It’s a wrap—at least it should be according to Justin Pate, president of the Wrap Institute.
“It’s an exciting time to look into adding it [vehicle wraps] and tinting windows allows for a smoother transition into vehicle wraps,” said Craig Campbell, strategic initiatives director of the International Sign Association.
The first step is education and understanding, according to Pate, who thinks those just starting out should have a mix on training. “Today there are many options when it comes to getting educated,” Pate said. “You should do a combination of online and hands-on learning, because one challenge is that mistakes in this area are expensive.”
Pate made his comments during an online seminar as part of SEMA360, a virtual event that took place last week gave attendees a chance to visit companies (look for more on that in our upcoming November/December issue), sit in on educational sessions and more through its interactive platform. Pate and Campbell gave tips on things business owners need to know before adding vehicle wraps to their list of offerings.
The online session was a casual open discussion between Craig Campbell, International Sign Association strategic initiatives director, and Justin Pate, The Wrap Institute president.
According to Pate, color change film should be on your radar too. “It has a lamination layer and is essentially business in a box because it has opened up the door to more people getting into wraps,” he said.
“You can wrap on primed vehicles and it’s an easier transition today than it was 10 years ago, and I agree you definitely need a mix of hands-on learning,” said Campbell. “Whether it be from manufacturers or distributors … or you can take advantage of online learning.”
The second step is knowing the material and how it stretches. “This is really important because if you stretch it too far it shrinks over time and you can get fingering on mirrors,” said Pate. “You have to know what the material can’t do.”
“It’s like the wrap is a sheet of paper and you’re trying to wrap a bowl with it,” said Campbell. “If you don’t have the skill [proper training] you’ll just end up with a mess.”
To learn more tips and to see more of what SEMA360 offered be sure to read the full article in the upcoming November-December issue of Window Film magazine.
