Directional vinyl wrap film is common in color change projects. There are already many guidelines out there to teach people how to handle it properly so that a directional film will not be distorted, and the color and hue can stay perfect. However, they rarely talk about the logic of its direction in terms of its presentation.
Usually, the logo of the manufacturer of the vinyl wrap film is printed all over the liner, which can help you indicate the right direction you should apply. Even if it is not, you can mark arrows on the liner before separating the material into different panels.
It is clear to deal with the sides around a vehicle when wrapping, including sections like fenders and doors. Most wrappers would wrap them with panels with the logo (or arrows) facing either up or down to keep all sides looking uniform. In this case, the sides are considered as being wrapped vertically.
But when it comes to the areas like the hood, roof, and trunk, it gets a little frustrating in deciding what direction to apply. Here are some illustrations that might give you some ideas:
Measure up the hood. Some are wider than a regular roll of vinyl wrap film, while others are not.
If it is the former case, you would have to choose to wrap horizontally, which means rolling the roll across the section from left to right (or right to left). In this way, you can keep the film’s direction being consistent with either the driver’s side or the passenger’s side, while it will not match the other side.
If it is the latter, you can roll the film on the hood from top to bottom (or bottom to top), wrapping vertically. This means the film’s direction on this hood will match neither the driver’s side nor the passenger’s side.
Neither case can keep all directions consistent. Thus, you can think about how you want to present the finish before deciding what direction to apply on a hood. Some might find it looking better with the latter situation, so you might want to deal with the material in this way even if the hood is not as wide as the panel. But always think beforehand.
As for the roof, mostly it is longer than the length of a regular roll. So you would have to wrap it horizontally. So it is like the former case for the hood. It can only match the direction of either the driver’s side or the passenger side.
But of course, you can wrap it vertically if it is not as long as the length of the panel. Usually, the direction of a hood and a roof will not be consistent. But because there is a certain distance in between, it will not matter so much when you see it.
The same rule works for a trunk. If it is wider than the width of the roll, wrap it horizontally, matching only one side of the car. Otherwise, wrap it vertically. In either case, try to match the film’s direction on the hood or the roof, and let the third section follow a different direction. This can help you create the maximum uniformity on the finish.
Just be clear that you will never be able to make all directions of the panels going the same. However, you can always think ahead and try to present your work in the best way. Learn more about wraps at teckwrap.com
