Vehicle Wraps 101: What You Need to Know

If you’re new to the idea of vehicle wraps, check out these FAQs and get in the know!

Q: What is a vehicle wrap?

Think of it like a sticker for your car. A designer will take a template of your vehicle, design the graphics, print the design on vinyl panels and laminate them for better performance. Then a skilled installer will apply the panels directly to your vehicle. When done properly, the application is so precise that wraps are often mistaken for a custom paint job.

Q: How is a vehicle wrap designed?

While every shop may have some variation of this process, Team Acme has a design team on site that works with our customers to bring their ideas to life. Whether you’re doing it for fun or for your business, we’ll first grab measurements and pictures of your vehicle. Then we’ll talk to you about the look you’re going for or the message you want to give. Then we’ll grab a template of your vehicle and get to work designing some proofs based on your ideas. You pick your favorite and if it needs any tweaks, we’ll do the first round of them on the house.

Q: How is a vehicle wrap printed?

Once the design is approved, we send it over to our high quality, large format printers. They’re fitted with state of the art ink systems to ensure that the resolution and color scheme is perfect. We’ll choose the appropriate vinyl film for the vehicle we’re wrapping and get the panels printed. Once they’re dry, we laminate them to protect them from the elements and ensure better performance.

Q: How is a vehicle wrap installed?

Wrapping a vehicle requires skill and technique, which is where our install team comes in. We’ll ask you to bring your vehicle in precleaned, but we’ll give it a once over to make sure there’s no tar, wax or other debris that could interfere with the adhesion process. If something needs to be removed for better installation, we’ll do that to make sure you’re getting a quality install.

Once the vehicle is prepped, we do a dry install and lay the sticker panels along the vehicle with a squeegee, trim them at the edges of the body specified in the design and heat set the material to make sure it’s properly anchored at the edges. This helps prevent film failure. If there are extremely contoured areas, we’ll also use an optically clear anchor tape to ensure failure resistance.

Then we reassemble any parts removed during the pre-install phase, clean it up and take it outside and let the Nevada sun bake it to perfection. After a few hours, we’ll recheck all areas of the wrap, touch up anything they may’ve come loose and call you to come pick it up.

Q: How long does it take to wrap a vehicle?

Usually one or two days, but we’ll give you a definite timeframe before you bring it into the shop since it ultimately depends on the size of the vehicle and the intricacy of the wrap. If we tell you it’s going to be done at a certain time, it will be done. No B.S.

Q: Can a wrap be removed?

Yes! As long as it was installed on a finish with no flaws it should cause no damage to your vehicle when it’s removed. Just be sure to get it removed before the film warranty expires. After that, there’s a slightly more risk.

Q: Can you wrap car windows?

Yes! This requires a special kind of perforated vinyl. It’s got tiny little holes punched out on one side of the film, which allows drivers to see clearly out of the vehicle while preventing people outside the vehicle from seeing in.

Q: Can you wrap a leased vehicle?

Yes! Since it’s not going to damage the vehicle in any way, you can definitely wrap a lease. A wrap will actually help protect the original paint job from scratches and sun damage. Just be sure to check the terms of your lease agreement to be extra sure!

Q: How long does a wrap last?

The average time is 3 – 5 years, depending on the film used. Sometimes wraps will last longer than 5. Just be careful about high pressure washing.

Q: Is wrap advertising effective?

Yes! A single wrap gets between 30 and 70 thousand views daily! It’s said to be even higher in very densely populated areas. They’re capable of creating consumer awareness that other advertising mediums can’t. They boast the lowest cost per 1,000 impressions (CPM) of all advertising media – between 50¢ and 70¢ on average. We’ve even written up an article that can help you calculate break even!

If you’d like to learn more about vehicle wraps, browse through our blog. If you’re ready to go, get a free quote or give us a call at (702) 566-8326.