What vinyl should I use?

[Owen Bridges]

So I have only experimented with Oracal 651. I have done small things with it like make cornhole boards and small window decals. I am getting ready to do my first big project for a gutter business. They have a four door pickup that they want their logo put on. They want it to run the length of the two doors. I have attached a rough photoshop I did of what they want. I was wondering if 651 would suffice or if I should go with 751 or 3M 1080. They don't plan on keeping the truck more than a few years. Thanks for helping a newbie.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

Use a cast film!

 

[Hero Signs]

We are in the Houston area and 651 and simular intermediates work fine for 4-5 years for work trucks. We save cast for long term 5+ years vehicles or wraps or partials with multi color.

 

[Johnny Best]

751 cast or 3M 7125 cast

 

[CL Visual]

Oracal 651 or Avery 700 series are more than sufficient for what you're doing here. Save the cast vinyls for the type of company that keeps trucks for 10 years. Cast is overkill for this project.

 

[Owen Bridges]

Thanks everyone for the input. I’ve just heard a lot of stories about 651 shrinking and showing the adhesive sometimes. I don’t want to put out a bad product, especially for my first big customer.

 

[CanuckSigns]

Use a cast film, the difference in cost between the 2 for this project would be around $20-30.

 

[ams]

Oracal 651 is fine for this.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

Simple answer. CAST!

In the end it is my name on the project and I’m never going to use a calandered vinyl in vehicles. Period. The cost difference is minimal is projects like this.

I personally like the 3M 180mC vinyl or 7125. The mC reduces install times. So in the end I pay more for the vinyl but less on labor. As we all know, labor is one of our biggest expenses!

 

[ams]

Simple answer. CAST!

In the end it is my name on the project and I’m never going to use a calandered vinyl in vehicles. Period. The cost difference is minimal is projects like this.

I personally like the 3M 180mC vinyl or 7125. The mC reduces install times. So in the end I pay more for the vinyl but less on labor. As we all know, labor is one of our biggest expenses!

Which is how it should be in most applications. However the OP said they are getting rid of it in a few years. 651 is a 6 year vinyl, so it's more than enough. There are no curves or wrapping, it's all flat so a higher grade vinyl is not needed. Now I would be against anything less than 651.

 

[Modern Ink Signs]

AMS.....
To each his own. I choose not to use calandered vinyl on vehicles. I’m not saying it is “wrong”, just my business model.

 

[ChicagoGraphics]

Hell just use some contact paper then and hope for the best

 

[Texas_Signmaker]

+1 for 651. No curves, only needs it a few years. Did someone suggest 3M 180mc??? That stuff is 4x the cost of 651. I

 

[JR's]

I can't tell you how may times I heard, I'm only keeping the vehicle for X amount of years.
Then they come back in 6,7, or 8 years and the vehicle looks like crap. And they say can you take off the old lettering and put on new. We want to keep the vehicle for a couple more years.

And now I've got a clean off this baked on glue

 

[AF]

651 is marketed as a medium term solution for flat lettering. If you tell the customer it lasts forever, then you will get what you deserve. If instead you tell the customer it lasts from 1 day up to 4 years depending on factors outside your control, then you have done them a service.

 

[ExecuPrintGS]

Even though the customer says they wont have the truck more than a few years i would still go cast. I can't remember how many times someone has said something is just "short term" and they have left it on for years. At the end of the day id rather use the cast vinyl and not have to worry about it.

 

[rydods]

I don't use cast oracal on jobs like this anymore. I've had customers complain that it was chipping on their vehicles. I'd assume by dirt or rocks from the road and cast is so thin. Went back to 651. It shrinks and will eventually crack in the corners or peel back a little after 5 years but for the most part, if you prep and clean the vehicle properly and if a customer takes pretty good care of it, it will still look good. 5 years is a decent amount of time in vehicle years. If cast still looks good after 10 years, more power to you but I think "most" customers don't expect it to look perfect for that long. Hell, they typically want a logo change within 5.

We have so many other factors that are out of our hands once the vehicle has left our facility.

 

[Jackpine]

Oracal 651 is fine for this.

I agree. I radius (filet) the inside and outside corners. This helps corners from curling or stress on the inside corners.

 

[Pippin Decals]

So I have only experimented with Oracal 651. I have done small things with it like make cornhole boards and small window decals. I am getting ready to do my first big project for a gutter business. They have a four door pickup that they want their logo put on. They want it to run the length of the two doors. I have attached a rough photoshop I did of what they want. I was wondering if 651 would suffice or if I should go with 751 or 3M 1080. They don't plan on keeping the truck more than a few years. Thanks for helping a newbie.

View attachment 133892

Hey i know that design lol.. I usually use 751. But when i explain the difference between 651 and 751 on cost and that they only need it to last so many years, they usually just go with 651 on this type of surface,But i do make sure they understand about shrinkage etc with 651 vs 751 to Just cover myself and i also put the info on the invoice. And almost all go with 651 still if they suggest it over the other..

 

[Oroscoe]

3M - 7125, 7725, or 180