Photo courtesy Digital EFX Wraps
By Matt Richart
Vehicle wraps continue to grow in popularity, as more and more businesses discover the power and effectiveness of taking their advertising and marketing messages ‘on the road.’ Sign shops throughout Canada have noticed the increase in demand, with many widening the spectrum of services they offer to include vehicle wraps, while those shops that already specialize in wraps are growing their business, adding staff and equipment to accommodate more projects.
Achieving success in this specialized and competitive field, however, will depend on ensuring the high quality of each and every wrap performed, including both visual appearance and durability. The following 12 steps should be taken to help satisfy customers and avoid costly mistakes.
1. Size up the job and take photos
To ensure an accurate quote for a wrap job, the customer’s vehicle should be brought into the shop in advance, to be photographed and measured.
DC Signs & Designs in Leduc, Alta., has also wrapped race cars for local client Adams Racing. Photo courtesy DC Signs & Designs.
The photos should include direct shots—i.e. never taken at angles—of the sides, hood, rear, roof and bumpers. Customers are sometimes indecisive as to which part of the vehicle they want to wrap, so having these photos as a reference can save time and aggravation.
Exact measurements should be taken of the height and width of the sides of the vehicle, as well as the hood, rear, roof and bumpers. An extra measurement, such as a door, will help properly scale the graphic.
Attention should be paid to all ‘body breaks,’ keeping in mind how to print the required panels for eventual installation. The vehicle’s contours, body accessories and paint condition should also be inspected.
If the actual vehicle is not available to be measured in advance, professionally prepared vehicle outline templates may be used instead.
