How to get the best results with vehicle wrapping

Wrapping is cheaper than a new paint job, and films are available in a range of colours and finishes, so how can you compete in this busy market?

Strictly speaking, vehicle wrapping does not begin to cover the applications of this technology: these days people are wrapping everything from vans and trailers to boats, trains and even plant machinery. But the basic idea remains the same, that wrapping large objects creates a mobile billboard that catches people’s attention, whether that’s to advertise a business, or run a short marketing campaign, or even just rent out advertising space as seen on taxis and buses.

These are all business-to-business applications, but wrapping isn’t always about graphics and messaging so there is also a consumer angle as well: wrapping is cheaper than a new paint job. Wrapping films are available in a wide range of colours and finishes, including matte, gloss, satin and metallic as well as carbon fibre. Some offer iridescent colour shifts or textured effects such as brushed metal or even leather. In addition, some films are designed simply to protect the paintwork on a vehicle. Avery Dennison’s SPF-X2 film, for example, is a 165-micron thermoplastic polyurethane that includes a self-healing topcoat that makes minor scratches disappear when heat is applied (see header image).

There is even a related area of architectural wrapping, where films can be applied to furniture, such as kitchen cabinets or reception desks as well as retail interiors. This can give the impression of expensive materials such as marble or wood grain without the hassle of working with those materials.

When it comes to the actual printing, there’s a good choice of suitable ink technologies. For many years eco-solvent printers from companies such as Mimaki, Roland, Mutoh and Epson have been the leading technology for vehicle graphics. That’s largely because eco-solvent ink produces very vibrant colours that help graphics stand out. It also helps that eco-solvent ink is reasonably stretchable so that the prints can be heated to mould the films around awkward shapes such as hinges or rivets. Better still, eco-solvent printers are relatively inexpensive, allowing printers to expand into this market for very little investment. All of these printers come in a 1.6m-wide size adequate for most cars and vans, whether you are printing graphic panels or full wraps.