Many of our clients call us saying that their paint job is bad and they just want to cover it. “It’s cheaper than getting it painted right?” Many times that is true, but that doesn’t mean its an alternative.

Considering a vehicle wrap is pretty much a large technologically advanced sticker, you need to consider what would happen when you stick a sticker of any quality on an area that may carry dirt, is peeling, or is cracked. Then take that sticker and stick it out in the sun to bake for 3 to 5 years.

The end result isn’t usually a positive one, especially if the sticker is wrapped around tight corners and contours. Because the wrap is sealing out all air except for the area where the paint or clear is coming up or rusted, under the sun, that area builds moisture under the wrap, which then compromises the whole wrap in that area as it begins to release over time.

Removal of a graphic after a period of time would completely remove the loose clear and paint and further damage the paint job of the car. Not to mention the life of your wrap wont nearly be as long as it could be under the proper conditions.

It can also be said that a “cheap” paint job also has the dangers of not accepting a wrap well. Even though the car may look to be in good condition, there is still a chance the paint could be pulled up if the client went with the cheapest route possible to have their vehicle painted. Spending less isn’t always the best option when you want something done right and with quality. It proves to be a valid point often when it comes to vehicle wraps.

We would suggest strongly that vehicle wraps are not meant to be an alternative to painting, and that when you are considering a vehicle wrap, it would be a wise idea to take a walk around your vehicle to see if there are any areas where paint could be compromised. Of course we will always be willing to take a look at it for you if you want to stop by our offices in Orlando. We can give you advice on how to proceed and if we think small dents and marks would be an issue. We are here to take care of your needs.

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No matter if you are a business owner, or an individual just wanting to spice up your vehicle’s look. Everyone has one thing in common. We all want a good price for what we are buying. But how do you know that what you are buying is truly a good product? See the damages of other cheap wraps, then learn what you need to know.

Vehicle wraps don’t take care of themselves, and if the material is a cheaper quality, it will damage even more quickly. The value of your investment is lost so much quicker and the design you were using to advertise your business suddenly has become an eye sore. The vinyl will age and crack embedding itself into the paint of the vehicle. This could all have been completely avoided with the right high quality material and UV protectant overlam. The life of the wrap would have lasted much longer and your advertising dollar would have been properly used.

Once the old wrap is removed, years of glue and residue remain which have to be painstakingly removed, possibly damaging the paint. This makes for hours of removal making your final price go even higher just to get the old wrap removed. Once again, the right material and correct over-laminate, and much of this could have been easily averted. Shadow Graphics believes strongly in our 3M products, and we will make sure that the right material is used for the right purpose.

In many cases, a cheap wrap will often embed itself into the paint of the vehicle, eating away at the finish and working its way down to the bare metal of the car. When this happens often times it will require a new paint job or sanding to flatten out the damaged areas leaving the paint of the vehicle permanently damaged, when wrapped a texture can often still be seen from those sanded areas depending on the level of damage.

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A single logo can give a vehicle a completely different feel. That same logo on several different vehicles, even if they have different colors, adds uniformity. Thats a quick fix at a great price! We use only the best 3M materials and we have certified 3M installers that have gone through 3M’s training program to make sure that the job is done right the first time.

Do you have different models in your fleet? We can change the sizes of all your graphics so that it is consistent on each vehicle. Or we can make one standard size that can go on each of your vehicles.

It doesn’t matter what size vehicle you have. We have a state of the art, wide format printer ready to print off your graphics at almost any size!

We can custom tailor your design for every vehicle in your fleet. Even if they aren’t the same vehicle, we can make them look like a professional fleet ready for the road!

We work with fleets with over 700 vehicles! We can take care of your needs!

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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 in the end your warrantee is only as good as the company.

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

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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?

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Our designer took the JBI logo and custom vectored it by hand and re shaped it to fit along the door panel, our client was there and quickly approved of the design and the position of the JBI over the logo.

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