Windshield Banners

[remus 5]

Hey i am just wanting to know, do you cut your windshield banners straight or curved to fit the windshield? If you cut it curved how do you know how much curve to put in it, all windshields are different....

[tekcorps 50]

With a curve. remus, do a uscutter search, this topic has come up before and there is some instructions how to calculate it. GL 

[remus 5]

Thanks Tek.....i did a search & got nothing in regards to windshield banners

[tekcorps 50]

http://forum.uscutter.com/index.php/topic,18811.0.html

[john! 1]

I do straight most of the time, On some cars like camaros (newer) you have to curve them but it's mostly straight for most cars.

[remus 5]

Tek...thanks for the link, my search skills must be lacking

Guest....I have been cutting them straight myself, if they tell me they want a 4"x44" windshield banner, thats what i give them, never really thought about making them curved until the other day, when someone requested one curved & i was stumped on how to achieve this curve on a windshield i have never seen before...So i figured i need to do a little research..lol

[remus 5]

OK i have one more question, I mainly sell windshield banners to people over the internet, so how can i possibly measure for the curve, if i dont physically have possession of the vehicle?

[tekcorps 50]

Get their make, model and year. Grab your girl and go car shopping! 

[remus 5]

I dont think a $20 windshield banner is worth all that time & i dont think anyone is going to pay $100 for one...lol

[tekcorps 50]

Then why the fuss? Cut is straight and move on. 

[remus 5]

I am not fussing, just asked a question & how to do it without having the vehicle at my shop....Going car shopping is not feasible, as the closest one is 40min. away & from past experiences they dont like it when you break out the measuring tools & start measuring, done been run off the lot once over some flames...lol

   

[sarconastic 29]

The way i measure the curve, and you could have a customer do this at home is to take a piece of string and lay it across the windshield from side to side. Measure down on each side an equal distance so the string is straight across the windshield, then tapes the ends of the string in place. Then measure the distance down from the top of the windshield in the center to the string. Then measure the side to side  width of the glass at roughly the bottom of where the graphic will be. Example would be Measure down 12" from the corners and tape string. Measure down at the center, say it's 8.5" subtract this from your 12" side measurement and you get 3.5" Measure your width, say it's 51".

Then in your software created a box that is the width of your windshield (51") by the height you want the graphic to be. Next go to whatever your software's version of Distortion or Warp may be and distort the center of the box down 3.5". Save this as a template and you now have  something to design your graphics for that vehicle on. You can import that template into your program later to design over the top of it.

The numbers i gave are rather dramatic, most will be within 1-2" of drop int eh center, but you get the idea. Just make sure you leave enough around the top and sides for trimming.

Kevin

[remus 5]

sarconastic...thanks for the tip, that will help a bunch