Pre-wrap Procedures and Supplies

A clean substrate is the most important thing to have success in wrapping a vehicle. Every vehicle should be prepped as follows: Wash 24 hrs in advance, 70% Isopropyl Alcohol the entire car, use Denatured Alcohol for tougher areas. Xyleneon the bumpers and rocker panels. We insure at Laser Sharp Sign Design that we will make sure your vehicle is as clean as they come before we start the wrap process. Vehicle wraps may not be the cheapest form in changing the color of your vehicle but they give you the bet quality and longest life time if applied and taken care of in the right ways. There are times where spending more money is worth it to insure that the quality of your product is the best that it can be and will last longer then what a cheaper job would. Research will show that a cheap paint job or wrap will not last more then two years, with either job you will see cracks start to form, fading,  and tears where the car wasn’t prepped well enough. If your paint or wrap job are advertisement for your company this is something that you definitely don’t want to happen. Driving around advertising your business is a vehicle which looks like it got a cheap paint/wrap job will make people think that your cheap and actually give them a negative view towards your business. Sometimes spending the extra money is worth it, its an investment that will give you more views then any other form of advertisement there is. Don’t go cheap make sure you get the best quality there is to offer.

Dry Erase/Chalkboard Vinyl

Dry erase and chalkboards are things of the past. Now we have vinyls which give you the ability to write/draw on and be able to erase afterwards. This is great for a kids room, class room, office space, ect. You can turn a whole wall into a whiteboard/chalkboard. Whether for the kids to have fun, keeping a to-do list, grocery list this is a simple and fun way to add some creativity to a wall and you can always just erase what has been done and start with a clean slate. These types of vinyl are recommended to be used indoors, the white dry erase vinyl is perfect for dry erase markers while the blackboard vinyl is perfect to draw with chalk on. Both come clean easily with a eraser or damp  towel. The vinyl can also be cut into all kinds of shapes and sizes. If you really wanted to add decor to a room you could cut the vinyl in a specific design so even when there is no writing on it, it still looks good.

Both of these vinyls would work very well in a business such as a restaurant  As soon as customers walk in they could look at your board and see the deals for the day. It can be erased and redone easily for every day the deals change. It waste no space on the floor and is easy to install just by sticking to the space you would like it to be located. If you think your home or business could use a feature like this give us a call at Laser Sharp Sign Design and will get you what you need.

  

  

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Special Effects Vinyl

Use Special Effect Vinyl to create a visually stunning graphics that boost your profits. When being manufactured colors are incorporated into the resins not just surfaced dyed. This improves durability and permanence, the colors will not scratch off!I will introduce a few specialty vinyls to you starting with Decorative Diffrato-Lite Mosaic. This type of vinyl is for interior use only. The light diffraction creates the appearance that the intricate interlocking geometric pattern is in motion. Another type of specialty vinyl is Decorative Multi-lens. This type of vinyl is also for interior use only, continually repeating patterns of 3D concave or convex lenses that create the effect of metallic spheres. For a special effect vinyl that has outdoor durability you should go with Diffracto-Lite Brite Overall. This is a smooth silver iridescent vinyl that appears to change colors when viewed from different angles or in different light. There are many more specialty film styles that can be used to give your print, whether its a vehicle wrap or a banner, that wow factor to grab the attention of people everywhere.

 Decorative Diffracto-Lite Mosaic                                  Decorative Multi-Lens

   

 Diffracto-Lite Brite Overall

Metallic Enhancer

At Laser Sharp Sign Design we have the ability to use the MACtac metallic enhancer which will give your prints a whole new definition. There are many different options with the metallic enhancer to give your prints a fantastic look.This enhancer can be used over digital prints to create a metallic paint like appearance  It can also be placed on colored vinyl to create special effects in your prints. With the ability to add the effect to the graphic or just laminate a ‘regular’ print with this product you can get an awesome look that makes you stand out from the rest.

  

Etched Glass

Etched glass is the type of look you usually see when walking into a business such as a bank. It has a defined look that allows for privacy but also looks professional. It is frosted out glass blurs out everything in the room. Although it is a cool look you have to be careful in the ways you use it. It is very hard to read small etched glass lettering on doors and even harder if the light is hitting it the wrong way. Etched glass needs to have proper lighting  and environment in order to look good. I would suggest not using it as the small lettering on the outside of your office door. If you have big letters or an image such as your logo that would be much more visible in etched glass. This is a very unique look that will add a little more class to your office.

Proofs

When working with customers, whether it be on a banner, poster, retail sign, vehicle wrap, ect we have the ability to give them a proof. This is a virtual image of what their signage will look like, this is very helpful because if we were to just print things there would be things wrong and when we have to reprint that waste time, money and materials. It is important to us to have the customer satisfied before we even print. Proofs are a great way for us to work with our customers on making their image look exactly how they want it. It also allows us to be creative and give them different options to choose from. If a customer is unsure of what they want our graphic designer will come up with 2 or 3 proofs for the customer to choose from and get ideas.

The following images show the proofs of a vehicle and trailer wrap. They are images of what they would look like after we applied the new wraps.

Work Trucks

Companies that provide a service usually have a fleet of work trucks to go on job sites. These trucks are a big investment, but if used correctly you can use that as a huge advertisement tool and gain a lot more business. When you make this investment one of the first things to mind should be making them into billboards on wheels. Whether you choose to go vehicle wrap or decals your trucks should be plastered with your logo, name and information about your company. It is a huge advantage to have trucks like these on site because now you are physically showing people who drive by the service you provide. When people see what you are doing the first thing they will do is look for your work truck. This is where it is important not only to make sure that you are advertising on your truck, but doing it to the best of your ability. I have talked a lot about the signs that represent you, this has the same effect. If people see the service but then see a truck with beat and worn signage representing the company they will most likely keep passing by without a care. But if your truck has good color and graphics that will grab peoples attention and make them more interested in the service that you are providing. It goes back to looking professional, even with the economy in a slump people still want professional work, its essential that they get things done right the first time and there's no better way to show that your that company then giving them a great first impression from your image.

The below images show a work truck before and after getting updated signage. It makes the truck much more visible and easy to read. Customers don't look at the type of work vehicle you use, they care about the image that you create for yourself. People will recognize a vehicle with good signage on it no matter what type it is, that is your advertisement and its what convinces people to use your service.

Vehicle Wrap Industry Stats

The following stats are from the vehicle wrap industry as a whole. If you want the best in designs and production come to Laser Sharp Sign Design we will give you the best!

• Mobile advertising may be the most efficient and effective form of outdoor advertising, reaching more consumers at a lower cost per thousand impressions then any other outdoor advertising.

• More then 95% of Americans are reached by media targeting vehicle drivers and passengers.

• The average American has traveled 302 miles in the past 7 days.

• One vehicle wrap can generate between 30,000-70,000 impressions a day.

• Fleet vehicle wraps are be used for various types of advertising campaigns, including new product launch and even marketing, and are being used more and more in the marketing mix.

• Fleet vehicle advertising increases name recognition 15 times greater then any other form of advertising.

• 30% of mobile outdoor viewers indicate that they would base a buying decision of an ad they see.

• Transit advertising has grown to be the second largest segment of the outdoor advertising industry in terms of dollars spent (as of 2003) representing 19%. The Outdoor Advertising industry has nearly doubled since 1993 from $1.19B to $2.09B in 2003. These numbers continue to grow each year.

• 8 out of 10 Americans report they they have walked downtown, or into the city on average of 6.1 miles in the past week. This pedestrian traffic gives great opportunity for advertisers.

Floor Graphics

Floor graphics are like decals for the ground, they can be informative, directional or just for fun. They are easy to install and get the message across. Many factories use floor signs to give warning to employees and customers. You can also use them to display sales or giveaways that might be taking place. Floor signs are attractive and easy to spot, everyone is looking where they are walking (most of the time) which makes it easy for them to spot signs on the floor. It can also be good to make your floor graphic colorful so that it really grabs customers attention. Laser Sharp Sign Design gives you the ability to make any custom graphic making it easy for you to decide what you want to get your customers attracted. Floor Graphics can also be used to advertise items in your store. For instance grocery stores will have food items, such as cereal as a big decal on the floor. This puts your product out there and gets people to see what you have to offer. Its like advertising within your company, its easy and affective.

 

Floor graphics can also be used to add your own custom look to something. Sidewalks in front of stors have giant graphics of images that look like they are actually on the ground when their not, or holes that look like you would fall down into earth if you stepped there, but you wouldnt. These graphics can turn a space into a whole new world. These graphics help take creativity to a new level, getting you off the walls and cieling and onto the floor. You can make things look 3 demensional, or instead of having bland tile flooring turn your kitchen into a sandy beach. Anything your imagination can think of can be printed up and placed on your floor making your home or office your own paradise.

   

Sign Placement

Sign placement is a critical step in buying and installing a sign. Obviously you want your sign in a location where you are going to get the most views but it also has to be visible to the right people at the right time. For instance if your company is on a busy road with a lot of traffic you need your sign somewhere that can be seen from both sides of the road and also give drivers the chance to see it and make a decision to stop if they want to do so. The best way to mount  a sign by the road is perpendicular, with a good amount of hieght to enable view from a greater distance.

Research shows that if a sign is mounted on the fron of a building instead of perpendicular to the road, it needs to be 70% larger in order for it to be read in time. Also note that the more letters and words your sign has the longer it will take to read. Driving is already a hassel for most people on the road, when those people are now trying to look for signs to get somewhere it becomes even more difficult. These tips are not only good to gain new business and help advertise but also to make it easy for your customers to find your location. If potential customers never see your sign then you wont be getting much business. Iv said it before and I will say it again, a business with no sign is a sign of no business.

The table below shows the amount of time a driver needs to read and stop for your sign at different speeds:

Minimum Required Legibility Distances in Varying Situations
Speed (MPH)	With lane change (in feet)	Without lane change (in feet)
25-30	410	155
35-40	550	185
45-50	680	220
55-60	720	265
>65	720	280

Road Signs

When your driving down the street every which way you look there are signs. Grocery stores, fast food, gas station, and resturaunts are seen every where. But what about the small business located between all those places? Sometimes those are the signs that are over looked. There have been times where I knew the place I was looking for but still drive past it because their sign doesnt stick out like the rest. This is your road sign, the sign people can use to locate your business, also the sign that people can recognize your business by.

Driving through the streets of Tampa I have seen some really bad signs by the road. Beat, torn, faded and more. How am I suppose to call a company if the signs so faded I cant read it. Business owners dont realize that this is a vital piece of business, this sign is thier identity and without an identity your business is nothings besides a building. 

These are the problems that we want to fix at Laser Sharp Sign Design. Get the small businesses out from underneath these large corporations signs that are hiding thiers. Does this mean get a sign that is bigger than any other out there? Well that might work, but no. This means come to Laser Sharp Sign Design where we can create an eye popping laser sharp product that will grab the attention of every person who drives by. Size does not always win the fight, quality plays a large role and with high quality signs from Laser Sharp Sign Design your signage will be getting all the attention of those big corporations and some.