WRAPS! Where do I start?

[xcracer48]

Ok guys, I have decided that I want do try to get into wraps/graphics kits. I want to start small with go-karts. The reason for go-karts is because of the demand in my area and the simplicity of the go kart templates. There are 2 dirt tracks within 30 minutes of my house and people have been asking me when I am going to start doing stuff for go karts, they say that it is hard to get him to do anything, so I am willing to step-up to the plate and help these folks out. I want to make sure I have everything I need before I even start, so please chime in and let me know. The big thing is learning how to incorporate designs into the template. I have practiced on one template, I will post it but please dont make fun of it.lol At least I tried.

Materials/Equipment: Summa DC4sx, Corel draw x3, Summa color control, lint free paper towels, isopropal alcohal, squeegee with felt and sleeves.

material? 3m 1080?

and here is the ROUGH draft....

 

[FatCat]

Where to start...

I did a go-kart wrap identical to the body you're showing in your pic about 3 years ago. I tried to lay it out as a 1 piece deal and due to the complex curves it was nearly impossible to get everything to line up the way I wanted to. Finally gave in and designed the wrap in 3 pieces, LS, RS and Nose. After it was all said and done I charged $350.00 (not nearly enough IMHO) and the customer about had a fit at that price. They came back about a month later and wanted to know how much it would cost to replace 1 side that got scraped up from hitting the wall and I told them $200 to remove the portion of the old wrap and print and install the new section. They never came back, lol.

If you have the customer base and can charge a fair rate for the product you can probably make it fly. It sounds like you already have the equipment and software. As such, you are probably already aware of the higher costs to operate the Summa vs. an inkjet? If you've never wrapped before, I strongly urge you to start practicing. Those go-kart bodies have a LOT of complex curves - especially around the nose.

Material wise I would go IJ-180 or IJ-380 with 8518/8519 laminate. I would also consider the Avery EZ RS material as it can be more forgiving to work with than the 3M.

Good luck to you.

 

[xcracer48]

Here are some samples of some really good wraps I found. I mean how do these guys come up with this stuff? I really want to learn!

 

[Tspencer74]

I'll send some pics of a few I've done to give you an idea when i get to my shop. Get aurora graphics. I use photoshop because the gokarts are small and pixelation isn't bad for such a small wrap. Most use illustrator I believe.

 

[Vinylman]

ok guys, i have decided that i want do try to get into wraps/graphics kits. I want to start small with go-karts. The reason for go-karts is because of the demand in my area and the simplicity of the go kart templates. There are 2 dirt tracks within 30 minutes of my house and people have been asking me when i am going to start doing stuff for go karts, they say that it is hard to get him to do anything,{here's your first clue}, maybe someone else has already figured out that there is very little money available in your area for this type of work. Or the people making this comment, [ your' future clients?] have already worn this other guy out with to many changes for to little money? so i am willing to step-up to the plate and help these folks out. { so you want to become their next pinata?} i want to make sure i have everything i need before i even start, so please chime in and let me know.

the best thing to know is where the h#%@ is the door knob. Leave the room immediately, and dial 911

"the big thing is learning" you had the correct answer all along bunky, you just needed someone to point it out to yah. how to incorporate designs into the template. I have practiced on one template, i will post it but please dont make fun of it.lol at least i tried. ok, so now that you have tried, and failed! Stop! Move on to something that is within your current skill level, and practice on your own skills before trying to market your' unprofessional results into an already cluttered market place.

Materials/equipment: Summa dc4sx, corel draw x3, summa color control, lint free paper towels, isopropal alcohal, squeegee with felt and sleeves.

Material? 3m 1080?

and here is the rough draft....

finished yet?

 

[ova]

We do a few karts here, but just for people we race with. There's no money in it. I usually lay them out and let the owners come in on Sunday and apply the graphics. I say owners, not customers, because there's no profit in doing this. All racers from cars to karts to moto cross want it for nothing. From the time you spend trying to design something they like, then printing, laming, and applying, you're mostly in the hole. We treat it like a Sunday bench racing day.

Not to discourage you too much, there might be money to make in your area. To make the graphics all you need to do is make a template of the kart body. Using a PENCIL first, sketch the graphics to be whatever looks good to you. It will be less time consuming and easier to make adjustments. After you feel satisfied with a layout, incorporate it into whatever program you use for design and add the color. Use whatever fonts look good for the numbers. Most on here say never stretch or distort lettering, but on this type of project, I've found it to be most effective. Racers like the extreme when it comes to their graphics. The more bling the better they like it.

Hope this helps
Dave

 

[xcracer48]

finished yet?

Wow, ive seen criticism before but dang. lol

 

[SignManiac]

I think there is huge profit potential in racing carts. You need to go after the sponsors that will pay big dollars for national exposure. Go for the carts that race on ESPN. These guys have deep pockets.

Learning this stuff is simple common sense. Sure you will make a few mistakes at first but that's the price of admission. You don't need any talent if you buy the right CD with the designs on them. The computer does most of the hard stuff.

Hang in there and after you get really good, go after the big boys that drive those NASCARS. Don't ever dream small.

 

[Gino]

I can see you don't like the truth, but the honest to goodness truth is...... there is no money in directing your business towards go-karts or other smaller race cars.

Can you make money at it ?? Yes, big time, but once you are situated.

The story for this niche is simple. Most newbies and other know-it-alls think they can break into the business by doing knockout work for this group. Problem is, these people rarely ever want to spend more than $300 to $400. That's what we were getting 30 years ago for these things and some things, just never change. You get something neat and purtty and before you know it, you're doing a bunch of these cars for $300 and think you're making a killing. As you see you need to get more for your time and materials and start charging accordingly.... some new newbie comes up on the horizon, just to lowball you cause he knows better.

Once you have a good sign business established, you can pick and choose which ones you want to do and if they pay or not, otherwise, you're wasting time and money.

Why do you think so many people here and everywhere else on the planet... are EX-racers of some sort ??

They got tired of paying the higher prices, watched enough novices screw up their cars and think they can do a better job for a few well spent dollars and no business plan. Presto..... signs 101 becomes their way of learning and they don't want to listen to reason.... because they already know better.

Good Luck.............​

 

[xcracer48]

Where to start...

I did a go-kart wrap identical to the body you're showing in your pic about 3 years ago. I tried to lay it out as a 1 piece deal and due to the complex curves it was nearly impossible to get everything to line up the way I wanted to. Finally gave in and designed the wrap in 3 pieces, LS, RS and Nose. After it was all said and done I charged $350.00 (not nearly enough IMHO) and the customer about had a fit at that price. They came back about a month later and wanted to know how much it would cost to replace 1 side that got scraped up from hitting the wall and I told them $200 to remove the portion of the old wrap and print and install the new section. They never came back, lol.

If you have the customer base and can charge a fair rate for the product you can probably make it fly. It sounds like you already have the equipment and software. As such, you are probably already aware of the higher costs to operate the Summa vs. an inkjet? If you've never wrapped before, I strongly urge you to start practicing. Those go-kart bodies have a LOT of complex curves - especially around the nose.

Material wise I would go IJ-180 or IJ-380 with 8518/8519 laminate. I would also consider the Avery EZ RS material as it can be more forgiving to work with than the 3M.

Good luck to you.

I know these guys are throwing around like $300 for go-kart wraps already, and that is uninstalled. I have experience wrapping motorcycles, so hopefully that helps. The main thing is just figuring out how to design.

 

[xcracer48]

We do a few karts here, but just for people we race with. There's no money in it. I usually lay them out and let the owners come in on Sunday and apply the graphics. I say owners, not customers, because there's no profit in doing this. All racers from cars to karts to moto cross want it for nothing. From the time you spend trying to design something they like, then printing, laming, and applying, you're mostly in the hole. We treat it like a Sunday bench racing day.

Not to discourage you too much, there might be money to make in your area. To make the graphics all you need to do is make a template of the kart body. Using a PENCIL first, sketch the graphics to be whatever looks good to you. It will be less time consuming and easier to make adjustments. After you feel satisfied with a layout, incorporate it into whatever program you use for design and add the color. Use whatever fonts look good for the numbers. Most on here say never stretch or distort lettering, but on this type of project, I've found it to be most effective. Racers like the extreme when it comes to their graphics. The more bling the better they like it.

Hope this helps
Dave

Thanks Dave. That does help out. Its just confusing trying to find something to focus on. I hear of a lot of stuff on here in the graphics industry is not worth doing. Im guessing car wraps for the businesses/advertisement is the best thing to do right now? But then again they don't want to spend the money either because the whole economy is hurting. Im just trying to find a starting point. Its difficult but I am sure I will figure something out. And I understand about the flashy graphics, the more flashy the more they like it. lol

 

[rjssigns]

Don't do it. We sent all the "roundy racers" packing years ago, best decision ever. They want everything for nothing because they act as if they are (insert famous racer name) and can do nothing but help a poor struggling company such as yours.
When someone said I was stupid for doing it, I made a bet and devised a plan to prove my point. One of the last cars I did was for a well known local racer. He wanted a discount. I said here's the deal. You pay me full price and I will give you three of my business cards with your name on the back. You pass them out to people who will buy from me. Once all the cards come back I will refund your money. Guess what? Not a single card came back! Hell I didn't even stipulate they HAD to buy, just get all my cards back.
And to keep all the smart-*** comments at bay this was at our peak when we did around 30 cars a season. Was like pulling teeth to get the deposit. It was not worth the headache and aggravation.
You gotta understand these guys will spend 7 grand on a motor, but will carp about a $1000 dollars for a partial! Which the sponsors pay for anyway!
Final note: Look up the definition of Opportunity Costs and apply that to what you would like to do.
Sorry for the rant, I'll go lay by my dish now.

 

[xcracer48]

Don't do it. We sent all the "roundy racers" packing years ago, best decision ever. They want everything for nothing because they act as if they are (insert famous racer name) and can do nothing but help a poor struggling company such as yours.
When someone said I was stupid for doing it, I made a bet and devised a plan to prove my point. One of the last cars I did was for a well known local racer. He wanted a discount. I said here's the deal. You pay me full price and I will give you three of my business cards with your name on the back. You pass them out to people who will buy from me. Once all the cards come back I will refund your money. Guess what? Not a single card came back! Hell I didn't even stipulate they HAD to buy, just get all my cards back.
And to keep all the smart-*** comments at bay this was at our peak when we did around 30 cars a season. Was like pulling teeth to get the deposit. It was not worth the headache and aggravation.
You gotta understand these guys will spend 7 grand on a motor, but will carp about a $1000 dollars for a partial! Which the sponsors pay for anyway!
Final note: Look up the definition of Opportunity Costs and apply that to what you would like to do.
Sorry for the rant, I'll go lay by my dish now.

Hahaha

Thanks for the info man...

 

[Haakon]

Here are some samples of some really good wraps I found. I mean how do these guys come up with this stuff? I really want to learn!

The main thing is just figuring out how to design.

I took a degree in graphic design, 2 years in school and $15,000 in tuition. That helped with "figuring out how to design" a good deal. Most good wrap shops have skilled graphic artists with creative minds that can do a design from ground up, not just cutting and pasting from various template packages. You should maybe look into hiring someone to do the design work if you cannot do it yourself.

There seems to be a long way from your 5 star racing design up top to for instance this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrxhhARbi74

 

[FatCat]

I know these guys are throwing around like $300 for go-kart wraps already, and that is uninstalled. I have experience wrapping motorcycles, so hopefully that helps. The main thing is just figuring out how to design.

In truth, at that time I didn't know what to charge. $350 seemed reasonable at first, very little material involved. However, that was a valuable lesson learned that not all value or expense of sign jobs revolve around materials.

These days, I don't even want to think about doing them or anything else involved with a race car/bike/truck, etc. As others have said, anything dealing with motorsports usually involves a handout and promises of big returns for your work.

Yes, learning to design is the "trick" with anything regarding a graphics business. I'm not Dan Antonelli by a longshot, but I spent 15 years in the printing industry learning how to design biz cards, brochures, posters, etc. Some of it rolls over to sign making, but I still have lots to learn.

Anyone can go buy a piece of equipment but if you're going to make a living with it you better know what you're doing in the first place. If you don't your customers will leave and your business will die. It's that simple.

Again, I will be kind and wish you best of luck.

 

[CheapVehicleWrap]

$350 seemed reasonable at first, very little material involved.

LOL. helmets and bumpers don't have very much square footage either.

 

[xcracer48]

I took a degree in graphic design, 2 years in school and $15,000 in tuition. That helped with "figuring out how to design" a good deal. Most good wrap shops have skilled graphic artists with creative minds that can do a design from ground up, not just cutting and pasting from various template packages. You should maybe look into hiring someone to do the design work if you cannot do it yourself.

There seems to be a long way from your 5 star racing design up top to for instance this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jrxhhARbi74

What type of college did you go to? Was it a college that specialized in arts, or just a regular college that offered a graphic design degree? I would love to take some classes. Your right I am a long ways from designing something like that, but ya cant start at the top and work your way sideways. Gotta start somewhere...

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

I was lucky to go to a trade school and learn sign layout and painting, from a award winning designer / painter.

This day in age a graphic course that include some form of software study, anything after that is money and what school / teacher.

 

[Haakon]

What type of college did you go to? Was it a college that specialized in arts, or just a regular college that offered a graphic design degree? I would love to take some classes. Your right I am a long ways from designing something like that, but ya cant start at the top and work your way sideways. Gotta start somewhere...

I went to a school locally over here, called the Norwegian School of Creative Studies, specializing in arts and advertising, with courses/classes for:
Film
Photography
Graphic design
Illustration
Interior design
Journalism
Macdesign (1-year)
3D and animation
Music design
Advertising and brand communication
Web and interaction design

Would have loved to spend 2 more years there studying advertising and brand communication spesifically, but the graphic design classes incorporated much of the same, but maybe 3 months worth instead of 2 years.

Yes, you can't start at the top, but if the customers wants a design like the one in the vid for their $300, and you can only supply them with something like the design on top, they will take their business elsewhere.

This is not meant as a put down on your design skills, have you never done it before nobody can expect great results, but that does not mean that customers will take their business to you, if someone else can do the job much better at the same price.

This is one of the pitfalls of this business, anyone can "become" a sign maker or car wrapper just by picking up some machines and supplies, but it takes time, dedication and skill to be great. And if your competition already has put down the time and effort, it's difficult to compete. Then the only thing you can compete on is price, by lowballing the competition.

Designwork aside, how much experience do you have with the equpment listed in your first post?

 

[Craig Sjoquist]

Guide lines to good advertising layout is another good reading like ..Mike Stevens Mastering layout.. and after that Dan Antoneli 2 books. these will give you a good start when put to practice.