WRAPPING TECHNIQUES

Each livery project is based on certain assumptions and guidelines. They result from the requirements of sponsors, the visual preferences of the team, the obligatory graphic elements imposed by the organizer and, of course, typically pragmatic issues such as the costs of wrapping or the possibility of rebuilding the wrapping after contacts, which are an integral part of motorsport. Gathering all this information together, it is worth considering the preferred wrapping technique. Each of them gives some possibilities but also has its limitations. The right choice of the wrapping technique will certainly contribute to the fact that the implemented project meets the customer’s requirements. Therefore, I would like to briefly introduce the most popular variants here.

CUTTING VINYL

A very popular technique in motorsport is cutting graphic elements on the vinyl from the roll and then sticking them on the car. It gives a lot of possibilities in the selection of various types of vinyls (you can read about them here). Such combinations look especially good in motion, when the different ways of reflecting the light to creates a unique spectacle on the car. Additionally, plotter foils are characterized by very nice, vivid colors, often unattainable in printing. Customers often appreciate the ease of reconstruction of the wrap after any damages – all you need is a supply of a given color in a roll and you can even fill in small gaps in the wrap in garage conditions. The limitation in this case is, of course, the number of details in the project. Each element has to be cut, peeled and glued, which can be time-consuming. In addition, tonal transitions and shading are impossible to reach (however, their lack can be made up with interesting effects such as metallic or chrome).

Summarizing:

Pro:

– the possibility of using different types of vinyls

– a wide range of vivid colors

– the possibility of correcting the position of individual graphic elements

– easy to rebuild minor damages

Cons:

– number of small details

– no shadings, tonal transitions

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FULL PRINT

The technique is often chosen when it comes to a complete change of the color of the vehicle. Sheets (blocks) of vinyl are printed with the design and applied to large surfaces of the car (the entire side, bonnet, bumpers etc.) In this case, we have no restrictions on the number of details. We can put on design  many details, photos, tonal transitions, etc.. Due to the fact that the applicator handles very large pieces of foil when wrapping it, it is important to be especially careful when scaling the project. In oposite to cut projects, where each element can be gently adjusted on the car and moved to fit, in this case the way it would be printed is the way it would be applied on a car. According to my experience in printed designs I try to avoid problematic graphic solutions, such as shapes closely related to embossing or joints of body panels. Thanks to this approach, projects have a much better chance of being implemented in accordance with the version accepted by the client. You should also bear in mind the limitations of color reproduction in printing. The CMYK palette used in printing has a narrower range of colors than, for example, RGB used when displayed on screens. Therefore, e.g. bright green is impossible to print and you need to approach the subject in a more creative way.

Summarizing:

Pro:

– unlimited number of details, shadings, photos, etc.

– often profitable when covering the entire surface of the car

Cons:

– no chrome, metallic effects

– more demanding at the stage of scaling and matching the joints of the body panels

– limited range of colors that can be printed