Vinyl Decal Technical Terminology

Cold Roll Laminators
 Cold roll laminators use a plastic film which is coated with an adhesive and glossy backing which does not adhere to the glue. When the glossy backing is removed, the adhesive is exposed, which then  sticks directly  onto the item which needs to be laminated. This method, apart  from  having the obvious benefit of not requiring expensive equipment, is also suitable for those items which would be damaged by heat. Cold laminators range from simple two roller, hand crank machines up to large and  complex motor driven machines with high precision rollers, adjustable roller  pressure and other advanced features.

Vector Graphics
Vector graphics are based on vectors (also called paths, or strokes) which lead  through locations called control points. Each of these  points has a definite  position on the x and y axes of the work plan. Each point, as well, is a  variety of database, including the location  of the point in the work space and  the direction of the vector (which  is what defines the direction of the track).  Each track can be assigned  a color, a shape, a thickness and also a fill. This  does not affect  the size of the files in a substantial way because all  information resides in the structure; it describes how to draw the vector. Vector  art is ideal for printing. Since the art is made from a series  of  mathematical curves it will print very crisply even when resized. For   instance, one can print a vector logo on a small sheet of copy paper, and then enlarge the same vector logo to billboard size and keep the same crisp  quality. A low-resolution raster graphic would blur or pixelate excessively if it were enlarged from  business card size to  billboard size.

Cutting  Plotters
Cutting  plotters use knives to cut into a piece of vinyl that is  lying  on the flat surface area of the plotter. It is achieved because the  cutting plotter is connected to a computer, which is equipped with  specialized cutting software programs. Those computer software programs  are responsible  for sending the necessary cutting dimensions or designs  in order to command the  cutting knife to produce the correct project  cutting needs.

Vinyl Decal / Sticker
Vinyl is a  durable and weather-resistant material, ideal for  custom-printed decals. Vinyl  decals can be made in almost any shape,  size or quantity.  A sticker  is a type of Vinyl With adhesive on one  side, and usually with a design on the  other. They can be used for  decoration, depending on the situation. They can  come in many different  shapes, sizes and colors and are put on things such as  lunchboxes, in  children's rooms, on paper, lockers, notebooks, and vehicles and  so on.  Some people collect and trade stickers with other collectors.  Most  Decals are created from vinyl with an  adhesive backing that is applied  in a peel-and-stick manner. Vinyl comes in  large rolls that are fed  through a plotter (cutter) or large-format  printer/cutter. The designs  are created in specialized computer software and  sent to the machines  via cable link for production. Once the design is cut into  the vinyl,  the excess vinyl on the sheet is removed in a process called weeding.   Finally, a paper pre-mask is applied to the top of the vinyl design to  allow  easy application of multiple letters and shapes at one time.

Raster Graphics
A raster graphics image, or bitmap, is a dot matrix data structure  representing a generally rectangular grid of pixels, or points of color,  viewable via a monitor,  paper, or other display medium. Raster images  are stored in image files with varying formats.  A bitmap corresponds  bit-for-bit with an image displayed on a screen,  generally in the same  format used for storage in the display's video memory, or  maybe as a  device-independent bitmap. A bitmap is technically characterized by the  width and height of the image in  pixels and by the number of bits per pixel (a color depth, which determines the number of colors it can  represent).  The printing and prepress industries know raster graphics  as contones (from "continuous tones"). The opposite to contones is "line work", usually implemented as vector graphics in digital systems.

Wrap Advertising
Wrap advertising  is the marketing practice of completely or partially  covering (wrapping) a  vehicle in an advertisement or livery. This   result of this process is essentially a mobile billboard. Wrap  advertising can be achieved by  the use of large vinyl sheets as  "decals."  The vinyl sheets can be removed with relative ease, thus they  drastically  reduce the costs associated with changing advertisements.  While vehicles with  large, flat surfaces (such as buses and light-rail  carriages) are often utilized due to ease, cars can also serve as hosts  for wrap advertising, despite consisting of more  curved surfaces.

Printed Car Wraps
Any vehicle can be wrapped! Any car, truck, bus, trailer and  fleet can  give you a better way to be seen and recognized.  From large corporate  fleet to every day  personal vehicles you can find the best performing  solution to your needs.  

Color Change Car Wraps
Anything but  ordinary. Create a cool and distinctive look for your vehicle. These wrap films come in high gloss colors, matte colors, brushed metal and carbon fiber looks.

Spray Mask Stencil
This highly flexible, transparent grey film  has been formulated for use  in stencil applications, especially spray and paint  techniques. It is  ideal for complex water-based paint applications,  low-saturation  solvent-based paint applications and conformable applications  such as  complex curves, uneven or semi-flexible substrates and surfaces.

 Etched  Glass Film
Designed for use in window and mirror  graphics. Provides the look of real etched glass at a fraction of the cost by  eliminating the need for sandblasting. Designed for flat applications.

Reflective Vinyl
6 Mil White Reflective  Up to 7  year outdoor durability, White  removable adhesive, Polyethylene lay flat paper,  Designed for cut  letters, vehicle striping and graphics  Meets ASTM D-4956 07, type 1,  and NFPA 1901 Offers  exceptional value for permanent traffic signage  applications  

Squeegee
Small, hand-held plastic and rubber wedges with an edge formed as a blade are used in the sticker industry for the application of vinyl sheeting to decrease the possibility of air pockets. Squeegees come in different models, some of which do not have handles, but are approximately the size and shape of a credit card.

X-Acto
The X-Acto knife may be called a utility knife, but it is actually a short, sharp blade mounted on a pen-like aluminum body, used for crafting and hobbies, such as sticker making. Before the availability of digital image and text processing tools, preparing camera-ready art for use in printing (literal cut and paste or paste up) depended heavily on the use of knives like the X-Acto for trimming and manipulating slips of paper.

SEALITPEN
The SEALITPEN is a fast and easy way to seal the edges of your graphics that protects them from lifting, peeling, edge curling and contamination. Quick dry acrylic clear with UV Blockers. Ensures an extended life for all your lettering and graphics. Recommended for all vehicle graphics. Use mineral spirits to remove any excess.