It’s a bird? It’s a plane? Nope – can you guess what these objects are that are wrapped to look like football helmets?
These are the Simplexa Integrated Cyclers from Focus Diagnostics, headquartered in Cypress, CA. These nifty instruments are used by laboratories around the world to test for various diseases. At Iconography, we are proud to add a custom and somewhat fun element to this interesting product line, having wrapped these instruments to look like everything from a fishbowl to a dinosaur.
We use the same high-quality 3M vinyl wrap materials and laminates on these instruments as we do on our vehicle wraps. There are two basic types of wrap materials that can be used, and the selection really depends on your design.
1. Cast Colored Vinyls. These are vinyl wrap materials that are produced by the manufacturers in predetermined colors. The material is made by pouring the colored vinyl in liquid form into a huge sheet mold. The vinyl is then cooled, and cut into long rolls that we purchase and use to wrap cars, boats and other items. The benefits of using a cast colored vinyl is that the color is solid all the way through. These vinyls do not need to be laminated, and will typically last longer than than the other option, which are the digitally printed vinyls. However, a limitation of the cast colored vinyls is that they can only be used for solid color designs. Designs with lots of graphic effects, pictures, or gradations will need to be printed.
2. Digital Print Vinyls. These wraps have all of the color and design printed onto the white material using one of our large format digital printers. The benefit of digitally printing your vinyl is that the design possibilities are virtually endless. Pictures, graphic designs and text can all be combined to create anything you have in mind. Once the material is printed, it is then covered with a UV laminate film to protect against fading and small surface scratches. While these materials will last for several years and look great with proper care, they will not last as long as the Cast Colored Vinyls.
For many of our customers, their design dictates which material they will use. Complex designs most often need to be digitally printed. When designs can be achieved using blocks of solid color, then a cast colored vinyl is often a good choice, particularly if the wrap needs to be in place for many years.
Have a unique wrap project in mind? Give the experts at Iconography a call today at 714-524-5424!
