chicago) will include an exhibition area of more than 40,000 sq.ft. devoted to the technology.

One of the fastest growing segments within wide format is vehicle wraps, which turn autos, trains and buses into moving billboards. The finishing side of this process is tightly integrated to both the creative and printing process. Ideally, these are electronically linked and, when possible, drive digital cutters to slice precisely tailored components for vehicle wraps from the printed material.

Typically, the process begins with a digital template. The Digital Auto Library in Greely, Ontario, Canada, stores more than 7,300 vehicle outline templates, to drive printers and cutters to output the appropriate shapes. If included in the vehicle wrap design, windows, which must be transparent to passengers, will require a different material or printing density than the body of the vehicle.

Once the job is printed and laminated, a companion file can drive a digital trimming device to create the component elements for a wrap, although not all projects go this route. Regardless, some parts of the application will require hand cutting, a task relegated to an installer. That's the bailiwick of Josh Daley, president of Daley Visual, a Rancho Cucamonga, CA-based fleet installer.

“Everyone wants one,” says Daley. “Companies want to advertise their products or services, and even more individuals want their vehicles customized. Some NASCAR race car owners are using vehicle wraps, and not painting their cars—it saves a bundle when repairs are done. Instead of having to repaint the whole car, you can just reprint the panel where there is repair work.”

“Vehicle wraps aren't difficult to print; but planning for the job is a lot more complex than an outdoor banner, for example, which is pretty cut and dry,” says Bryan Mehr of M2 Displays, which prints its vehicle wraps on an Océ 9060 eco-solvent device. Durst, Gandinnovations, Gerber, HP, Mimaki, Mutoh, Raster Graphics, Roland, EFI VUTEk and Xerox, among others, also sell solvent and/or eco-solvent printers used to print vehicle wraps.

“Each vehicle has different variables; it's critical to make sure you have the right make and model of the car,” says Mehr. “Also, you have to make sure the designer's concept will work. A logo over a gas cap may look great on the computer screen but in reality it might be an issue.”

Once the wrap is printed onto the vinyl substrate and laminated, M2 Displays turns over the installation process to Daley Visual. The vinyl is softly laid out over the vehicle and taped into place, the material is pulled tight, the backing is removed and it's squeegeed onto the vehicle. Door handles, vehicle emblems, windows and lights are hand cut.

The process can take up to a full day, depending on vehicle size and job complexity. Customer expectations deliver another big challenge for shops providing vehicle wraps. “When you look closely at any vehicle wrap, there's always a little flaw,” says Mehr.

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