What Is the Cost to Vinyl Wrap a Car?
Vinyl wrapping of a car is a relatively low-cost way to decorate a car. Vinyl car wraps are most frequently used for promotional or advertising use by businesses and organizations looking to establish their community presence. Vinyl car wrapping is often considered to be a much better option than painting, as painting is more expensive and permanent, whereas vinyl car wraps can be removed. The cost of a vinyl car wrap varies based on the price of vinyl, design work, printing and installation.
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Creative Design Work
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The price of a vinyl car wrap can vary based on whether you use stock art from the car wrapper's catalog, provide your own logo and artwork or request design work from the car wrapper. Requesting design work, of course, will increase the costs of a vinyl car wrap, due to the time involved in the designing, drafting and proofing process.
Raw materials
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One of the primary costs of having a car wrapped in vinyl is the cost of the raw materials. The vinyl is sold by the square foot, increasing the price of wrapping a larger car. Durable cast vinyl typically costs between $12 to $16 per square foot, while less expensive calendered vinyl retails for $5 to $8 per square foot. Spending more on cast vinyl will result in increased durability, while choosing calendered vinyl for temporary projects allows for cost savings.
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Printing
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Once the design has been finalized and the proofs have been approved by the customer, the design is sent to the printer. Costs for printing vary based on the complexity of the design, the size of the car and the number of colors involved in the printing process. A design that covers the side or rear windows will require printing on special perforated vinyl, further increasing the cost.
Installation
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Fully installed, a vinyl car wrap can cost from as little as $2,500 to $4,000 or more. You shouldn't attempt to install your own vinyl car wrap, as the effect of the car wrap is highly diminished by imperfections. Installation, sometimes outsourced to outside companies, requires a thorough cleaning and preparation of the car's surface and a very careful application of the vinyl, including the smoothing of wrinkles and detailed trimming of the edges.
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References
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