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Driving down the street on your way to work today odds are you passed several vehicles that were “wrapped” with their name, logo and maybe other imagery. The term “vehicle wrap” has come to encompass all vinyl that is applied to vehicles and as such creates confusion for the customers when they are hoping to utilize vehicular advertising. They will call and ask how much it costs to wrap their vehicle and are shocked at the price because they were thinking of just lettering and the sign shop quoted a full wrap. While there are certainly benefits to a full vehicle wrap, sometimes a company’s message does not require it. To ease this tension we are breaking vehicle wraps into three main categories:  Full Wraps, Partial Wraps and Lettering with Graphics.

Defining the Types of Vehicle “Wraps”:

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Full Wraps:  With Full wraps vinyl that wraps around the full vehicle  (except the roof in some cases) and includes the body, the bumpers and hood.     Full Wraps are designed to maximize the square footage of your vehicle and can come in intricate patterns, solid colors or logos and branding to become an advertising source for a company.

partial wrap

Partial Wraps: With partial wraps, vinyl covers less than a full wrap, but consists of more than just the company name and logo. Partial wraps can also include window graphics. These are a middle ground for vehicle wraps and if done correctly can pack a solid punch.

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Lettering: Lettering on vehicles usually covers only a small area, primarily showcasing the logo and the company name and number. The term lettering can be deceptive and often is taken to only mean the company name and number. Without stylistic details, this form of “wrap” is highly ineffective. When we use the term Lettering we are referring to any and all of the following: cut vinyl logos, the company name, phone number, website, key phrases etc.

Full Wraps, Partial Wraps, and Lettering Ranked:

Durability (Best-Worst):   #1 Full Wrap, #2 Partial Wrap, #3 Lettering

In regards to durability, full wraps are ideal. The full coverage of the vehicle eliminates weak points which would cause the vinyl to fail earlier. Full wraps typically last 5 years, which surpasses the other options. By fully wrapping a vehicle you are also protecting the paint (which helps in resell value later on). A partial wrap, instill covering large sections of the vehicle in one piece, has a similar life span to a full wrap but the seams create possible fail points in the vinyl. Lettering has the shortest lifespan due to the many seams and fail points.

Size/ Viewable Area  (Most area – Least): #1 Full Wrap, #2 Partial Wrap, #3 Lettering

With full vehicle wraps the entirety of the vehicle’s square footage is fair game for advertising potential. This allows for the greatest amount of information as well as the ability for your investment to pack the biggest punch. Full wraps stand out and are less likely to get lost in traffic than less bold options.  Similarly, partial wraps allow for the key information to be large and easy to see. Lettering provides the least amount of punch with the size in that you’re at the mercy of the shape of your vehicle (letters can only be so large as to not fall into recesses).

Cost (Low- High):  #1 Lettering, #2 Partial Wrap ,#3 Full Wrap

When deciding which method of the wrap a company wants to take on price is often a primary factor. There is no understating that a full vehicle wrap is an investment and quite costly. These costs often turn clients off from the idea. But remember it is an investment. Partial wraps are less expensive than full wraps which makes sense because vinyl is priced by the square foot. Lettering with a company logo is the most inexpensive method of vehicular advertising.  It is the easiest to install, cheapest to produce and uses the least amount of material.

Advertising/ Return on Investment:

As a whole vehicle graphics provide the cheapest advertizing medium per cost per impression, it is estimated that the average vehicle driven 15,000 miles per year will pass in front of 9 million other vehicles. With that being said all three options (if executed correctly) can reach more viewers for less money than any other form of advertising.

Here at Paramount Signs we work with you to find the best fit for you and your company. Since we design, print and wrap vehicles in-house: we are your one-stop shop for all your vehicle wrap needs. Curious to see how vehicle wraps can help your company upgrade? Contact us today for a FREE QUOTE! Getting you noticed is PARAMOUNT!

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