Car Vinyl Wrap – Past, Present and Future

Protection, preservation and perfection! Car vinyl wrap offers all that and more giving your vehicle a unique, exquisite look, preserving its original colour to perfection. In order to protect and restore the paint, wrapping is a popular choice for car aficionados. But that is not all. Car vinyl wraps also opened new doors to vehicular advertising without marring the original paint job. It is face of the present and the door to the future. Its history goes back a long way…

The past…

The cornerstone of the evolution of automobile wrapping was set in mid-1800s when vehicular graphics became all the rage. Though vinyl was yet to be discovered,  people used to paint their horse-drawn wagons and carriages with family crests – a display of pride and property ownership. Businesses and small-scale salesmen painted letters on their carts and wagons. This was the inception of smart, mobile advertising. It not only helped in selling merchandise but also assisted in promoting brands. These were some of the earliest forms of vehicle advertising on record.

Though this carried on till almost the mid-20^th century, it marred the look of the vehicle as the letters were hand-painted using stencils. Finally a workable solution was found to solve this predicament. The breakthrough came in 1926, when B. F Goodrich accidently invented plasticized polyvinyl chloride. In its early days, its usage was not very cost-effective. The US air force was of the few who could afford it. It was in 1980s that vinyl production became affordable and small business owners benefitted from it.

1993 marks the beginning of the era of vinyl wrapping and digital printing. Germany turned all its black Mercedes Benz taxis into beige by applying vinyl wraps over all of the black taxis. An exciting new industry was born.

The present…

We live in an era in which car vinyl wrapping is a vital element of automobile industry and a multi-billion dollar venture worldwide. More and more companies have invested in it and now, with the advancement in technology, excessive features have been added to it such as gloss, matte, printable, and even colour-changing vinyl wrap films. The options in hues are innumerable such as rainbow drift, matte metallic, chameleon metallic, matte chrome, white chameleon, high glossy, carbon fibre and clear protective. Vinyl wraps are not only cost-effect but time saving as well. Digital printing has significantly reduced the hours required to achieve what a customer or a company desires.

Car vinyl wraps are versatile. They are not only used commercially for advertising but private owners also customize their cars through them. If you are not sure about the colour scheme, A4-size sample sets are also available to help you decide before you buy. Whether its mobile self-expression or effective marketing, vinyl wraps are the key!

The future…

We are the dwellers of a time-conscious world. This wave will not only continue but enhance in the future. The face of advertising and automobile production is continuously evolving towards advancement. It is imperative for the companies involved in vinyl wraps to keep abreast for the fast pace of changes occurring. The future of car vinyl wrapping promises extravagant schemes, efficient design and print modifications. The focus is on developing products with greater durability. Constant research and development is being carried out to produce material that is better in scratch and tear resistance than what we use at present. With emerging products boasting ever-improving technical specifications like 3M's recyclable PVC-free Blackout film™, and amazing decorative features like photographic digital prints, we would soon see more these innovative new looks in the near future.  

Car vinyl wraps are the solution for those who want their vehicle to be a head turner. It’s the rage of the present and the technology of the future. Get noticed, go ahead, get your car wrapped.