In two-dimensional drawings, curved panes, curves and beads can only be represented inadequately. Sloping windows and surfaces are foreshortened in perspective, and corner radii may also deviate. The paths and dimensions of the drawings must therefore not be used for film cutting without first checking them on the original vehicle. creativ collection® accepts no liability for dimensional deviations.
If commercial vehicles are not glazed, they usually have prepared window cut-outs in the sheet metal. These edges are represented by lines in the drawings. However, you should not use them to cut the sheets directly:
Therefore, make sure you check the exact condition on the original vehicle or, if necessary, on the basis of photos.
Filming tip: If your design is to extend right up to the edges of the sheet metal, you must cut the films accordingly larger and cut them directly on the vehicle; the easiest way to do this is with Knifeless Tape.
Tip: Vehicle manufacturers often launch additional sheet metal or glass variants after the market launch. Since the cut-outs are always the same, you can make a sheet into a window and vice versa by recolouring the drawing.
If you are planning foiling over vehicle "corners", e.g. from the wing to the bonnet or from one side of the vehicle to the rear, there is a little trick: push the corresponding views of the vehicle drawings together so that the edges at the transition areas (red lines) are as congruent as possible. You should be aware that such difficult transitions can only be roughly planned in two-dimensional drawings. In order to achieve a good fit, skill and experience are required when bonding to the vehicle. In order to have enough room to manoeuvre, the individual films should have a generous overlap area.
Design tip: When foiling strongly curved metal sheets, there will inevitably be significant stretching of the film, which can lead to unsightly distortions of the design. Therefore, diffuse motifs without sharp edges and straight lines are ideal for these areas, as they conceal distortions best. Abstract, rather small-scale decors are also a good choice here. Geometric objects and shapes as well as images of people, on the other hand, are unsuitable as they unnecessarily emphasise the distortions.
In two-dimensional drawings, rear windows can only be shown foreshortened in perspective, so that curvatures and corner radii are not exactly reproduced. If the film is to extend to the edge of the window, the contour cut must always be made directly on the window to ensure a clean result. If the original vehicle is not available for the design planning, the design should be carried out with large tolerances or only the centre of the window should be covered.
Attention StVZO! If there is a third brake light, it must remain free. ABE numbers of tinting films must also be visible. Find out about the current legal situation.
Design tip: Since the vehicle interior is always darker than the surroundings, white lettering on the rear window is easier to read than black. The inclination of the windscreen must also be taken into account depending on the angle of inclination and can be compensated for by slightly distorting the design.
Slight colour deviations may occur during the production of films. For this reason, films from different batches should never be mixed. The alignment of the film should also always be uniform, as the colour of some film types can vary slightly depending on the viewing angle. Incorrect alignment can result in certain areas of the vehicle appearing in different colours, even though the same film has been used.
There is a wide range of possible add-on parts such as emblems, trim strips, bumper protection, etc. The same model can be configured differently depending on customer requirements. It may also be necessary to paint plastic parts in order to be able to wrap them. Failure to take this into account during the planning stage can lead to unpleasant surprises later on. To avoid this, you can 
download a practical checklist here.
Add-on parts such as bumpers, bumper guards or door handles are sometimes difficult or impossible to film. It is therefore advisable to find out about the condition beforehand:
Tip: Before final application, adhesion should be tested on test pieces. This ensures that the film is compatible with the substrate. This is particularly important for new or unfamiliar films in order to recognise potential problems at an early stage.
Door handles can be designed in very different ways: recessed or not, recessed handle with sharp edge or not, fully foilable or not depending on material and texture. Therefore, the representation in the drawings is not suitable for an exact contour cut. Always check the exact condition on the original vehicle or, if necessary, on the basis of photos.
Vehicle manufacturers often offer their models with a wide variety of equipment and sports packages (e.g. S-Line from Audi, M-Technik from BMW, AMG-Line from Mercedes). Due to the almost unmanageable number of variants and possible combinations, we are unfortunately unable to offer all configurable options. However, as far as possible, we take into account the relevant packages for the most common vehicles.
If the vehicle with the desired equipment package is not available, you can also fall back on the base model, as the bodywork is usually identical. In addition, many equipment packages only relate to the interior and comfort functions.
Digital print vinyls
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Plotter/full-tone films
Advantages:
Disadvantages:
Conclusion:
Printed films are ideal for creative and complex designs, cut colour films are better for simple, long-lasting designs with bold colours.
Tip: Combine!
Use digital print vinyls for complex designs and solid colour vinyls for text, single-colour areas and, if possible, logos.
Left: high-resolution image, centre: enlarged, right: interpolated (heavily exaggerated for illustration purposes)
There is no universal answer. An important criterion is the viewing distance. In offset printing, the ideal resolution is between 300 and 360 dpi, so that no pixels are recognisable at a distance of 30 cm. This resolution would theoretically also be ideal for vehicle design. However, as the available image material often does not allow for this and vehicles tend to be viewed from a distance of 1-2 metres, a lower resolution may be sufficient. Depending on the motif, 100-150 dpi may be sufficient, or considerably less for lorry tarpaulins. Rule of thumb: the more image details, the higher the resolution. However, logos and texts should always be razor-sharp.
Note: Although interpolated images have a higher resolution, they do not have more details and the contours are blurred.
Tip: Make test prints of important details and view them from the desired distance.
In contrast to cast films, calendered films are pressed by rollers during production. In addition, around 20 to 25 % plasticiser is added to them. "Monomer" refers to short-chain, highly volatile plasticisers, "polymer" to longer-chain plasticisers.
Monomer calendered films
Typical applications: Interior, trade fair construction, shop fitting, short-term advertising campaigns.
Advantages:
Disadvantages
Polymer calendered films
Typical applications: Interior and exterior, vehicle labelling and part wrapping
Advantages
Disadvantages
Moulded films
Typical application: Vehicle wrapping
Advantages
Disadvantages
Tip: Production fluctuations
Always use films from the same batch for your orders to avoid colour variations.
Tip: Pay attention to shelf life
Films should not be used beyond their service life, as the onset of decomposition makes them difficult to remove and can damage the paintwork. Horizontally bonded films wear out more quickly due to direct sunlight.
Reflective films are only permitted on emergency vehicles such as ambulances, fire engines or police vehicles. Chrome foils are a borderline case: vehicles may not be completely foiled, but individual components may be. There is no generally applicable rule. Even if these films can be approved or registered in individual cases: Check with the vehicle insurance company beforehand, because in the worst case, the insurance coverage for the vehicle expires. The operating licence may also expire.
Vehicle parts such as front/rear skirts, spoilers, side skirts, extensions, etc. have strong curvatures. These shapes cannot be represented exactly in two-dimensional drawings and are unsuitable as cutting templates. Therefore, the stone chip protection films must be cut directly on the vehicle.
Useful information on online searching as well as practical tips on working with the drawings can be found in the help.
Photos are very helpful if the vehicles to be decaled are not available at the time the order is placed:
You cannot assume that your customers always know all the relevant details of their vehicles; important information is also often missing from the registration certificates. In addition, photos show possible bodywork damage and rust spots that should be removed before the vehicle is wrapped.
Tip: Always ask for informative photos for each order, ideally also detailed photos of emblems, (modified) add-on parts and damage.
The colour perception of automotive paints and vehicle films can vary greatly depending on the light source (e.g. direct sunlight, shade, artificial light). To simulate outdoor lighting conditions, it is advisable to select the right colour temperature when choosing light sources. The colour temperature of 6500 K (standard D65) provides a realistic assessment of the colour effect under typical daylight conditions.
Light film colours can cause dark car paintwork to show through, resulting in undesirable colour nuances. This effect mainly occurs in highly curved areas, as the film is stretched more there and is therefore thinner. Conversely, a dark film on light-coloured paintwork can also be problematic.
When calculating, it must be taken into account that vehicles with dark paint colours are easier to wrap than light-coloured vehicles if the design is to extend to or over the edges of the sheet metal. This is because with light paint colours, the film must be applied further around the edges of the sheet metal to avoid unsightly paint flashes. With dark paint colours, it is easier to conceal small film defects, as dark shadows always appear at the edges of the bodywork anyway.
When combining films of the same colour, the effect varies depending on the ambient light. The brighter the light, the stronger the effect.
It can be a challenge to develop a uniform design for different vehicle types. A design can look good on an SUV but fail on the narrow sidewall of a pickup truck. The resolution of a photo may be sufficient for a car, but too low for a van. The vehicle fleet could be expanded later, ... It is therefore worth considering working exclusively with vector graphics, as these can be scaled as required and are easy to change. It is also easy to create a uniform colour scheme with a high recognition value using coloured areas.
Vehicle films must be applied within a certain temperature range in order to achieve optimum results and ensure long-lasting adhesion. The recommended temperature range for wrapping is generally between 18°C and 25°C.
Temperatures that are too low (below 10°C) make processing more difficult, as the film becomes stiffer and less flexible. The adhesive is not properly activated, which impairs adhesion and can lead to the film peeling off.
If the temperature is too high (above 30°C), the film becomes too soft and can expand unevenly, which increases the risk of bubbles or wrinkling. The adhesive may adhere too strongly, making readjustment more difficult.
Routinely check the paintwork of customer vehicles for scratches and other damage before wrapping. Take photos of these and inform your customers to prevent any disputes.
Note: Wrapping cannot hide paint damage such as scratches or stone chips. Any tangible damage remains visible even after wrapping.
There are many possibilities: Spoiler, front lip, rear lip, sill mouldings, skirts etc. These add-on parts can be glued, screwed or both, and can cause problems during removal. It may also be necessary to paint an add-on part so that the film adheres to it. It is therefore always advisable to inspect the vehicle beforehand.
Depending on the wrapping and model, numerous vehicle parts must be removed, e.g. front skirt, rear skirt, door handles, mirrors, headlights, rear lights, door panels, bumper protection, emblems, etc: Front skirt, rear skirt, door handles, mirrors, headlights, rear lights, door panels, bumper protection, emblems, etc. There are many imponderables: screws that are difficult to access, adhesive residue is difficult to remove, clips can break, etc. This work can be very time-consuming and would cost several hundred to well over a thousand euros in a workshop. It is therefore important to know exactly which vehicle is involved before calculating the price.
Before preparing a quotation, clarify whether you already have film wrapping. It is also important to know how old the film is and what type of film it is. High-quality 3D films are easier to remove than cheap plotter films. The additional work involved in removing an old film that is already disintegrating should not be underestimated.
Unfortunately, it happens all too often: when an order is placed, it is said that logos and images are available. In retrospect, it turns out that the logo is just a pixelated bitmap and the photos are mobile phone snapshots. This point should therefore be considered at an early stage so that a final artwork of the logo and/or additional costs for stock photos can be included in the price calculation.
Many well-known manufacturers offer decal sets ex works for emergency vehicles such as police cars, fire engines or ambulances. If you want to create decal sets yourself based on vehicle drawings, it is imperative to take detailed measurements of the original vehicle to ensure a good fit.
Various manufacturers offer a transparent protective coating that is applied to the edges of the film. The aim is to increase the durability of the film by preventing the penetration of moisture, which can lead to the film peeling off. This is particularly recommended for areas of the film that are subject to heavy wear.
Cleaning:
Drying:
Avoid harmful environmental influences:
Care, protection:
Pay attention to the manufacturer's instructions regarding the durability of the film, which must be replaced as soon as there is visible wear, discolouration or peeling. This is because removing the old film or if dirt and moisture get under the film can damage the car paintwork. Look out for the following signs of wear and tear:
Caution in the event of accidents: The paintwork can be weakened in the affected area and, in the worst case, flake off when the film is removed. Therefore: Ask about any damage before removing the film.
With the increasing demand for ecological solutions, environmentally friendly vehicle films are becoming more and more important. They are made of PVC-free materials (usually polyolefins or polyurethanes), are recyclable and, depending on the product, do not contain any harmful plasticisers or chlorine compounds. Some use solvent-free adhesives. They are approx. 20-30% more expensive than PVC films, but their durability is comparable.
Environmentally friendly films may require more care and experience during processing, as they react differently to fluctuations in temperature and humidity than PVC films. This can increase the processing time somewhat.
Spray films are most often used for wheel rims - for visual reasons or for protection. Their strengths lie in jagged and filigree surfaces such as radiator grilles or emblems, which can often only be foiled with great effort or not at all. It should be borne in mind, however, that removal from all cracks and corners can be very time-consuming. Spray films are also used as stone chip protection up to full filming. Basically, the vehicles must be prepared just as carefully as with classic film wrapping. In addition, everything that is not to be wrapped must be masked off. In order to achieve an even result and to avoid running marks, several even layers must be sprayed on.
In the help you will find step-by-step instructions for working with vehicle drawings.
