Crush Creative decks out the Las Vegas Monorail for Sprint
By Steve Aust
The advertising-media mix has become increasingly muddled. The proliferation of narrowly aimed, cable channels has mitigated the impact of TV advertising; print-media readership has slowly, but surely, dwindled, which has created a domino effect that has withered this medium, and billboards endure increasing threats from “preservation” groups and city governments that aim to dismantle or freeze their number in many markets.
Though these outlets won’t evaporate within the foreseeable future, these trends portend a vigorous outlook for the vehicle-wrap market. Moreover, the diversity of car models on the market today – the Honda Element’s compact, boxy frame appeals to the younger crowd; the Chrysler PT Cruiser’s distinctive body type offers a quasi-retro appeal; and Hummers pander to the male preoccupation with, ahem, size – complement such traditional stalwarts as tractor-trailer fleets, buses and vans.
Of course, vehicle-graphics providers need not survive by their wits alone. Many vinyl OEMs and third-party instructors offer courses tailored to help newbies and seasoned veterans alike, and software programs that provide pre-measured vehicle templates help providers output precise wraps and capably handle compound curves. A roundup of insights from industry experts will help users optimize their knowledge and their toolboxes. Put on some up-tempo, driving music (given the generational divide among our readers, I’ll refrain from making suggestions) and enjoy!
Crush Creative (Burbank, CA), a full-service printing house, has developed a market niche by fabricating monorail graphics (see ST, December 2007, page 98) and other unique vehicle productions. For five years, Crush has furnished monorail and station graphics for Sprint, which operates a monorail-station superstore at the Las Vegas Convention Center that it rebrands every 10 months.
Using Adobe® Photoshop® software, Goodby Silverstein & Partners (San Francisco) created the most recent design, which features the Sprint logo within an innovative layout. XYZ Graphics’ San Francisco office retouched the original artwork and added the illumination element, which comprised fitting four LED-module light pockets within each fin of the monorail’s body.
To prepare for the wrap’s application, installers cleaned all exterior surfaces and applied pre-primer to all compound curves and stress points. Next, they outfitted the edges of all skits, fins, passenger doors and compartments with black vinyl and spraypainted all door handles and door pockets. Inside, all seats and fillers had to be removed to wrap the entire surface.
According to Crush’s Steve Rosenberger, the company’s senior account executive, the principal challenge involved minimizing the number of panels and subsequently hiding all seams.
He said, “A compound curve runs parallel down each side of the car. It took considerable effort to keep the vinyl from tenting, while keeping the type legible and aligned with the panel below. Inside, we tucked in all possible seams to prevent riders from peeling back the vinyl.”
Crush Creative outfitted the exterior of the mono-rail’s four cars with 4,500 sq. ft. of 3M Graphics Market Center Controltac™ IJ 180-10C film with Comply® air-egress technology and 8518 gloss-finish overlaminate. The installation team installed three, 35-ft.-long, horizontal panels and left only a single seam on each end of the train. Stretching the vinyl over the deep contours of the monorail’s nose required four installers and two torches.
To keep the exterior vinyl consistently smooth, installers began with the middle panel and verified alignment with a laser level. An ample layer of pre-primer, which promotes adhesion, and a torch, numerous squeegees, X-Acto® disposable-blade knives and “lots of patience” enabled the vinyl to conform to the monorail’s complex curves.
For the 3,500 sq. ft. of vinyl used for the interior’s graphic treatment, he used the same materials plus 3M’s 3645 scuff-resistant overlaminate to protect the floors. For the interior, Crush Creative produced 156 panels and installed them with only six visible seams by tucking most under the seats or rubber window moldings. Installers wrapped all inside components except the windows and handrails.
The shop produced the prints using its EFI UltraVu II 3360 solvent-ink printer and applied the protectants with an Orca III Pro-Tech dual-laminate system. A Graphtec America Inc. Cutting Pro FC5 100-130 plotter crafted the template.
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