Getting creative with traditional vinyls

Has digitally printed media killed the traditional single color vinyl? Not at all! There are many reasons why we continue to use traditional vinyls on some of our projects including vehicle graphics, signs and more.

The introduction of digitally printed medias has helped open the doors to a wide range of creative options, allowing you to do things never possible with straight color traditional vinyls. At the same time traditional vinyls can produce better solid colors, reflection, and in some cases longevity. Here are some fun and creative ways by which regular vinyls can stand out in designs.

What are some advantages traditional vinyls still have?

The colors that are available through different vinyl manufacturers (Oracle, Avery, 3M) are much more vibrant and bright than their digitally printed equivalent. These are great for using in applications that aren’t “bulk runs,” or in an application that will be seen up-close, where the extra vibrancy can be noticed.

Metallic Vinyls:

Available through most major vinyl manufacturers, these look great on any vehicle’s paint! It can be hard to replicate the metallic finish offered through these traditional vinyls when utilizing a digitally printed equivalent. A great example would be this Optima batteries wrap.

Chrome Vinyl:

Just like metallic vinyls, these are different enough from regular vinyl that they will stand out, helping make your name that little bit more recognizable. Most chrome vinyls from the major manufacturers are not meant to conform over compound curves of surfaces, so try to keep these parts of your design mainly to flatter areas. Here is a great use of chrome vinyl on a demo of BMW’s Efficient Dynamics Vehicle.

Reflective Vinyl:

Why let the night take away from your ability to advertise your business? Conventional vinyl and digitally printed signage & vehicle wraps can lose some of their impact late at night after the sun has set. They can still be seen when illuminated by headlights, but only when being illuminated directly and for longer periods of time. With reflective vinyls you have the ability to convey your message with very limited amount of light hitting the material. As one might guess, you can’t simply print reflective vinyl with a digital printer. There are two different grades of reflective vinyl, from engineer grade to diamond grade. All vehicle wraps and emergency vehicles generally use engineer grade reflect. In some cases for certain street sign applications, diamond grade reflect is required.

[box type=”info”]If you have creative ideas for your signage, vehicle wraps or other needs give us a call. We will work within your budget and concept to develop an end product that is exceptional.[/box]