Cost – If we eliminate discount paint jobs, which often reduce pricing by eliminating proper preparation, wraps or decals may be more cost effective. In this article, painting a car may range from under $1000 to $8000. Decaling or wrapping a car can run $500 to $3000+.
Resale Value – Protecting the manufacturer’s original finish maintains the resale value of the vehicle, and the saleability of basic colors is much higher than exotic colors. Do you love bright chrome yellow? Does your company use pink vehicles? Vivid colors may limit potential buyers in the resale market. Buy a white vehicle, wrap it to your heart’s desire, and have a white vehicle, again, when it’s time to resell. As Listverse explains—
“Ever drive’ down the road and notice most of the cars you see are colored in four colors (mostly black, white, silver, or gray)? Part of the reason why is resale value — people who want to resell their car later know they are far more likely to find a buyer if the car is one of these common colors.”
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How Long Will My Vinyl Sign or Wrap Last
It’s June and the summer sun is doing its best to cook your vinyl signs and banners like bacon on a hot skillet. Seems like a good time to examine the various factors that determine the outdoor durability of vinyl graphics.
Having noted the season you might guess that exposure to the sun’s rays affects the life of vinyl. But it’s not the only important factor. To meet or exceed customer expectations, you must choose the right vinyl, understand the details of the makers’ warranty, know the difference between the durability of printed vinyl vs “cut vinyl”, and be aware of environmental and maintenance issues. Let’s tackle these in that order.
Before we get into the details of the expected life spans of vinyl signs, it’s good to remember that these expected lifespans are based on ideal conditions, with a vertical mounting. (More about vertical mounting, below).
So never tell a client that this is how long your sign will last. We recommend inserting the words “up to” before you quote the film life. There’s a big difference between laboratory life and real world life.
Choose the Right Vinyl for Your Vinyl Signs
By now you probably know there are major differences in the outdoor durability of various self adhesive vinyl films. In previous blog posts, we’ve discussed the virtues of cast and calendared films, solvent and acrylic adhesives, and looked at various types of vinyls like reflective film. To categorize them in terms of outdoor durability, it might help to break them into four groups.
Calendared PVC: These are the economy and intermediate vinyls used for short to medium term outdoor vinyl signs and graphics. These include ORACAL 631, 641, 651, Avery 500 and 700 series, MACtac 8900, and the LG Hi-Cal 4000 and 6000 products. They tend to have outdoor durabilities ranging from three to six years depending on the color. Speaking of color, we should note that the lifespan warranted for a particular vinyl series, such as the three to five year rating for LG Hi-Cal 4000, depends on the particular color. Not all pigments are created equally. Some are inherently more susceptible to UV fading. So if you’re not sure where your job will fall in the stated range of a vinyl’s outdoor life, check the color chart. Metallic colors like silver and gold will fade more quickly because of the metal flake content. We’ll explain that momentarily. Standard colors are more durable with reds on the lower end of the range. The most durable options in any vinyl product palette are typically black, white, and transparent. No matter what color you choose, the projected outdoor life assumes a vertical application in an environment relatively free of chemicals and pollutants. More on those later.
Cast PVC: These are the higher performance versions of their more affordable counterparts. The primary difference between cast and calendared PVC vinyl is the superior dimensional stability produced by the casting process. This gives cast films outdoor life ranging from five to twelve years depending on the brand and type. Why such a broad range? One factor is the amount of UV inhibitors baked in during the casting process. ORACAL 951 has more UV resistance than 751, its more affordable alternative, and lasts up to 25% longer outdoors. Remember that not all cast vinyl is standard PVC film. There are also cast metallic and ultrametallic films used primarily for automotive accents. These have shorter outdoor lives because the metal flake in the pigment traps and holds more heat resulting in a shorter road to failure. Metallic and ultrametallic cast films tend to expire in three to seven years depending on the color. Metalized polyester films are even more susceptible to heat failure and should be put in their own category.
Metalized Polyester: Metalized polyester or mylar films are used to emulate dazzling metallic effects and textures such as brushed and smooth chrome, gold leaf, and holographic foils. Instead of bits of metal mixed into the face stock, these films contain a layer of metallic foil. Typically, metalized films like silver and gold chrome mirror are only good for up to two years outdoors. Some expire in as little as six months as the accumulated heat causes them to blacken like tarnished silverware. There have been advances in the last five years in this field so you can now purchase metalized films that last three to five years outdoors. Our VC series Schein holographics are in that category. Beware. Some brands are available in both a long term or “durable” version and a short term or “decorative” version. Don’t use decorative foils for long term outdoor signage unless you sell them only to people you don’t like.
​Fluorescent: Despite the fact that fluorescent vinyl is either cast or calendared PVC, it deserves to be placed in its own category in this discussion. As noted above, not all pigments are as durable as others. Fluorescent pigments are at the bottom of the UV toughness list. Regardless of whether it’s a cast or calendared film, fluorescent vinyls are inherently limited to short term applications. Depending on the hue, some may last up to two or three years. But fluorescent reds and yellows are notoriously susceptible to dramatic UV fade. Use these only for short term promotional graphics such as “going out of business” sales, retail promotions, or indoor graphics. If your customer insists on a fluorescent green for his or her signage, do your best to persuade them to opt for a similar color in a more durable product. ORACAL’s #063 Lime Tree Green for example, is a popular and durable substitute for fluorescent green.