Our shop is 100% digitally operated. So since we print all digital, most everything we do is full color printed as we are able to do full color graphics for no additional cost over a single color graphic. This assumes all “normal” colors, not special effects colors like gold or chrome which may be an additional cost.
Since we are so diverse, we have become experts at choosing the correct base materials, adhesives and laminates to suit your specific needs. So please feel free to be specific on what your needs are and we can recommend the proper product. Even subtle differences in materials can make a huge different in how well you sticker/graphic is going to last long term. Or for that matter, short term if that fits your needs.
This is where it all starts. Either you provide it or work with us to create the design. We do charge for artwork time depending on the task. We will certainly let you know right from the start if there will be artwork charges associated with your project. Once the artwork is received or approved it goes to a print queue. If you are first contacting us, artwork will be the first question we have for you. Once we know exactly what we are producing, we can get you a much better idea on cost for your final product. Number of colors does not affect product cost. The size and quantity of your order is what most directly affects the price. We generally will want a vector format file like those created from Adobe Illustrator or Corel Draw. That said, we can print from most anything, but depending on what you need from us, some files may not usable for what you are wanting to create. Many of our clients provide their own artwork. It helps us tremendously in the turn around time of your order.
Once the artwork is complete, your order is ready to print. It goes into a print queue and once the machine is ready we let it rip. Your order will be printed on whatever machine is necessary to achieve the final product we are producing. The large majority of our stickers/graphics start life as a plain white base material. We do have the option to print on a clear base material, however since we print all digital it is very difficult to execute and therefore is more expensive. Digital inks are all typically very translucent, so they create bleed through problems when using clear material. So when creating stickers on clear, we actually have to print them at least twice as there first must be a base layer of white printed where the graphics and final colors will be printed.
After printing your design, we laminate it with a clear laminate for a super-durable sticker. The only stickers we produce that do NOT get laminated, are stickers that will be clear coated over with paint. Example would be, bike frame stickers that get a layer of clear sprayed over the entire frame to seal in the stickers. Other than that everything we produce gets laminated. The laminate is what gives the sticker it’s ultimate durability. Whether that is a graphic for a motocross bike or a vehicle wrap, they all get laminated. This may be the most important part of the process in providing you with a quality product. If it’s a bicycle frame sticker, this is what we call a top-mount sticker. It is installed on top of an already painted and cleared frame.
Though not actually cut by a die, we still use this name for reference. Once your order is printed and laminated, this is often the next step. During this process the final shape of your sticker or graphic is created. The die-cut (contour cut) was created during the artwork process. Now the machines can read this die-line and actually cut out the final shape. We then weed off the excess material and your sticker is done.
We can also create single color die-cut graphics or lettering from a single color vinyl. In simplest terms, we take a single color vinyl of your choice and run it through the machine to cut out your graphic. The hard part is then having a human weed out the material that is not part of the design to leave just the final product.
This may or may not be a necessary part of the process for your order. For most die-cut stuff, this is the final step. We apply a transfer tape or application tape to the previously weeded die-cut graphic. This is what holds everything together to make the installation be a simple one step process. Transfer tape is just a temporary thing. Once the graphic is installed the transfer tape is removed and discarded.
We offer full-service installation for vehicle wraps and any other graphics you’d like us to install. I would like to think we have the best vehicle wrap installers in the country. We are always flying our installers around the country to make sure our final product turns out as best as possible. All the hard work to this point is of no good if the install on a wrap is not done properly. You really get what you pay for in this part of the process.