Graphic Designer by day, Vinyl Designing by night

[MaderDesign 3]

Hey guys, been reading the forums and placed my order for a US Cutter MH-871 and some extra goods to get me started. I have a few questions though, mainly with motosports graphics.

I have a friend wanting me to design his new graphics kit for his race quad and my question is, which vinyl would be the best to use for this, and if i'm layering this vinyl and applying it to plastic, is there a way to "Laminate" the layers before placing them on so that nothing peels back?

Or am I looking at something totally different and more like a print/cut on a thick clear vinyl?

[sarconastic 29]

Most of the Bike decal precut "Kits" that you see, like Monster, fox all of those are printed on a good vinyl, many times car wrap style material. Then Laminated with a Clear protective layer that protects the print and keep UV from fading the images. You can however apply vinyl directly to the plastic without much problem. I suppose you could use the clear laminate on it, but on multiple layers, i am thinking it wouldn't look too good.

A couple of notes,, Use good vinyl, Cast if possible. Cheap won't stay on very well on a dirt bike. Also if your applying directly to the Gas tank(plastic), you need to use Continuously  Perforated vinyl. Plastic is permeable and gas vapors will seep through the plastic and eventually create bubbles under your vinyl and breakdown the adhesive. If your quad has body panel over the tank that is separate from the tank, you can ignore that part.

I have put Oracal 751 on several bikes, in layers and singles, and have not had any trouble with peeling, tearing or anything on them. They have been run through several Hare Scrambles.

Kevin

[Razpewton 1]

I've had this car up to 142 mph. T-rex vinyl stayed put. Even had some layered vinyl on the front and no problems.

[sarconastic 29]

Speed isn't an issue with Dirt bikes/4-wheelers. it's the abuse they take from rubbing other bikes, and trees and brush. and the Dirt that gets all over them. Repeated washings to remove the gunk etc, I used to have to wash mine as much as 5 times a day, just to keep riding.. Almost any vinyl  Decals stick very well to paint, not so much to injection molded plastic. At least not for the long term, unless it's good vinyl.

Kevin

[CyberSultan 6]

I've had this car up to 142 mph. T-rex vinyl stayed put. Even had some layered vinyl on the front and no problems.

Great test!   BTW, that looks awesome!

[Razpewton 1]

Speed isn't an issue with Dirt bikes/4-wheelers. it's the abuse they take from rubbing other bikes, and trees and brush. and the Dirt that gets all over them. Repeated washings to remove the gunk etc, I used to have to wash mine as much as 5 times a day, just to keep riding.. Almost any vinyl  Decals stick very well to paint, not so much to injection molded plastic. At least not for the long term, unless it's good vinyl.

Kevin

ahhh....gotcha. I didn't realize he was talking dirt bikes.

[NukleoN 34]

Your description sounds like me! I was somewhat drawn into the vinyl market from being in a round of layoffs at my normal video-game art job...I thought vinyl might be a good for another revenue stream...plus I am a decal fan anyway. I love the tactile nature of vinyl as a nice break from computer-art.

Are you going to do contour cuts? If you print out your graphics on inkjet vinyl-transfer paper you would probably want a laminate on that to make it outdoor-usable. You can print full-resolution color on vinyl paper you print with your inkjet...I am fascinated by this aspect...can't wait to try and print and cut some paintings I have laying about. I don't think outright speed is gonna mess with decals so much as time...depending on the type you're using. As others have said, cast is ideal for vehicles since it doesn't have a 'memory' and conforms betters to small-vehicle topology. But, I generally use Oracal 651 on cars or vehicles with a nice clean substrate where the decal isn't being too distorted by curves and such.

Good luck in your endeavors!

NukleoN

Hey guys, been reading the forums and placed my order for a US Cutter MH-871 and some extra goods to get me started. I have a few questions though, mainly with motosports graphics.

I have a friend wanting me to design his new graphics kit for his race quad and my question is, which vinyl would be the best to use for this, and if i'm layering this vinyl and applying it to plastic, is there a way to "Laminate" the layers before placing them on so that nothing peels back?

Or am I looking at something totally different and more like a print/cut on a thick clear vinyl?

[American And Proud 2]

Mind sharing the T-Rex file please?

He's AWSOME, my kids would Love it if I made them a few decals,

Thanks

[Razpewton 1]

Mind sharing the T-Rex file please?

He's AWSOME, my kids would Love it if I made them a few decals,

Thanks

I had a friend do it before I knew anything about vinyl (I still don't know much about it). But I've uploaded a .gif interim and will call him tomorrow to see what he has of it. I believe he cleaned it up a bit before cutting the vinyl to apply to my car.  You're welcome to whatever I can get ahold of.

4share

http://www.razpewton.com/temp/TREX2.gif

[American And Proud 2]

Thanks very much, my son would Love it, he and I are big fans of the Jurassic Park movies.

I think he'd get a kick out of me making him one for his computer case.

I'm just starting out myself so I have alot of learning ahead of me.

Bought all the equiptment, now I just gotta learn how to use it all. lol

Thanks again.

[Razpewton 1]

Anyone ever tell you that you seems to have a HUGE pest problem in your backyard?!?!

That picture was taken at the Smokey Mountain Mansion in Robbinsville, North Carolina. Our car club, RX8 Brotherhood of the Dragon had our first meet there and we rented that place. They still gather up there once a year to challenge Hwy 129, otherwise known as the "Tail of the Dragon". It's an 11 mile mountain road with 318 curves. Car and motorcyle clubs from all over the world visit that area to Challenge the Dragon! It's an amazing drive. I traded the RX8 in on a Mazda3 for my daily drive. Saves me $$ on gas, insurance and car payments.

I miss that car, but at least now I can park anywhere at a Wal Mart parking lot without worry about my car getting scratched all the time.

The Dragon on the mansion photochopped....