Advertising in an industry that latches onto new technologies the moment they come into reality and vehicles are no exception to this rule. Before cars and motorized vehicles, horse-drawn carts were painted with advertisements, and so when vehicles came into being the practice was quickly carried over. The first ever company to advertise on an automobile was Milton Hershey, founder of the Hershey chocolate company. He painted Hershey’s Cocoa, his current logo, on a vehicle to drum up business in February of 1900. Painting cars soon became much more elaborate business and logos, decals, and figures decorated the side of cars.
Vinyl Chloride was invented in 1926. It is a “plastic-like” material and is very versatile. It can be thin, thick, flexible, or firm, and can be made in any colour. In the 1950s vinyl began to be seen, but due to the immense expense of producing it, it could only be purchased by large clients, such as the U.S. Air Force, who used self-adhesive vinyl graphics for their planes. It was not until the 1980s when vinyl production costs, as well as die-cutting technology, became inexpensive enough that smaller businesses could get in on the game and begin to letter their vehicles using vinyl – a much superior product to paint.
During the 1980s and 1990s coloured vinyl was die-cut into the letters and shapes needed and these were them adhered to vehicles. It was not until the late 1990s that vinyl could be printed with wide format printers to create more dynamic prints. Due to the expense of these printers, this new technology was once again only available to the largest companies to use. There was also a significant limit in the types of design, the colours, and the image quality, which led to it being an unpopular option.
It was not until the 21st century that piezoelectric inkjet printers and large format graphic design software could handle the load, and vast and intricate designs could be printed with ease. This was when the vinyl wrap was invented. Thanks to improvements in technology, wraps are beating out die-cut lettering as well as custom paint jobs.
Vinyl wraps are relatively easy to install and incredibly long-lasting, they are also an extra protective coating on whatever car they are installed onto. Vehicle wraps can be installed in around one to three days, and after a day of rest for vinyl curation, you are good to go. Just make sure to test that your windows can roll down and you’re on your way.
Landon Graphics – Your Vehicle Wrap Resource!
If you are looking to make your business fleet of vehicles shine or your personal vehicle, then a car wrap is the way to go. Vehicle wraps are the most sophisticated type of vehicle graphic and always look great. If you are purchasing one for your business, then it will make your work car look incredibly professional and will be an easy way for people around town to spot you and see that you’re doing good business. Contact us at Landon Graphics today, and we will get started on your vehicle decals.