Frequently Asked Questions about PVO

1) Scaling

Scale the template by 2,000% to obtain full 1:1 scale. Please note that some design applications require that you scale in two steps:

All versions of Illustrator have a maximum page size that prevents editing templates at full size. However, do the following:
1. In Illustrator, scale the template by 166.666%. This obtains a scale of 1″ = 1′ for editing.
2. When ready to print, use the printer settings to further scale by 1,200%, which will obtain the actual vehicle size.

In Gerber Advantage, you must do a two-step resize. With the entire vehicle selected, first resize by 1,000%, and then by an additional 200%.

2) Site Check

Check the vehicle for things like:

• Fender flairs, badges that change from model to model
• Plastic trim
• Aftermarket products
• Dents
• Rust
• Measure a few points on the vehicle to make sure your customer gave you the right info about the vehicle. You wouldn’t believe how many people don’t know exactly what vehicle they have. Especially with some makes have multiple model styles.

3)  Resolution

Resolution is normally in the 75-200dpi range at max.

• Always test images before you go to print. Make sure they don’t have a lower resolution then 75. If they do they will most likely be pixelated and won’t look good when printed.
• You don’t need to have 300dpi images being printed. That would be just wasting ink. 9 times out of 10 the wrap will be moving, and the customer won’t be able to tell.

4) Bleed

Must be 6 inches on all sides. If you have larger curvatures on the vehicle like fender flairs, make sure to measure and adjust the bleed accordingly.

Designing with a bleed. All sign software’s have a clip option. You will create a squared image around the template that will represent your vinyl. Every vehicle template has a solid outline. You can ungroup and select the outline and then you can clip your background image to it. This clips the bleaded area inside the template to show the finished concept.

5) Design options

On average you see a vehicle wrap for 2-4 seconds at max. In that time, you need to understand what that company offers and have a stand out image that you will remember.

Keep the design simple yet and eye catching:

• Don’t busy up the image with bullet points or multiple graphics. Your eye should always focus on the company name first.
• Do a quick test by looking at your designed image for 2-4 seconds. Make sure your eye focuses on the company name and what they do. If not, you may want to change your design.
• Try to include images in the wrap that will quickly associate the vehicle to what the company offers to the public.
• Additional info like phone numbers or email addresses can be put on the back of the vehicle. Its normally seen longer in stop and go traffic.

6) Printing

Vertical Panels: Make sure to print with around 1 inch overlay between vertical panels this is done in the RIP software. You can change the overlay amount depending on the climate you live in. Temperature can cause vinyl to move. Bumping panels up flush to each other can end up having the vinyl pull away and see the vehicle color under the wrap.

Horizontal Panels: Printing this option minimizes the overlay lines but is much tougher to work with. It normally needs multiple people to help hold the vinyl and a very skilled installer. It has better looking effects binging seamless.