Commercial graphics are an affordable, cost-effective way for businesses to spread awareness about their brands.
SMC: How do you see current trends in vehicle graphics evolving in the future, both in terms of design esthetics and wrap technology?
CP: There are a lot more players entering the market. We primarily use 3M vinyl, but there are tons of manufacturers now—from Avery to Orafol, and even a lot of overseas brands—which are coming out with pretty durable and consistent vinyl. I think there’s going to be a lot of competition there, which might drive the price down. Everything seems to be going up these days, so it’s hard to believe something will go down, but we might see that in the vinyl world. We’re also seeing a lot more colours than we did in the past. Avery and 3M are a little bit more committed to a core colour base, whereas some of these new manufacturers are throwing everything at it, and we’re getting hundreds of different colours to choose from, with better clarity. One of the downsides of vinyl has always been it doesn’t have the depth a really nice paint job would have, but we’re starting to see that now.
SMC: For shops who are considering offering vehicle graphics, what key factors should they take into account to ensure a successful and visually appealing outcome?
CP: The easy part is probably having the printer and printing the graphic. Obviously, there’s the upfront capital costs of buying a printer, but the real challenge is around the installation part of the job. Even if you’re working on a delivery truck, vehicles aren’t cheap, which means you have the insurance and liability of the vehicle at your facility. A lot of the wraps require the removal of certain parts—such as the door handles, mirrors, and so forth—which opens up a bit of a liability as well. Ultimately, as much as it’s getting easier, wrapping a vehicle is a pretty talented position. If you’re not post-heating properly or following the manufacturer’s recommendations on how to install it, you may successfully do it, but within a week, you’re going to have a lot of lifting and bubbles, which is ultimately going to have that car come back to you. I think training—that hands-on time—or finding a subcontractor to work with is going to be the biggest challenge to get into that market.
SMC: Do you have anything else you would like to add about the current state of the market or where you see vehicle graphics going in the future?
CP: On the commercial side, I think there’s still a lot of room for growth. We’re seeing more branded vehicles on the road, but we’re still not seeing the same percentage compared to those in the U.S. I think companies are still a little bit new to this, or not sure where or how to get it done. As a result, I think we’re going to see an increase in customer requests over the next couple of years.
