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Originally Posted by Corbic
I've always wonder how the whole vinyl graphic thing works. Does the owner submit the artwork, does the installer do the designs, are they manufactured and sold somewhere?
What does this stuff generally cost? How long does it last?
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There are many ways to go about it. You can do any of the three main steps (design, print, install) yourself if you have the time and resources, or you can have someone else do it for you. For every car i've worked on, I came up with the design and sent the files to whoever the client wants to cut/print the vinyl.
There is no set cost when it comes to this kind of stuff, as everyone charges differently. Vinyl itself is very affordable. What you're paying for is the hours spent doing a design, and/or installing the design on the car.
Vinyl can last a long time if your car isn't sitting in direct sunlight all the time. I've seen cars with chrome designs fade in less than a year from constant UV exposure. I know you can apply a UV resistant film over a design, but I don't know how effective it is.
Like ILoveJDM said, obviously, as with anything, if you have access to a machine and you are capable of designing yourself it will be cheaper. That's not always the case though.
As for those box "slaps" people are selling, yeah, the material cost per sticker is next to nothing. The price reflects the team/company that it represents. I don't mind paying $10-15 for a sticker from someone who I admire, and enjoy what they have done for the sport.
I'm not paying for the vinyl, i'm paying for what it represents. On the other hand, those overnight blogs that steal images from google and whip up a sticker in 30 minutes, then sell them for $10 a sticker are the WORST.