Car Wrap vs Paint

Before we go through the pros and cons of car wraps versus paint jobs, let’s take a quick look at how each option works. 

In a paint job, a professional custom auto painter paints your vehicle by hand. On one hand, the final product is highly personalized  — each paint job is unique. On the other hand, paint jobs can be expensive and time-consuming. 

A car wrap, or vehicle wrap, is a process where a design is printed on sheets of auto-adhesive vinyl using a digital printer. The printed sheets are then placed on the surface of a vehicle, covering it completely or partially. 

Image Quality in Car Wraps vs Paint Jobs

For some businesses, image quality is everything.

Imagine, for example, a bakery that wants to promote its detailed, luscious cakes. Or a sports team that wants to emblazon their bus with images of their stars. Or perhaps a company that sells complex machinery they want to display on their fleet vehicles.

In cases like these, a paint job just won’t cut it. Only a digitally printed vinyl wrap can offer images of the quality required by the most visually demanding industries.

Does a Car Wrap Protect Your Vehicle?

With a paint job, your vehicle changes appearance but it’s still exposed to damaging agents such as UV rays, pollutants, and debris from the road.

By contrast, a car wrap not only gives your vehicle a new, spectacular look but also protects it from the myriad factors that cause deterioration. 

Simply put, a vehicle wrap is a smart way to promote your business while protecting an important asset.

Are Car Wraps Less Expensive Than Paint Jobs?

It’s a simple rule: anything made by hand is more expensive than its equivalent made using machines. 

It’s easy to see why: manual work requires more time, skill, and materials than an automated or digitized process. 

The same principle applies to paint jobs as opposed to car wraps. The best paint jobs are almost works of art, but art comes usually at a high cost. 

Vehicle wraps offer even more impressive results at a fraction of the cost of a paint job. No doubt, this is an important consideration if you want to make the best decision for your business’s bottom line!

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Are Car Wraps More Versatile Than Paint Jobs?

A custom paint job will only be as good as the painter who executes it. 

This means that if the painter isn’t particularly talented, the paint job will show it. And even if the painter is quite good, custom paint jobs are such a complex process that the potential for human error is huge. You have a vision going in, but the final product can be quite different.

By contrast, vehicle wraps are made taking advantage of the most advanced digital printing technology, so the margin for human error is quite slim and you know what the result will be from the get-go.

Are Wraps Better for Branding Than Paint Jobs?

Branding and corporate identity are all about uniformity.

You build a recognizable personality for your brand by using the exact same colors, the exact same logo, and the exact same typography across all media.

Only digital large format printing can ensure total uniformity, creating unparalleled branding cohesion.

This, in turn, helps cultivate a more professional appearance. When you combine the accuracy of digital printing with the human know-how that comes with decades of experience in the large format printing industry, you get results of the highest quality that project the impeccable image you want for your business.

Can Car Wraps Be Created Faster Than Paint Jobs?

We all can agree that you can’t rush art. 

The problem is that when you run a business, you are almost always in a hurry. You need to get things done fast to keep up with your competitors.

Custom paint jobs not only are expensive compared to vehicle wraps, but it also takes longer to create them. Vehicle wraps, on the other hand, have a quick turnaround time more in tune with the needs of a fast-moving business. 

Are Car Wraps Easier To Create Serially Than Paint Jobs?

Things get more interesting if, for example, you own a fleet of vehicles and need to create a consistent look for them. 

Paint jobs are individual works — creating them serially in a way that is unfailingly consistent can be extremely challenging. 

With vehicle wraps, consistency is a breeze. Creating identical versions of the same wrap is as easy as printing as many copies of the same design as you need. You can do this two, three, 50, or two million times, always with the same colors, the exact same design, and the same quality.

Are Car Wraps Easier To Maintain Than Paint Jobs?

If you decide to go for a paint job, your vehicle will need careful maintenance. 

Protecting the investment you made in a paint job means investing even more time and money to protect the surface of your car from the elements. You’ll have to wash your vehicle frequently and carefully, and wax the surface every three to four months. It’s an investment that keeps asking for money, resources, and time. 

Vehicle wraps are easier to maintain because the vinyl used in wraps is a robust material designed to withstand outdoor conditions. They make your life easier, not more complicated — the way it should be.

Are Car Wraps Easier To Remove Than Paint Jobs?

Removing a paint job requires another paint job. 

If you want to repurpose a painted vehicle or change the design of the paint job, you have to paint the vehicle again (alternatively, you can always wrap it!).

The process of removing a vehicle wrap is simpler and less expensive. Technicians carefully remove the printed vinyl panels revealing the original surface of the vehicle, which has been protected all this time by the vinyl.

Then, after removing the wrap you can simply drive away with your vehicle looking like new, or you can wrap the vehicle again with a new design if your corporate identity has changed or if, for example, you want to advertise a seasonal promotion.

What About Warranties and Lease Agreements?

Sometimes branding can be more difficult than you think.

For example, In some cases, repainting a vehicle may void some of its guarantees.

Plus, some lease agreements explicitly prevent you from repainting the vehicle.

Vinyl wraps are a smart way to navigate these roadblocks while giving your brand all the exposure it deserves.

Comparison Car Wraps vs Paint Jobs: Wrapping It Up

The bottom line is that a paint job is a good alternative for your vehicle if you are OK with an artistic effect that:

• Will only be as good as the talent of the person who executes it
• Will require lots of maintenance
• It’s hard to replicate on a large scale

In all other situations, a vehicle wrap is the option that makes the most sense. Here’s a recap of the reasons why:

• Vehicle wraps are made using digital technology, so the final result doesn’t depend on the talent of a single painter
• Wraps are easy to produce serially with the exact same quality
• A vehicle wrap protects your vehicle’s body from sun rays, dust, dings, and scratches
• Vinyl wraps are less expensive than a paint job
• Vehicle wraps are easy to maintain
• Wraps can be removed easily

To make the most of your vehicle wraps, you have to work with a large format printing company able to deliver the best results. At CR&A Custom, we have a proven track record of success fabricating vehicle wraps for all types of companies and all types of vehicles.

Get in touch today to get started on an amazing vehicle wrap to promote your brand and impress your audience!

CR&A Custom: If You Can Imagine It, We Can Print It

Looking for vehicle wraps of the highest quality? We are a Los Angeles-based large format printing company known for our innovative visual solutions and our commitment to quality. 

We are proud recipients of the WBENC, WOSB, and NMSDC certifications.

Contact us today by email (info@cracustom.com), telephone (213-749-4440), social media (Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn), or through the live chat on our home page.

By CR&A Custom Inc April 13, 2023