The popularity of car and truck wraps is on the rise this certainly makes sense especially here in Southern California where we spend a lot of time on the road. If you are a business or company doesn’t it make sense to generate traffic while you’re stuck in traffic?
Last week we did three very different wrap and lettering jobs here at Focus Signs and Graphics; we wrapped a 26 foot international delivery truck, installed Department of Transportation required information in vehicle lettering on three semi-trucks, and installed the logo and advertising messages for an independent sales representative on the back of his car window. To give you an idea of the variance in cost that you will be facing as you research your car and truck wraps, I will review each project in depth.
Ambrosia Interior Designs based in Irvine California is in interior design company specializing in staging model homes. Their sphere of influence extends beyond the borders of California into Washington, Oregon, Arizona, and Nevada. Because of the breadth and scope of the work they do, Ambrosia not only needed new and larger space for operations, they also needed a new and larger truck to deliver furnishings to each project. They wanted to display their work in full-color on the side panels of their new international 26 foot truck as well as their logo, website, and phone number. We began the creative process with them by reviewing high-resolution photographs of their work. Working in conjunction with their Vice President of Marketing we selected a photograph we knew would reproduce beautifully and was reflective of their tasteful work.
The design process went into phase 2 where we supplied three different renderings including various choices for the rear roll door for the truck. Once we had perfected the design, phase 3 included the selection of media to use for the wrap job. Ambrosia would need a high quality, long-lasting vinyl that would not peel, fade, or lose luster. We selected a high performance Avery cast vinyl with a 10 year life span and used a matching Avery laminate to protect the integrity of the ink. This project was labor intensive requiring 10 hours of design time, 12 hours of print time, six hours of laminating time, and 12 hours of installation time using a crew of two. The end result was the highest quality wrap available on the market today using the finest full-color latex inks and UV protected laminate – Ambrosia’s International Truck will be on the road as a moving billboard for the next decade. The industry average for this high quality of media including installation is typically $16-$19 per square foot. I will not divulge here the rate our client paid but will share with you that it was below industry average.
Star Point Transportation located in the City of Industry took delivery of three new semi-trucks each needing required lettering for Department of Transportation. The CEO of the company also wanted his logo included. The DOT requires truck identification lettering to be around 3 inches in height. Using these parameters we came up with the design for each of the semi cab doors that both met DOT standards and was attractive to the eye. We vectorized their logo and used a color scheme of gradient black and white that looks modern and sophisticated. We also used high-performance 3M vinyl and UV protected laminate for the star point logo and Arlon ready to apply vinyl for the lettering. For a similar project you can expect to pay $300 per cab including design, printing, and installation for both Doors.
There are a number of multi-level marketing sales representatives in the workforce today. We were contacted by such a wrap who is in independent representative for Legal Shield. Like most independent representatives he had a limited budget. We were able to reproduce his company logo, phone number, website, and tagline in a design which fit perfectly on the back window of his Volkswagen Passat. Because of the technology we employee at focal point signs and imaging we exactly matched the PMS color requirements legal Shield requires.. Once we printed his advertising message on the vinyl we then laminated it with a clear laminate specifically designed for this kind of application.
The DMV requires your back window vinyl be something called 50-50. This is the same kind of vinyl you see used on buses, where you can see out but from the outside it looks like a solid image. That is because literally 50% of the vinyl are small holes. The human brain has the phenomenal capability of patching together a solid image despite the fact that half of the vinyl is literally empty. If you are considering doing something similar to your back window you can expect to pay between $200 and $250.
These are three examples of how different a wrap or vehicle lettering job can be. At Focus Signs and Graphics we work with our customers to determine their budget, needs, and design preferences to come up with a solution. We also use the highest quality finals, over laminate, and latex ink on the market today. If you are interested in a full, partial wrap or vehicle window lettering please give us a call at 657-346-2281.
Ambrosia Interior Design Full Truck Wrap
