Quick question for those who have done custom graphics

[Overland]

Did you go with cut vinyl (each color cut separately then pieced together on transfer paper), or printed on a single piece of vinyl?

 

I have the choice of either, though all the companies I've spoken with are pushing the print.  It's cheaper, but the vinyl it's printed on is thicker and there's a bit of grain to the print, though I doubt that's noticeable at any reasonable distance.

 

If you were given the choice, is there a reason you picked one over the other?

 

I believe the stock Oliver graphics are cut vinyl.

 

Thanks!

[mossemi]

My vinyl was produced by Oliver from art work I provided.  I found the silhouette on the dog on the internet and the artist was in England.  I purchased a print and he granted me permission to reuse a digital copy he provided.  I put the text in and Oliver produced it in the color brown on my trailer with some of the text in black.  The charge was $160 and was completed while the trailer was in for the fresh water tank modification after the rally this year.  When it was applied, it was in 2 steps.  First the silhouette and then the black text.

 

I seem to remember that Oliver cannot do 3 colors because it is not printed.  But my graphics are actually 3 colors, brown, black and the white of the trailer.  If you are going to use your snowball it might be possible to due the same  The challenge will be the blue if it is vinyl.

 

Good Luck

[Overland]

Mine will end up being two color either way, since they'll cut out the white on either.

 

One of the reasons that the cut vinyl is more expensive is that they'd have to order the right blue, which means I buy the entire roll.  Expensive stuff.

[topgun2]

Ouch!

[Mike and Carol]

Ours is printed on a single piece of vinyl, locally. Oliver couldn’t print mine due to size nor would they install the one I brought. I had a local shop do it and they charged $50 for two big and a dozen small graphics. I did the installation myself. I don’t know if I’ll ever need the extra big one for the front of our trailer, but I have it! Mike

[Overland]

That's a better price than the best I've gotten, which is $32 for the front logo alone, same size as yours - but not too far off I guess.  Either sounds reasonable to me, but I'm doing some side graphics as well, and that's driving the price up considerably since they're about ¾ the length of the trailer.  Total for the front, both sides, and two small graphics is $250+.

[Mainiac]

One piece, many colors, installed at a camp ground. Has micro grooves in the back to let any bubbles out. It was easier to install than the the hull # provided by Oliver. Was about $80 and she ships. Bannana Banners...

[Try2Relax]

I would imagine it's all about longevity, under cover or in the sun? With cut sheet vinyl fading shouldn't be quite the same issue as printed on vinyl. There's a reason for the price difference...

[Overland]

I was told that the warranted lifespan for either is 5 years.   Interestingly, the limiting factor for the warranty isn't for fading but for removability.  After five years, the vinyl and glues begin to dry out and become brittle and apparently become more and more difficult to remove and replace.

 

However, looking at the 3M website, the specifics of the warranties (plural) are confusing as there are exceptions and limitations depending on the application and different warranty lengths for different aspects of the products - so 5 years I think is more what the local shop will stand behind.

 

Having said that, the printed version is supposed last longer since it's a multi-layered product.  There's the base vinyl, the latex ink (which I was told was very much like house paint), and then a thin protective layer placed over the ink.

 

I think the price difference is due to 1) I have to buy the entire roll, 2) there's more waste since each color is cut separately, and 3) it's just a hassle for the shop vs printing.

[Overland]

I spoke with the printer again today and we were able to cut the price in half just by consolidating some of the graphics into a single print.  The long stripes on the side were producing a ton of waste material so by combining as many files as we could made for considerable savings.  Should be ready next week - fun!

[Mike and Carol]

We’ll be watching for pictures!