Home » How Much to Vinyl Wrap a Truck? (Saving Tips)

How Much to Vinyl Wrap a Truck? (Saving Tips)

If the color of your truck doesn’t impress you anymore, applying a vinyl wrap can help liven it up and make a truly lasting transformation. Vinyl wraps can also be an excellent way to advertise your business by turning your vehicle into a mobile billboard.

But how much to vinyl wrap a truck will depend on a number of factors, which we briefly discuss in the section below. We also provide a couple of saving tips to help you spend the least amount of money on the project without cutting back on quality. Stay tuned.

The Cost of Vinyl Wrapping a Truck and Factors Determining it

The Cost of Vinyl Wrapping a Truck and Factors Determining it

Most trucks cost typically about $1, 800 – $5, 000 to vinyl wrap. But these numbers can go higher or lower based on several factors such as:

Size of the truck: How big or small your truck is will play a huge part in determining how much you will spend on the wrapping. Obviously, a small truck will cost far less than a larger truck. And if the vehicle has a roof, the price will go even higher.

Artwork coverage: The price of graphics will vary based on the amount of work that needs to go into them and how much of the truck they are going to cover. Depending on your budget, you can decide whether to have a partial wrap that covers only a section of the sides and rear doors or a full wrap.

The number of trucks you need wrapped: Most automotive wrapping companies will give you a better price if you are vinyl wrapping more than one truck or trailer unit. This is because the same artwork will be used for all the vehicles without having to create a new one every time.

However, the price can change if you have trucks of various sizes, and vehicles with a larger surface area will typically cost you more. For instance, if you have six 4.2 m trucks and six 8.5 m trucks, you will pay slightly higher than a person who has twelve 4.2 m trucks.

Nature of paintwork: Because vinyl wraps require a flat surface, damaged paintwork may need extra preparation before the wrap is applied, which may raise the total cost of wrapping. A surface with good paint will make the installation cheaper, easier, and faster and produce better and longer-lasting results.

6 Tips for Spending Less on Your Truck Vinyl Wrap

If you are like most truck owners looking to add a vinyl wrap to their vehicles, you want to spend as little as you can on the project without sacrificing quality. So, how do you do that? Read on!

1. Know Exactly the Kind of Design You Want Beforehand

Know Exactly the Kind of Design You Want Beforehand

As with everything in life, a graphic designer’s talent and time will cost money. Even if the person you hire is a design whizz, they cannot read your mind, and you have to tell them exactly what you are looking for. And because designing is often billed per hour, you ought to be armed with the appropriate information so you can save yourself and the designer time and money.

For instance, have a rough drawing of the artwork you envision. It doesn’t have to be computer-generated; even a hand drawing can go a long way. If you can’t sketch something or aren’t sure what kind of design you want, check the web for other vehicles with designs you like.

It is also important to have all the art elements you need incorporated into the design such as logos or stock images in high resolution. If you obtained these from the internet, provide links to the source files as well so no information is lost in translation.

If you love to take up new challenges and would like to do the graphics yourself, here is a video to guide you.

2. Don’t Wrap the Roof

As we mentioned earlier, the price of the project will go higher if you are wrapping a large area. Now, unless you will be parking the truck in a valley where your prospect customers can only view it from the top, wrapping the roof won’t be necessary. It will only add extra costs.

Nobody will easily see what graphics (or lack of) you have on the roof of your vehicle unless they are perched at a point higher than your roof.  So, instead of wrapping it, ask your installer to extend the side and rear vinyl just a few inches over the top. It will give your truck a finished look without wasting money on unnecessary wrapping.

3. Consider Partial Wrapping

Consider Partial Wrapping

When you call an auto graphics company to discuss your truck wrap, ask them about their partial wrapping as well. You really don’t have to apply a full wrap to deliver a message or promote your business.

If you are on a tight budget or just starting out, a partial wrap would be a much better fit. Because it will cover somewhere around a half or a third of the truck, you will also pay less than when fully covering your vehicle.

Partial wrapping can get the job done just as well as full wrapping especially if the color of your vehicle matches the background of the graphics.

Speaking of color, it is important to choose graphic colors that go with your vehicle. Usually, a vehicle with a common color like white will have more graphic varieties, and a few pieces of wrapping will accomplish a lot more at a small cost.

But if your vehicle has a different color, you can select a wrap with a matching color instead of painting the vehicle white first. If your truck is blue, for example, you can pick orange for a partial wrap. Contrasting colors will not only be eye-catching; they will save you the cost of having to repaint your vehicle white.

4. Choose the Right Material, Not the Most Expensive

Choose the Right Material, Not the Most Expensive

Vinyl wrapping comes in different types and grades, all with varying prices. Some materials are made for short-term use and others for long-term applications. A professional auto graphics provider will ask you about the expected service life of your wrapping as well as the nature of the surface on which the wrapping will be applied.

If the body of your truck is flat and smooth, then you won’t need to install the more expensive casting grade vinyl; the ordinary vinyl material will do the job.

In addition, if you don’t plan on having the wrapping for too long, go for material that you can easily peel off without damaging the vehicle’s paint, and quite often than not, this will come with a lower price tag.

Similarly, if your wrapping is for long-term use, go for something high-quality that lasts say, somewhere between 5 and 10 years. While such vinyl wraps may cost slightly higher, they won’t require regular replacement, which will save you quite an amount of money in the long run.

5. Thoroughly Check the Design Layout

Thoroughly Check the Design Layout

Usually, when an automotive graphics provider prepares a design for a customer, they send it to the customer for approval before printing it on the vinyl wrap and applying it to the vehicle.

This is an important stage of vehicle wrapping, as it gives the customer a chance to make modifications to the design or point out mistakes that may be expensive to fix in the future.

When your designer presents you with graphics for your truck to review, spend enough time going through the layout to make sure it meets your requirements.

Have every person on your team who is taking part in the development of the design check and recheck it too just to be sure. Once you have approved and signed the design, it will go directly to production, and fixing any errors after this can be expensive and time-consuming.

6. Compare Prices for Different Service Providers

Compare Prices for Different Service Providers

Don’t just work with the first vehicle wrapping company you see. Do your research to find out how much other service providers will charge you for your design and installation.

The cost of vinyl wrapping a truck can vary from company to company, and by contacting different service providers, you will be able to figure out who is within your budget.

But it is also important that you work with a trusted company. Get recommendations from other people who have had a similar job done for them or from vehicle wrap forums like this one. Working with a reputable company from the beginning ensures the application is done right, which can prevent costly repair and maintenance.

The Takeaway

The size of your truck, the nature of design, and the surface area of coverage can all determine how much vinyl wrapping your vehicle will cost.

However, things like knowing the type of artwork you need beforehand, going for a partial wrap rather than a full wrap, and working with an experienced service provider can help bring the cost down without compromising on quality. It can also prevent installation mistakes.

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