Pleasant Details is your go to company in Charleston for vehicle business wraps! We have put some basic information together to help in your decision to determine whether a vinyl vehicle wrap is right for your business.
Car wraps have emerged as an affordable and effective alternative to traditional advertising. Instead of paying top dollar for a 30-second television commercial or a one-month highway billboard advertisement, you can purchase a solution that lasts for years for a fraction of the cost.
Vehicle advertising allows you to turn your car, van, or box truck into a moving billboard for your business. With an eye-catching design and detailed messaging, a vehicle wrap gives brand exposure to thousands of potential customers, whether you’re driving on the highway or parking in areas with heavy foot traffic.
The primary benefit of using car wraps is that they provide the lowest cost per impression of any advertising method. Both the American Trucking Association and the Outdoor Advertising Association of America (a nonprofit group that tracks advertising statistics) indicate that vehicle wraps cost about $1 per thousand impressions (CPM). Compare that to $2 CPM for static billboards or $12 CPM for a one-day quarter-page newspaper ad, and it’s no wonder that the vehicle wrap industry is steadily growing.
This potential exposure for your business can be valuable, but it comes at a cost. Quality vehicle wraps start at $1,500 to $3,000 and can increase, depending on the size and model of the vehicle and the design you choose.
Pros
- Significant exposure – According to studies from the Traffic Audit Bureau for Media Measurement (TAB), a vehicle wrap can generate 30,000 to 70,000 views per day.
- Long-lasting – Applied wraps typically last three to five years, allowing you to get the most for your investment.
- Protects finish – A wrap can help preserve a vehicle’s finish without hurting the resale value. Some customers even purchase one-color wraps in lieu of repainting their vehicles.
- Easy removal/repair – A professional installer can cleanly remove a wrap and eliminate all traces of the installation. If you need to make changes to an existing wrap, the installer only needs to replace individual panels.
- Exclusivity – Get the full benefits of advertising your business without sharing space with other advertisers (as you would with promotional mailers or rotating billboards).
- No bidding process – You’ll have no competition with other businesses to advertise in prime locations.
- Increased visibility for frequent drivers – Mobile advertising becomes increasingly more valuable for companies that put vehicles on the road frequently (such as delivery services or bus companies).
Vehicle wraps are printed on sheets of cast or calendered vinyl. The primary difference between the two vinyl wraps is durability. Cast vinyl is best for long-term use of 1 to 5 years; calendered vinyl is appropriate for short-term wraps lasting just 3 to 12 months.
Cast vinyl is a premium material that stretches easily to best conform to the vehicle’s surface. When brushed over with a clear laminate, cast vinyl provides a paint-like finish on cars, buses, and even boats.
In addition to increased flexibility, we prefer cast vinyl because the sheets don’t shrink much during manufacturing, and also because they maintain colors better during printing. However, cast vinyl wraps are considerably more expensive than calendered material and isn’t recommended if you need a vehicle wrap for less than a year.
Calendered vinyl has strong “memory” – it snaps back to its original form after being stretched. This means it doesn’t conform as well to vehicles. It’s also difficult to match colors. But calendered vinyl is much cheaper than cast material, and it can be produced in greater quantities. This makes it an acceptable solution for vinyl wraps lasting only a few months – especially if used on flat surfaces such as the side of a box truck – but not for long-term advertising.
Vinyl wrap methods
Pleasant Details offer different methods for wrapping your vehicle, depending on how much surface area you wish to cover.
- Complete wrap – Covers the entire surface of the vehicle. Includes perforated window film (known as “window perfs”) that covers glass surfaces without impacting the driver’s visibility.
- Half wrap – Covers half the sides of the vehicle and extends around the back. Half wraps may also include a logo for the hood.
- Window graphics only – Graphics printed on window perfs.
- Vinyl lettering/spot graphics only – A simple and inexpensive solution that may include 1 to 2 colors, a company logo, and/or a call to action on the side of the vehicle.
There are four main steps to creating vehicle wraps: designing, proofing, printing, and installing.
Designing
The design work is the longest part of the vehicle wrap process. It can take anywhere from 5 to 40 hours, depending on the complexity of the design and style of vehicle. Certain graphics may have to be specially cut and contoured to fit parts of the vehicle, which can take longer.
Proofing
Once the design is ready, we create an electronic or printed proof of the wrap. It’s important to carefully examine the proof for any mistakes you find and immediately note any changes you want made to the final wrap before printing. Any changes you have after the wrap goes into final production can delay turnaround and add significantly to your costs.
Printing
Pleasant Details prints the finished design on 48-to 60-inch-wide vinyl sheets using a large-format, solvent-based printer. These printers produce vehicle wraps and other signage at a very high resolution. Complete vehicle wraps are typically printed in multiple panels and carefully pieced together during installation.
After printing the wrap, we set it aside for a few hours to “gas out.” This prevents the vinyl from bubbling or wrinkling during application.
Installing
Before we can begin installing your wrap, your vehicle needs to be thoroughly cleaned so that the wrap will adhere properly. Taking it through a high-pressure car wash that uses powerful detergents should clean off most grime and debris.
Once cleaned, we carefully align the vinyl panels to ensure proper fit and applies them to the vehicle. The installer uses a small tool like a heat gun to stretch and reposition the vinyl, and a squeegee to eliminate imperfections. When finished, he may apply a UV-coated laminate to the surface to protect the wrap and provide a glossier finish. This process also makes the wrap easier to remove when you no longer need it.
It’s important to note that installers rely on sharp razors to manipulate the vinyl and remove excess material around door handles and crevices. Even with expert installers, there’s some potential for minor nicks and scratches to the surface.
Caring for your wrapped vehicle
To keep the wrap clean, hand wash the vehicle regularly with soap, water, and a clean rag. Avoid high-pressure or bristle-based car washes that could lift up or tear the wrap, as well as waxes that could remove the laminate or minimize the wrap’s adhesion.
Vehicle wrap shops typically provide straightforward pricing – either a rate per square foot or a fixed dollar amount for the entire project. With either pricing model, your car wrap prices should include the entire project: consultations, design work, materials, and installation.
Most shops typically charge $12 to $16 per square foot for cast vinyl material to wrap vehicles. Project complexity and total installation time dictates the total price. Simple installations on smooth, flat surfaces are less expensive, while vehicles with deep concaves or complex designs will push car wrap prices to the high end. Less expensive calendered vinyl costs about $5 to $8 per square foot.
Special requests – like rush delivery, proofs printed to the actual vinyl, or changes to the design post-proof – can add significantly to your total costs.
If a sign shop provides a flat rate for the complete wrap, the costs typically vary based on the size and type of vehicle:
- Cars, compact SUVs – $2,000 to $3,000
- Large SUVs, vans, box trucks, Hummers – $3,000 to $5,000
- Buses, train cars, tractor trailers – $5,000 to $7,500
- Vinyl lettering, spot graphics, window graphics only – $200 to $500
Note that the above prices are estimates for high-quality cast vinyl, which is best for vehicle wraps lasting one year or longer. If the vendor uses calender vinyl for shorter-term wraps, expect your costs to drop by 40% to 50%.
If you need to wrap five or more vehicles, most vendors will offer volume discounts of 10% to 15%. You’ll not only save money by wrapping multiple vehicles at once, but you’ll also keep the design and messaging constant for your entire fleet.
Visit www,PleasantDetails.com or call 843 568 0247/Located at 875 Walt Miller Rd Mt Pleasant SC 29464