Vehicle Signage

A signed up work vehicle is the best value advertising a small business can buy. You are already driving it, already parking it out the front of jobs, already sitting in traffic on the Bruce Highway. The only question is whether the people around you know who you are.

We wrap and sign vehicles of every kind at our Buderim workshop. Utes, vans, trucks, trailers, cars, boats and machinery.

Your options

Full wrap. The entire vehicle covered in printed vinyl. Total colour change, edge to edge graphics, maximum impact. The most expensive option and the most striking.

Partial wrap. Printed panels across the doors, rear and rear quarters, blended into the vehicle's own paint colour. You get most of the visual impact of a full wrap for a good deal less. This is what we recommend to most small businesses.

Cut vinyl lettering and logos. Your logo, phone number, website and service list plotted in coloured vinyl and applied directly. The most economical option by a long way, and on a white ute it looks completely professional.

Fleet livery. A consistent layout applied across every vehicle you run, with the same logo positions and the same look regardless of vehicle shape. We keep the artwork and templates on file, so vehicle number nine matches vehicle number one, even if it arrives three years later.

One way vision on rear windows. Perforated film so the graphic continues across the glass while the driver can still see out the back.

Boat and marine graphics. Names, registration numbers, hull graphics and transom lettering in marine grade cast vinyl.

Trailers, machinery and site vehicles. Excavators, tippers, box trailers, food vans.

Designing for a moving surface

Vehicle graphics get read in about two seconds, usually by someone doing sixty in the next lane. That changes how you design.

The three things a person needs to take away are who you are, what you do, and how to contact you. Anything past that is decoration. We keep the phone number large, keep the service line short and readable, and place the important information where it is actually visible, which is not the middle of a door with a handle across it or a panel that gets hidden by a bull bar.

We will also work around the vehicle rather than fighting it. Deep body creases, sharp curves, rivets on a truck body and door handles all affect where a graphic can sit cleanly. We plan for that before printing, not after.

Materials and lifespan

We print on cast wrap films from 3M and Avery with a matched overlaminate. Cast film conforms into curves and recesses and stays there. Cheaper calendered film shrinks back over time, which is why you see wraps with vinyl pulling away from the recesses and lifting at the edges.

A properly fitted cast wrap will generally give five to seven years on vertical panels. Horizontal surfaces, bonnets and roofs get far more UV and heat and will fade sooner. Keeping the vehicle out of the sun when it is parked up makes a real difference.

Looking after it

Hand wash with a soft cloth and car wash detergent. Avoid automatic car washes with rotating brushes, and keep a pressure washer at a sensible distance and never straight at an edge or a seam. Get fuel spills, bird mess and tree sap off promptly because they will stain the laminate if they sit.

Frequently asked questions

How much does a car wrap cost on the Sunshine Coast?

It depends on the size of the vehicle and how much of it you are covering. Cut vinyl lettering on a ute is the entry point and is very affordable. A partial wrap on a van typically sits in the low thousands. A full wrap on a large van or truck goes up from there. Tell us the make, model and year and what you want covered and we will price it properly.

Will a wrap damage my paint?

No, when it is done properly on factory paint in good condition. Cast wrap film is designed to be removed. It actually protects the paint underneath from UV and stone chips. Resprayed panels are a different story, because aftermarket paint that has not fully cured or was not prepared well can lift with the vinyl. Tell us if any panel has been resprayed.

Can I wrap a leased or novated vehicle?

Usually yes, and it is a common reason people choose a wrap over a respray, because it comes off at the end of the lease and the vehicle goes back in original colour. Check your lease agreement first.

How long does the vehicle need to be with you?

Cut vinyl lettering is generally a few hours. A partial wrap is usually a day. A full wrap on a large vehicle is two to three days. The vehicle needs to be clean and, ideally, washed the day before.