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Horizontal vs. vertical paneling
- Thread starter msenjur
- Start date
jfiscus
Rap Master
Apparently, the information that you do not know is "installation experience".
Vertical panels install much quicker & easier. The wrap is supposed to be seen as a "Whole" while mobile. Not under close examination for seams.
A seamless wrap is a whole different animal and only meant for "show" vehicles.
Kentucky Wraps
Kentucky Wraps
He told you in the 1st part of his reply....Installation experience. It's easier to handle in vertical panels. But you do what is comfortable for you. Maybe buy the Wraptor lol
Kentucky Wraps
Kentucky Wraps
After seeing a Large Motor home wrapped in VERY long horizontal panels, and all the back and forth on rolling scaffolding and 3 people or more helping...I'd still rather go with vertical panels. Although...if you have 2 installers...horizontal may work for you.
aaronJREgraphics
New Member
i did a wrap a few weeks ago on a dodge caravan that the company had printed at another sign shop and we did the install. The company made the side of the caravan one huge panel, ive done hundreds of installs from cars to trucks to walls and always used vertically tiled panels this was a nightmare luckily we had two installers or the panels would of just been way to big to handle.
SummitSignsandmore
New Member
Alignment... maybe??? Just throwing that one out there. It 1000% easier to align a 7' panel opposed to a 14' - 20' panel.
Patentagosse
New Member
It also depends on what's printed. If you print horizontal and have text / logo or fine details to line-up, you may face some issues. If you stretch your main panel, even just a li'l, you will cry trying to match the upper one. If you can cover the whole area in 1 horizontal panel, then you can do it but as far as I know (and had experienced), you should consider vertical as "the" way to do it. Also, if you ruin a vertical panel for whatever the reason, it's way cheaper to re-print one... Doing it alone (horizontal) requires a lot of experience and ultimate conditions (room temp, humidity level, perfect outgazing of the prints before laminating, etc...) otherwise something will kill you during the process. 'Been there...
the graphics co
New Member
You will also waste a lot of material doing horizontal prints. doing them vertically you can usually calculate your widths and heights to the point that you have only a few sq.ft. of waste. On a horizontal you are at the mercy of the size of the vehicle, if your second panel is just a little over-sized, say 28" of a 54" roll, you won't be able to run your left and right on the same sheet and you are going to burn an extra 30-80 sq.ft. of un-printed vinyl.
ChicagoGraphics
New Member
Also when doing horizontal printing what if something goes wrong while printing, you will have to reprint that whole panel compared to just printing 1 vetical panel.
The biggest reason I prefer vertical panels is gravity. When you start a panel at the top then it holds it in place and all you have to do is squeegee it down, piece of cake. On a horizontal panel gravity will want to pull the panel down and completely mess up your alignment unless you have something or someone to hold the panel in place. I like to install wraps by myself so vertical is the only way to go.
Not to mention all the other great reasons others have listed, but I am sure you aren't the only one to have questioned this in the history of wrapping. It is probably done vertically because everyone else has tried it horizontally and it was determined that vertical is superior.
Not to mention all the other great reasons others have listed, but I am sure you aren't the only one to have questioned this in the history of wrapping. It is probably done vertically because everyone else has tried it horizontally and it was determined that vertical is superior.
jeah... ok... i also did some wraps, always vertically... Never tried horizonally, becouse everyone did it verticaly... I dont have any experience in horizontal wraping... So i rather ask here first, and i dont have to learn the hard way! 
Ok, thanks everyone, i've read plenty of good reasons, why not do it horizontally, and that thougt will never cross my mind again.
Ok, thanks everyone, i've read plenty of good reasons, why not do it horizontally, and that thougt will never cross my mind again.
jfiscus
Rap Master
jeah... ok... i also did some wraps, always vertically... Never tried horizonally, becouse everyone did it verticaly... I dont have any experience in horizontal wraping... So i rather ask here first, and i dont have to learn the hard way!
Ok, thanks everyone, i've read plenty of good reasons, why not do it horizontally, and that thougt will never cross my mind again.
The only panel that is easier to apply horizontally (in my experience) is a truck bedside. (where there is no top or bottom to match up)
I got a wild hair last week on a partial trailer wrap that was only 40" tall and did it in 1 horizontal panel; it re-affirmed why I always do them vertical; it was a PITA.
I too have done a couple wrapped truck bedsides that were printed horizontally from an outside company supplied by the customer with us just doing the install. But, I still taped it up and started the top section and just applied the whole thing as an over-sized vertical panel. It took longer than a normal vertical panel for obvious reasons but both trucks turned out awesome!
Christian @ 2CT Media
Active Member
We do horizontal panels all the time... we strive to hide seams whenever possible so on vans we use the horizontal panels and hide the seams in channels. On trucks we print the bedsides as horizontal panels.
Robert M
New Member
Back to front install vertical panels?
The last wrap class I went to a few years ago had us start at the back and work forward. Reason was that the seams on the overlaps would be not be exposed to the wind, water, etc. I have been noticing a lot of fleet wraps where they started in the front leaving the edge of the panel exposed, why would you do this?
The last wrap class I went to a few years ago had us start at the back and work forward. Reason was that the seams on the overlaps would be not be exposed to the wind, water, etc. I have been noticing a lot of fleet wraps where they started in the front leaving the edge of the panel exposed, why would you do this?
Not sure, I always start at the rear when wrapping and work forward for the same reason. The same applies for a flat sign we may do by using two overlapping pieces of cut vinyl on, except I always put the bottom section on so that the seam faces down and not up to catch all the dust, water, and etc...
CSOCSO
I don't hate paint, I just overlay it.
Only time we print vertical panels is for box trucks. Anything else Horizontal Panels. Less seams... less headache. I believe its faster too. 2 person can wrap a side of a car or van in 1 hour maximum 1.5h. You dont have to reprint the WHOLE panel all the time. You can reprint only fenders, rear doors etc. Of course when you doing a van and the cargo area gets messed up then yess.. you have to redo the whole print from the door back. Fortunately its really rare.
401Graphics
New Member
I did a 28 foot bus with 8 vertical panels per side.
GAC05
Quit buggin' me
I'll call your 28ft 8 panel vertical and raise you a 45ft 2 horizontal panel Vanhool.....
wayne k
guam usa
