Nancy Tipton, owner of Advanced Signs & Graphics in Lancaster, Pa., recently had a vehicle graphics project where the client specified a certain type of vinyl. The problem was that the vinyl wasn’t LexJet Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl (it was a lot thinner, for one, says Tipton).
“We were wrapping the front hood and tried to heat and stretch it as we normally would and there was a huge color shift right off the bat: the green panel became light green. With Simple Flo you can pull it back up and heat it again if necessary, and you don’t get any color shift,” explains Tipton. “When we tried that with the other vinyl it tore, and our squeegee tore it too. We were frustrated with it and it made our install time twice as long because we had to be very careful with it. Also, we installed outside in a protected area, but as soon as the temp got up to 80 or higher the material really stretched. We’ve worked with Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl in 90-degree heat before and there were no issues with it stretching in the heat.”
Based on her experience, Tipton recommends factoring in the additional time it may take to get used to working with a vinyl that’s been specified that you haven’t worked with before.
“We have those installs down to four or five hours with Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl, and with the other vinyl it took about three days. Plus, Simple Flo is priced right,” says Tipton. Tipton estimates that Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl is about 40 percent less expensive than the vinyl that was specified.
Advanced Signs & Graphics first started using Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl as a sign vinyl and then started doing vehicle graphics with it as demand for those types of projects rose. An example of a sign-type project that was a perfect fit for Simple Flo Wrap Vinyl is shown here.
This project needed to be wrapped over the board, over the top and sides and around the back, “kind of like you would wrap canvas over stretcher bars,” says Tipton. The board shown here was one of several sample boards used by sales reps to show different types of cabinetry knobs.
