What are some of the more unusual vehicles you’ve wrapped?
MCP: I sometimes joke the only thing we haven’t wrapped is a baby. We’ve wrapped all kinds of vehicles, including cars, trucks, trailers, semi-trailers, RVs and stackers, tanker trucks, and other utility trucks. We’ve also done a wide range of power sports vehicles, golf carts, and plenty of boats too.
One of the more unusual and challenging wrap jobs we did was wrapping a houseboat. We had to figure out what material to use since it was an older structure, and we had to remove the top section of the boat in order to get it into our shop. We’re actually seeing a lot of power boats lately, with people asking for different finishes, metallic and holographic graphic designs, and so on. People want to personalize their toys.
Careful installation on all types of vehicles helps TNT Customs keep its reputation as a provider of quality custom graphics.
Why do you think your customers choose TNT as their graphic provider of choice?
MCP: I know that our clients come to us for the quality of the finished product and our customer service. We have a great name, and our team is top-notch. We work hard to ensure we offer vehicle graphic options for our clients that meet their budget, and designs that create maximum visual impact. We also provide our larger clients with on-site installation service.
What are your top tips for pricing a vehicle graphics job?
MCP: Make sure you are designing graphics that fit your client’s business and budget. The first thing we do is research what the client company is about. We then discuss their goals for their graphics and talk them through the various types of graphics, ranging from basic vehicle decals up to a full printed wrap, and the costs for each one. Then, we create a few design options for them to choose from based on digital proofs.
Material costs and labour are major factors to consider when pricing vehicle graphics. There’s a big difference between doing basic decals, a shell wrap, or a full door jamb vehicle wrap, in terms of the labour involved. You have to be sure to account for all those details in your price.
How did your shop fare during the pandemic that shutdown so many businesses?
TNT Customs produces all its vehicle graphics on its Roland DG printers, including a Roland DG TrueVIS VG-640 64-inch digital printer/cutter.
MCP: When the pandemic started, our production slowed down a bit. I laid off a few employees, and we kept our shop open to provide essential signage, and road signs. Then my boss said to me, “You can’t do this by yourself. Go hustle up some business.” I went out and got so many new clients, and we ended up bringing back our entire staff and hiring two new people as well. Now things are really busy and we need to hire more people again. We are a quirky bunch and super productive, but we all love what we do.
