Paint or Wrap?

[captain ron]

I met a guy today that wraps buses. He gave me a guesstamate on wrapping mine at about $2200.00
That would be from the roof line down to the stainless from behind the door all the way around the bus to the same place on the other side. I think painting would be more expensive even doing it myself if you count all your time. What do you guys think?

[TomC]

Then if you don't like it, it is relatively easy to remove to install another.  My body work and paint was $11,500.00  Good Luck, TomC

[HighTechRedneck]

I would be concerned about how long it would look good.  I think most bus wrapping is done for advertising and is changed periodicaly isn't it?  I noticed a mini bus recently that had been wrapped and it was starting to fade.  Near some edges it was starting to develop problems and in one place it had apparently been gouged by something causing a pretty ugly effect.

All that said, relating back to one of your threads some time back in which illuminated advertising was discussed, wrapping would introduce another interesting option - Electroluminescent Displays.

• BUS SIDE ADVERTISING
  You can illuminate your brands message on the move. Panels can be applied to busses, bringing light and animation to the streets, producing the most eye-catching and noticeable campaigns. The challenge for all advertising campaigns on moving objects is the restrictive available space and power source. In this case power was drawn directly from the battery with minimum effect on engine performance.
  
• BUS WRAPPING - Electrabel
  This campaign for Electrabel demonstrates a different technique of applying EL, using vinyl wrapping. Panels were produced exactly to size, placed in position and the bus wrapped over the top with vinyl to create this amazing lighting effect.

Example:

[Busted Knuckle]

Hey Ron,
Next time you talk to the guy, give him my #!
I'd like to see if he's got any advertiser's who'd be interested in using my 45'er as a billboard! It'll be in Nashville all week if he'd like to look at it or take pics to show potenial customers what there rolling billboard would be based on!
By the way Mom & Dad are in Nashville now, and I'll be there later tonight. They have the MCI and I have the 45'er you saw last week, but we'll be swapping out in the AM. Then I'll be back Friday night, doing a trip out of TN State, Sat and back way late Sat Night & Sun to relax abit! Maybe we can get together Fri or Sun for a cold one again. BK 

[Nick Badame Refrig/ACC]

Hi Guy's,

It has been my understanding that 3M wraps last about 2 years....

I believe that they don't have to last longer then that because advertisers come and go faster then that.

Nick-

[captain ron]

He told me about 5 years and I will work on getting some sponsors to pay for it. Bryce and I were in Nashville and talked to a couple people that had wrapped buses, Leroy Parnell's bus was over $10,000.00
and an Eagle that wasn't near as much in coverage or as fancy was $8,000.00.

[muddog16]

Ron,

UV rays ultimately shorten the life of wraps, they can put uv protective vinyl on also but they aren't meant to last very long, the life of any vinyl depends on the color, type of vinyl, and how much direct sun light they get.  In a previous life, I installed all kinds of vinyl lettering and graphics, as a side line business.  I'd choose paint for the longer life. Now on the other hand if you want to advertise your business, vinyl wrap has its benefits even tho short lived, if you damage it they can replace a section exactly that will match what was damaged, you can use your own photo's too! And they do look great! I've lettered many fire department vehicles, they are so well kept that it lasts a life time! That is the only exception to the rule that I'm aware of on long life of vinyl.

Pat

[Hartley]

Phot printed vinyl is generally rated for 2 to 3 years with a UV overlaminate or coating.
There are some rated for 7 years but you really don't want to know the price of that.

Really depends on the colors that you want and how deep you pockets are.

The next problem is surface imperfections, Simply there can't be any. Vinyl amplifies the effect of any uneven surfaces
and won't hold up well over lots of rivets, bolts or surface imperfections.

Also, Many of the cleaning products have deteriorating effects on vinyl and anything printed on it. If you get a dimple
and water gets under the clear coating or laminate it will creep under and wreck the image.

Paint is much harder and also harder to damage, easy to repair and keep clean.

If however you want signage or photo's then vinyl is the only way to go, Just remember to baby it and plan on
replacing the image when it fades out.

Always keep a full copy of your original art and any files used to create your artwork.
Put it on a CD and keep it safe. If you depend on the shop that printed the graphic to store it, You may not be able
to duplicate the original later on.

Technology is changing in the vinyl graphics business, New Inks and new printers evolve all the time. They are expensive
and hard to maintain.

I use older equipment myself and upgrade the mechanicals as needed, Just don't have $30k to $300k to buy new stuff
to do $100 jobs. The vinyl material is outragiously expensive too... I wasted $700 worth trying to get a printer just to print correctly and am not done....

[Ross]

$2200 is way cheap for a wrap.  When I was selling extreme sports equipment, one of my manufacturers looked into wrapping my bus and sending me on a 12 month demo road trip.  The wrap was $13,000.  If you can handle a spray gun and DA sander, $1000 in materials will get you a good quality paint job.  The money in a paint job is in the labor. 

Ross