Vehicle Wrapping Process

Vehicle wrapping is the ideal way to transform your business car, van or entire fleet. Whether it's in order to boost brand visibility, protect the original paintwork or give your vehicle a fresh new look, a professionally applied wrap will deliver excellent results.

At CJ Signs, we’ve been wrapping vehicles for over 20 years and in this guide, we’ll walk through the vehicle wrapping process, step by step.

Design

A great wrap always starts with the perfect design. This stage is vital, a poor design can affect readability, brand identity and the overall impact of the finished product.

• Decide the coverage – It’s first important to choose exactly where the wrap will go, and whether it’ll be a full vehicle wrap or a partial wrap. Full wraps cover the entire vehicle, while partial wraps can cover just the rear doors, half of the sides and even the bonnet.
• Measure and mock up – For bespoke vehicles, measurements are taken, but for all standard vans, scaled templates are used to create the design, using expertise to decide where is best to have each element.

Want to avoid common wrap design mistakes? Read our guide: Top Mistakes When Designing a Vehicle Wrap.

Printing

Once the design is finished and the vehicle is prepped, the wrap design is printed on high-quality vinyl using specialist large-format printers specially designed for vehicle graphics.

High-quality wraps from companies such as Arlon, Metamark, Avery, Hexis, Oracal or 3M are often used for their durability, flexibility and longevity. To ensure colour quality and accuracy, test swatches may be produced to check that everything looks in line with the design.

Once the wrap has been left for 24hours, the vinyl will then be laminated with a protective film to act as a layer of defence against UV rays, scratches and everyday wear, while also enhancing the final finish.

Surface Prep

Preparation is key to achieving the perfect finish. Before applying the wrap, the vehicle must be properly cleaned and decontaminated to remove dirt, grease and any potential residues. 

Here at CJ Signs, each vehicle undergoes a 3-stage clean before the wrapping process.

It’s also important to check for dents or scratches as these imperfections can impact the adhesion and appearance, so it's best to repair them beforehand. Any imperfections found are noted during this stage.

Application

This is where experience matters most. Printed wraps are carefully aligned to the vehicle, the vinyl backing is then removed, and the vinyl is carefully applied to the vehicle.

The wrap will be applied panel by panel, with each section perfectly aligned to the next. Heat guns, squeegees and various other tools are used to work the vinyl around every contour and edge to create a seamless finish.

Post heating the film is then carried out. Where the film has been stretched and put under tension, it will be post heated to 90-100 degrees C.

Once the film is applied, it is neatly trimmed and finished around the edges of each panel. Once completed, the vehicle will then be left to stand to ensure the adhesive achieves the maximum bond.

Post application

After installation, it’s vital to carry out a thorough inspection:

• Checking for colour consistency.
• Ensuring all edges are bonded correctly.
• Confirming the wrap meets our high standards before it leaves our workshop.

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The vehicle wrapping process involves much more than just peeling and sticking. From expert design and accurate printing to surface preparation and skilled applicated, each stage is extremely important.

If you’re looking to transform your vehicle, get in touch with our expert team today.