Whether you're looking to sell products and services or make a personal statement, a car wrap is an instant attention-getter. The work requires a mixture of both art and science, and that makes it a challenging job for even professionals to deal with. If you're wondering about what will be needed to put a top-notch vehicle wrap on your ride, here's what you need to know.

Having Your Car Ready

The surface of a vehicle needs to be in new condition or as close to it as possible. If your car requires attention, it's a good idea to have any body or paint work done to get it to the point where a wrap can be applied. Bear in mind that many shops will not offer a warranty for their work if the vehicle in question isn't considered to be in good enough condition. You're welcome to proceed, but you'll likely be asked to sign a waiver acknowledging that the work won't be warranted and that you were informed of this fact.

Matching Colors

Most shops have the resources needed to closely match underlying vehicle colors. If there are any concerns, the wrap can be placed next to the paint to see whether it's good enough.

Readability

Especially when using a vehicle wrap as a form of advertising, you want the graphics to be as readable as possible. You should try to use the largest fonts possible. While it's tempting to want to crowd the space with words, it's likely better to keep your use of words limited in order to use bigger text. In some cases, such as state-required licensing information for a contractor, a minimum size may be dictated by law. When in doubt, always aim for bigger letters and fewer words.

Providing Your Own Graphics

If you have copies of original graphics files for things like a company logo, these can speed up the process of creating graphics considerably. Unless it's an unusually old or a rare file format, there's a good chance someone at the shop will know how to convert it. If necessary, the shop should also have the resources required to scan existing logos and convert them into work files.

Costs

If paintwork needs to be performed in advance, you can anticipate that costing between $1,000 and $5,000. A wrap applied by a skilled technician will probably add a further $2,500 to $5,000, with larger vehicles costing a bit more.

For more information, contact a vehicle wrap company like Simply One Stop.