Rad Graphics - Cost and Installers?

[Corbic]

I've always wonder how the whole vinyl graphic thing works. Does the owner submit the artwork, does the installer do the designs, are they manufactured and sold somewhere?

What does this stuff generally cost? How long does it last?

[greddy2die]

Well, if im correct the owner can submit a design or have a graphic designer work something up. From there they would have to be thrown into photoshop or something to become a vector file so when its blown up to size you wouldnt get a pixelated crappy image when printing.

[MrFairlady]

Correct.
The vinyl has diff stages of Durability or quality.Color makes a diff also.
It is VERY Expensive!!! Think about or check on how much it is to wrap a car (entire car wraps can be $5000-$6000+)...well a Huge graphic like the Blue car has is $1000+ all day long.Prob for just 1 side.

Companies have large Vinyl Cutters and Programs that allow it Print color on vinyl for extreme designs and Non-solid colors.

$Bigtime$

[Reece]

You can create the design or someone else can for you, then you send the file to your vinyl guy and they print it or cut it, and you can put it on yourself or they can for a little extra.

I wrapped my car once. It fucking sucked. I would gladly pay someone else however much to do it for me.

[burnsauto]

http://www.laboratory17.com/

These guys have been around for quite a long time and have tons of experience with full car stuff.

[Almighty So]

where's bigs or animal style dudes?

[Kuma]

when I worked at a hotel, we had our shuttle van wrapped at a place called fast signs for about $4k. it was solid vinyl graphics behind the front doors and perforated vinyl over all the Windows except the front 2 and wind shield, and had just the hotel name on the hood and front 2 doors. I called fast signs again when I was thinking of wrapping an 04 mustang. If I provided the vinyl, they said it would be $800-$1000 for labor, but I'd have to bring it in for an exact quote.

as for how long it lasted, it bubbled and eventually tore at the body line. the first time it lasted for about a year before starting to tear. the second time it bubbled in the same places and was starting to tear and flake about a year and 6 months after it was redone. ( this paragraph is referring to the hotel van.)

[ILoveJDM]

I was in the industry for 4 years, The wraps themselves are not expensive..you're paying for the labour. 5ftx75ft which is enough to do a Van, is roughly $700 to your door for the highest quality 3M material.

Want to know a secret? Vinyl work doesnt cost shit. All those die-cut stickers you guys pay $5 for cost $.10 in material. Printed box slap stickers from your cool drift team? $.20 in material, a couple cents for the ink, then you're paying for someone to cut them out and laminate them after they are printed.

Want to save more than HALF of what this shit costs? Learn to graphic design in your free time download a program, get cracking, youtube videos on different techniques to achieve what you want. You will be able to Set up all the work so that when you bring it in to get printed, all they need to do is drop the file and click go. You skip the set-up fee, skip the design fee, but you still get sewered on the insane markup for material cost.

Here was my last car, full wrap which I did myself.. $700 USD, I replicated the signal auto splash, bought my own chrome and white for the underlay, guess how much it cost me? $50. Having a shop do that for you? $300+ for the graphics with design time, $1500+ labour for wrap.

[Artworks]

As someone who has a degree in art and design, and work in the industry for the past few years, i can tell you that all the cost is in its labour. We have a lot of clients who bring us their own pixelated photos and wants us to blow it up in size, and wants us to do it in half an hour lol.
They can last up to years if its maintained properly and tucked away from uv rays

[Almighty So]

hey guys i think stickers are cheap. not sure if this is how it works, but i hear if someone puts them on for you, you have to pay for labor?!

Originally Posted by ILoveJDM

Want to save more than HALF of what this shit costs? Learn to graphic design in your free time

done. I think i'm ready to wrap my car like a pro.

but more seriously, your shop would have charged $1800 for a signal auto splash down my fender line..?
Pretty sure practicing wrapping (aka having patience) would save you more money than learning photoshop.

[bigs]

Originally Posted by Corbic

I've always wonder how the whole vinyl graphic thing works. Does the owner submit the artwork, does the installer do the designs, are they manufactured and sold somewhere?

What does this stuff generally cost? How long does it last?

There are many ways to go about it. You can do any of the three main steps (design, print, install) yourself if you have the time and resources, or you can have someone else do it for you. For every car i've worked on, I came up with the design and sent the files to whoever the client wants to cut/print the vinyl.

There is no set cost when it comes to this kind of stuff, as everyone charges differently. Vinyl itself is very affordable. What you're paying for is the hours spent doing a design, and/or installing the design on the car.

Vinyl can last a long time if your car isn't sitting in direct sunlight all the time. I've seen cars with chrome designs fade in less than a year from constant UV exposure. I know you can apply a UV resistant film over a design, but I don't know how effective it is.

Like ILoveJDM said, obviously, as with anything, if you have access to a machine and you are capable of designing yourself it will be cheaper. That's not always the case though.

As for those box "slaps" people are selling, yeah, the material cost per sticker is next to nothing. The price reflects the team/company that it represents. I don't mind paying $10-15 for a sticker from someone who I admire, and enjoy what they have done for the sport. I'm not paying for the vinyl, i'm paying for what it represents. On the other hand, those overnight blogs that steal images from google and whip up a sticker in 30 minutes, then sell them for $10 a sticker are the WORST.

[OBEEWON]

Originally Posted by ILoveJDM

Want to save more than HALF of what this shit costs? Learn to graphic design in your free time download a program, get cracking, youtube videos on different techniques to achieve what you want.

This is why I quit. Too many cheapskates. I actually went to school for design and some Joe fresh off youtube is always willing to undercut for "exposure".

That and the majority of people never do it right.



vs.

[ziptie]

double post

[ziptie]

Originally Posted by OBEEWON

This is why I quit. Too many cheapskates. I actually went to school for design and some Joe fresh off youtube is always willing to undercut for "exposure".

If you feel like coming out of retirement let me know

Otherwise, if anyone can recommend someone decent to design a vector file for a wrap please let me know.

I've got a cressida that needs a wrap for an event in October. I have Tezuka (Kids Heart) driving it so I want it to look decent. I have a pretty shitty design as like a basis of what I want, I've got all the logos that need to be on there

I've tried about 5 different people and most haven't got back to me, or if they have, after the initial response communication is really really poor.

I understand they probably get a lot of dreamers messaging them, especially since vinyl decals have come back in fashion among drifters, buts it's doing my absolute head in. Not looking for free labor, I will pay. So if anyone knows someone or has a mate who would be keen and wants money let them know to pm me on here or www.facebook.com/idmotorsportlogistics

This is the car in question;

[TheRealSy90]

Originally Posted by ziptie

Otherwise, if anyone can recommend someone decent to design a vector file for a wrap please let me know.

Hey man, hit up Eleven's Paint & Fiber (Dylan & Dalton Bedore) on facebook, they're located in Phoenix, AZ and have done vinyl designs for out of state customers before. They do amazing work.

[rawgarage]

I hit up Bigs for a rendering before all the animal style stuff for a rendering and never heard back...

[OBEEWON]

I charge a lot. If that doesn't deter you hit me up.

[bigs]

Originally Posted by RAWGarage

I hit up Bigs for a rendering before all the animal style stuff for a rendering and never heard back...

I've received so many inquiries that I pretty much stopped responding while I was in school. My job and school take up the majority of my time, and I do d-magic stuff with any spare time I get. I can't crank out designs all the time, and be satisfied with the outcome. It's nothing personal man!

To be completely honest, i've been selfish with who I work with when I do have openings. I've been so lucky to have teams i've looked up to for the longest time ask me to do their car design. It's something that makes me really happy, so If I have the chance to work with like-minded people like that - i'm going to take it. I would love to do it full-time, but the money, and my skills, aren't there (like obe said, minus the skill part for him haha). And to do it full-time i'd have to stray away from the designs I really like seeing, which is something i've been trying to avoid.

On a side note, we should turn this into a picture thread about cars with cool graphics that people like haha. Here is a new Animal Style design in the works

[TheRealSy90]

I thought the old animal style design was perfect, and then they all took it off lol wtf.

[Almighty So]

honestly curious; what do you guys think about these anime/"itasha" wraps compared to the tribal and sponsor stuff that d magic kills? (in a good way)

[bigs]

Originally Posted by TheRealSy90

I thought the old animal style design was perfect, and then they all took it off lol wtf.

Haha, thanks! They drive really aggressive, and the designs get beat on. Good excuse to come up with a new one It should be on and ready for Final Bout 2.

[Corbic]

Originally Posted by Almighty So

honestly curious; what do you guys think about these anime/"itasha" wraps compared to the tribal and sponsor stuff that d magic kills? (in a good way)

I can dig it. (As long as it's not panty flashing schoolgirl fanboi creep shit)

[Almighty So]

Originally Posted by Corbic

I can dig it. (As long as it's not panty flashing schoolgirl fanboi creep shit)
[/img]

haha you have a way with words my friend

[Almighty So]

[DP-AE86]

i sure hope you know the character you're gonna put on your car if you're planning to do that...