A wrapped vehicle is one of the highest-exposure advertising surfaces per square metre a business can own. A single service van working across a city reaches more people in a month than a fixed panel on a side street. That visibility runs both ways: a wrap with lifting edges and faded colour reaches exactly the same number of people.
Below are the technical questions worth asking before you accept a quote, and how to look after the wrap afterwards.
Cast versus calendered film
The two films are made differently. Cast film is poured as a liquid and cured, so it carries no internal stress and will not try to return to its original shape once heated and stretched. Calendered film is rolled thin between drums and retains that stress, which is why it creeps back over time. That is the reason calendered film lifts at the edges of a curved bumper.
| Property | Cast film | Calendered film |
|---|---|---|
| Thickness | Around 50 microns | 80–100 microns |
| Curved surfaces | Holds on deep curves and recesses | Lifts at edges over time |
| Outdoor lifespan | 5–7 years when laminated | 1–3 years depending on use |
| Typical use | Full wraps, fleet work | Flat panels, short campaigns |
Why lamination is not optional
The clear laminate applied over printed film does three jobs at once: it shields the print from UV, it takes the abrasion from wash brushes and road grit, and it slows fading. An unlaminated wrap visibly dulls by the end of its first summer, even in a mild coastal climate.
How long does application take?
The sequence is: measuring the vehicle and producing templates, design, printing and laminating, then application. A full wrap on a passenger car typically takes one to three days. The vehicle must be washed and completely dry beforehand; film will not bond to a damp surface.
- Application is temperature sensitive; wrapping outdoors in cold weather causes adhesion problems at the edges.
- Curved areas are formed with a heat gun, then post-heated so the film loses its memory.
- The vehicle should not be washed for the first 48 hours after application.
Caring for a wrapped vehicle
- Hand wash where possible, using a soft sponge and a neutral shampoo.
- With a pressure washer, keep the lance at least 45 cm away and never aim it directly at the film edges.
- Polish, cutting compound and abrasive cleaners will scratch the laminate.
- Rinse off road salt promptly in winter.
Consistency across a fleet
With more than one vehicle, the real issue is colour consistency. Jobs printed at different times on different batches of film show a visible tonal shift when parked side by side. Fleet work should therefore be printed from the same film batch with the same colour profile, and ideally scheduled in a single run.
At Royal Reklam we produce templates, print, laminate and apply in house. The film brand and lamination used are stated in writing in the quote.