Vehicle Wraps: Top 5 reasons a 'Better Deal' may not be a better deal

"Company 'X' has quoted me a price on a vehicle wrap that's cheaper than yours. Why are your vehicle wraps more expensive?" You are doing what every responsible consumer should do - you are price shopping. Problem is, you should be asking why their vehicle wrap price is so cheap. There are a number of possible reasons, and you should be armed with the information to make a responsible decision. Always make sure you are comparing 'apples to apples.'

1. Inferior Materials? - There is a myriad of vinyls that can be put on your vehicle. Some may not adhere correctly because they are for another application and not for vehicle wraps. Some do not necessarily need an overlaminate but may scratch easy. Some are rated for 2, 3, 4, 5, or 7 years. Did their quote include perforated window film? Did it include all four sides and the roof? Have you seen their print quality?

2. Untrained Labor? - Have you seen examples of their vehicle wrap installs? How are their installers trained and certified? Have you seen their facility? A professional vehicle wrap crew will put out a consistent quality product.

3. Cutting Corners? - Did they quote you a 7 year product but deliver a 2 year product? Check their references. Did they give you a print sample? Where will it be installed? (An outdoor install could lead to stretched material and debris under the vinyl.)

4. Backend Charges? - Did their quote include graphics removal? Was there any design time? Is there an additional charge for financing? Do you have special needs like an after hours install?

5. Warranty? - How long have they been in business? New businesses typically slash prices to get business, but most startups fail. So offering a 7 year warranty may not mean much.

Using a company that's been around awhile means alot. Check references. Expect samples. Make sure your price comparisons actually compare similar items.

To check if your vehicle wrap installer is 3M Certified, go to UASG.org

For more information, contact the professionals at Shadow Graphics.

Top Ten Reasons Why Vehicle Wraps Are The Most Cost Effective Means of Advertising

Next to Word of Mouth, vehicle wraps are the most effective means of advertising and we can prove it. Here are the top ten reasons:

1. Yellow Pages - "the cost of display ads varies from city to city. In Manhattan, a small one-inch space listing would cost you about $2,500; and you could pay as much as $92,000 for a full-page display ad. But that same one-inch space listing in Manhattan, Kansas, would cost just $252, and a full-page display ad would be about $11,200." They also have very strong arguments why a small ad just won't cut it if you want to compete at all.

2. Billboards - "a recent 50 showing (percentage of the population that would see your boards at least once a day) in Salt Lake City included 84 boards and cost $22,512 for one month (the 1- Month Rate). Buying that many boards brought the cost per board to under $275. Don’t expect a rate this low for smaller markets or a one or two board buy. In most cities the average billboard costs $400 to $600 a month." It is advised that an effective campaign consists of at least 50 boards starting at $400 ea. a MONTH.

3. Magazine Ads - cost is for a full page 4 color ad per MONTH and reaches 600,000-1,450,000 people:
PC Magazine - $78,415
Electronic Gaming Monthly - $28,430
Time (*Bus. Wkly) - $110,990
Rolling Stone - $157,880

*per week rate

4. Radio - the formulas on that page could give anyone brain cramps and with good reason. The more confused they make you, the more susceptible you are. "In Atlanta or Topeka or Seattle,...it will start out charging $80.00 for a :60 (spot). Maybe a little more on Thursday and Friday." This reaches "10,000" on a morning drive 1 time. How many spots would it take to make an effective campaign? How many of that "10,000" is actually listening and not talking on a cell, telling the kids to settle down, or ordering something at a drive-through? Also, they charge differently for different demographics, time of day, day of week. Oh, and you better have someone ready to field the calls immediately when your ad airs. Get the picture?

5. Door to Door - No need to over discuss this one . Even if you aren't providing a company car, gas is over $4.00 a gallon. Add to that a sales person's wage, mileage, and expense account. That's not including any sales materials or promotional items. And if they hustle, maybe they can keep 4 or 5 appointments a day.

6. Telemarketing - We all love telemarketers, right? We greet them with sunny dispositions, and are anxious to hand over our hard earned money for whatever they interrupted our meal for, right? How effective will telemarketing be for you?

7. Direct Mail - 1,000 postcards: printed $229, postage $410, quality mailing list $50-250 (some are 1-time use), and don't forget original postcard design. Expect a 1-2% yield.

8. TV ad - Prices depend on what time of day, what programming is airing then, and how long your spot is. Whatever your one-time airing costs, multiply it several times. With bathroom and snack breaks, channel surfing, and muting the sound your message will have to run several times to be heard.

9. Web Page - $500 - $110,000 annually. The expense doesn't stop with initial web design. There are periodic content updates, search engine placement, URL reservation, internet provider services, etc.

10. Vehicle Wraps - a mid-size van taken from concept to install will cost an average of $3000, will last for 5 years, and be seen by approximately 16,000,000 people a year in a metro area. Broken down, that is more than 26,000 people per penny!

You tell me. How do you want to spend your money?

Submission Guidelines

Thank you for choosing Shadow Graphics for your large format printing needs. Your graphics will be produced in vibrant colors on our 6-color solvent printer. The following information will help you develop your artwork for successful output. If you have a question that has not been addressed in this information sheet, please don’t hesitate to call us at 407-481-8282.


Design Software: Please choose program(s) that are intended for single page design, such as Illustrator and Photoshop. Multi-page layout programs, such as Quark, are inappropriate. Additional fees (by the hour) will be incurred for conversion.

Resolution: The minimum input resolution for our printers is 100 dpi (ppi) @ 100% scale. Keep in mind that if you are working at 1/4 scale, you will need to increase the resolution of your linked files to 400 dpi (ppi).

Linked Files: Be sure to link your image files -- do not embed them. Embedded low resolution FPO’s are OK.

File Formats: Linked files should be provided as .tif, .psb, or high resolution (12) .jpg. Layered .psd images are wise if you anticipate changes. The artwork, including the unmodified template layer, should be saved as .ai or .eps.

Bleed: Provide 1” bleed on all sides.

Fonts: Outline all fonts. If changes are anticipated, please include an .ai that hasn’t been outlined and all (Mac) fonts - Opentype is cross-platform.

Colors: If specific colors need to be matched, be sure to provide the Pantone “C” call-outs. Pantone CV, CVC, or CVU are computer video color references and are not accurate for print. Pantones with transparency will be treated as spot colors. Unrecognized color references or spot colors will be converted to CMYK, and are subject to the interpretation our RIP. Most Pantones are reproducible, but extremely vibrant or florescent colors may be out of the printers’ gamut.

Media: Final artwork should be sent to us on CD or DVD or uploaded to out ftp site. Please include a proof print, and your contact information. We can accept up to 13 MB by email. A hardcopy proof may be necessary for accurate color reproduction.