20' Trailer wrap

[JBurton]

I can't say we've never left anything go out without imperfections, but when you look at this one on a photograph...... how does this stuff look in real time and somewhat up close ?? With mistakes like this, I don't see how it took so long ?? Were you on site when this took place ?? I think those installers need a good talkin' to.

I was wondering how much was actually misaligned vs the panel not being fully flush on the trailer, and from an angle it looks misaligned.

 

[tulsagraphics]

I can't say we've never left anything go out without imperfections, but when you look at this one on a photograph...... how does this stuff look in real time and somewhat up close ?? With mistakes like this, I don't see how it took so long ?? Were you on site when this took place ?? I think those installers need a good talkin' to.

Agreed. They probably installed the panels one at a time and struggled with some stretching. It's much better to seam everything on the table and lay the entire print in one go.

 

[MarkSnelling]

On these very flat graphics, why do you guys go to cast as opposed to a 7 year polymeric vinyl? Costs would be about half that of cast and the overall performance is expected to be the same. If there aren't rivets to go over or mirrors/bumpers to be wrapped, aren't you leaving a lot of money on the table?

 

[JBurton]

On these very flat graphics, why do you guys go to cast as opposed to a 7 year polymeric vinyl? Costs would be about half that of cast and the overall performance is expected to be the same. If there aren't rivets to go over or mirrors/bumpers to be wrapped, aren't you leaving a lot of money on the table?

Personally, fear that a calendared film will shrink and lift. At best I'll go down from arlon's 3220 to 3270 for laminating flat vehicle graphics.
So yeah, paranoia reigns supreme. I guarantee the bigger wrap shops that are pushing these out 2 a day are using something much more economical, and some of their customers are disappointed, but it's a numbers game, and if the majority swap vehicles before the end of life of the wrap, then they'll never see an issue.

 

[tulsagraphics]

Personally, fear that a calendared film will shrink and lift. At best I'll go down from arlon's 3220 to 3270 for laminating flat vehicle graphics.
So yeah, paranoia reigns supreme. I guarantee the bigger wrap shops that are pushing these out 2 a day are using something much more economical, and some of their customers are disappointed, but it's a numbers game, and if the majority swap vehicles before the end of life of the wrap, then they'll never see an issue.

I also consider what type of job I'm facing myself with down the road when that customer comes in to have new graphics printed. I want the "easiest" removal I can get -- so much so that I follow up with customers for a rewrap when I see their vehicles around town and the laminate has started to haze/crack. If customers let it go to far, I'll just tell 'em I don't have the manpower and refer them to a (good) competitor (as a one-man shop, I have to be picky.)

For me, IJ180 and 1105 have been the easiest to remove (or at least somewhat predictable). I've used SLX on a handful of smaller jobs (no full wraps), but I'm expecting that film to be a bit more aggressive. Time will tell.
On a side note... I've performed adhesion tests with a variety of films, and after 30 minutes the SLX was significantly more aggressive than 180 or 1105. However, those tests were performed about 3 years ago, so things may have changed.

 

[Notarealsignguy]

I also consider what type of job I'm facing myself with down the road when that customer comes in to have new graphics printed. I want the "easiest" removal I can get -- so much so that I follow up with customers for a rewrap when I see their vehicles around town and the laminate has started to haze/crack. If customers let it go to far, I'll just tell 'em I don't have the manpower and refer them to a (good) competitor (as a one-man shop, I have to be picky.)

For me, IJ180 and 1105 have been the easiest to remove (or at least somewhat predictable). I've used SLX on a handful of smaller jobs (no full wraps), but I'm expecting that film to be a bit more aggressive. Time will tell.
On a side note... I've performed adhesion tests with a variety of films, and after 30 minutes the SLX was significantly more aggressive than 180 or 1105. However, those tests were performed about 3 years ago, so things may have changed.

I don't mind removing the adhesive from an old crappy wrap, that is easy..... What I do hate is getting in a removal and whoever did it originally took everything off so the vinyl is behind door handles, trim, mirrors etc etc. I'd rather have some junk material to remove (within reason of course) vs disassembling a vehicle.

 

[Kemble]

Thanks for all the awesome comments !! This was for sure a learning experience for myself and installers.

So what did you charge for art time? What was the creative process? It's a badass design!

$75/hr for conceptual design (This job took 8h ($600)). But I'm highly considering bumping it to $125.

I can't say we've never left anything go out without imperfections, but when you look at this one on a photograph...... how does this stuff look in real time and somewhat up close ?? With mistakes like this, I don't see how it took so long ?? Were you on site when this took place ?? I think those installers need a good talkin' to.

This was one of the panels that was reprinted (for the exact reason you pointed out), this photo was before we reprinted it. The 2nd application of this panel lined up perfect.

We do work like this pretty regularly and looking at your materials we would be around $18-$22sq’ just for the Materials & Print. Design time we charge $150 an hour, Installation for this would be anywhere from $4.50-$6.50sq’. However I would really reconsider the choice of Laminate as it’s only a 3 year outdoor?

So you charge installation by the sq/ft and not by time?

 

[Kemble]

About 3-3.5 hours for 2 people on a job that size. The panels are printed/labeled in order, and automatic trimming with a Fotoba only takes about 10-12 minutes per 50 yard roll... so it's mostly just sliding the panels across the table and running some masking tape).
I wouldn't say that we spend a great deal of time getting the panels to line up perfectly because it's usually not possible with print distortion... but if the seams are within a 1/4" on a billboard size wrap, that's totally fine from 8-10ft away.

I really need my installers to learn this technique. All the wraps they do on RV's, Busses, & Trailers are all 1 panel at a time.

 

[tulsagraphics]

Thanks for all the awesome comments !! This was for sure a learning experience for myself and installers.


$75/hr for conceptual design (This job took 8h ($600)). But I'm highly considering bumping it to $125.


This was one of the panels that was reprinted (for the exact reason you pointed out), this photo was before we reprinted it. The 2nd application of this panel lined up perfect.


So you charge installation by the sq/ft and not by time?

Oh yeah, always by square foot (or more accurately, based on the # of linear yards required to actually produce the job)
For the hourly stuff -- that would be the graphics design part. If you have a designer on staff, great, but I don't. Personally, I just farm out the design work to a local wrap artist ($50/hr) -- someone I've been working with for many years. Way cheaper than a full-time employee. That way he can deal with all the back n' forth stuff and send me the artwork after the job is approved. My time is far more valuable in production anyway.

 

[damonCA21]

So what was your total charge for the job? I think you are definitely undercharging for design time. I don't really do large wrap work like this, but I would be charging around $8 - 10K for the whole job. I'm sure there are cheap places that knock them out in a day with a bad design and cheap materials for a lot less...