Car Wrap Glossary

Tiny channels in a wrap film's adhesive that let trapped air escape to the edge of the film, so it goes on without bubbles. Also called air egress. Brand names include 3M Comply, Avery Easy Apply RS, ORAFOL RapidAir and Hexis HEX'PRESS.

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The temperature range a film can be installed in. 3M lists 64-75°F (18-24°C) for 2080; Avery sets a 50°F (10°C) minimum for MPI 1105. The surface also has to stay above the dew point so no moisture forms under the film.

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Extra printed image that runs past a panel's trim line, so the edge can wrap into a door jamb or under trim without showing white film.

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Vinyl made by squeezing heated PVC compound between rollers. It's thicker and stiffer than cast film and keeps some stress from the rollers, so it's used for flat or gently curved surfaces.

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A clear protective film on gloss and high-gloss 3M 2080 colors that guards against scratches during install. It's peeled off before post-heating.

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Vinyl made by pouring a liquid PVC mix onto a casting sheet and baking off the solvent in ovens. It forms with almost no built-in stress, so it's thin (about 2 mil for print film) and conforms to curves, rivets and recesses.

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Covering a vehicle's bright chrome trim with wrap film to match or contrast the new color. Ardor offers it as a color change add-on.

Ardor Printing definition · Source: [2]

Applying an overlaminate at room temperature with roller pressure and no heat. It's the usual way shops laminate wrap film.

Installer term (no manufacturer document)

A wrap made from unprinted film with the color and finish built in. There's no ink layer and usually no laminate. Color-change film is about 3.0-4.5 mil thick with adhesive.

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Film that shows different colors from different angles, thanks to layered pigment flakes. Also called flip, chameleon or iridescent film.

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How well a film stretches into curves and recesses without tearing or lifting. Cast film is the most conformable.

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Red-and-white retroreflective tape that makes trucks and trailers visible at night. 3M Diamond Grade 983 is marked DOT-C2 and, per 3M, meets FMVSS 108 when applied to spec.

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How much a film shrinks or grows under heat and age, measured in a standard test (FINAT FTM 14). Avery lists MPI 1105 at 0.4 mm maximum.

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A maker's expected or warranted outdoor life for a film. Every rating has a basis: climate zone, vertical or horizontal surface, printed or unprinted. Ratings from different makers don't compare directly.

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A milder solvent-based ink used on many wrap printers. The solvent has to outgas before the print is laminated or cut.

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A film edge pulling away from the surface. Common causes are skipped post-heat, too much tension and poor surface prep.

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How far a film stretches, as a percentage of its length, before it tears in a lab pull test. Avery lists 200% for MPI 1105 and SW900.

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The top film layer that carries the print or color, above the adhesive and liner. Also called facestock.

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Film over every painted surface, including body panels, doors and tailgate. Plastic handles, mirrors, bumpers, black trim and glass are normally left uncovered unless requested.

Ardor Printing definition · Source: [1]

A gloss-meter reading of how reflective a finish is, taken at a stated angle. Avery's gloss wrap laminate reads 70 GU at 20°; its matte reads 20 GU at 80°.

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Color data tuned to one combination of printer, ink, film, RIP software and resolution. It keeps colors accurate and sets ink limits.

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Installer term for a separate piece of film set into a recess or panel gap instead of stretching one large piece into it.

Installer term (no manufacturer document)

Installer term for a filament tape laid down before the film. Pulling the filament cuts the vinyl from underneath, so no blade touches the paint.

Installer term (no manufacturer document)

Water-based ink that heat inside the printer cures into a film. HP says latex prints come out dry and need no degassing; Avery says they must be fully cured, not only touch-dry.

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A stretched or rolled film's tendency to shrink back toward its original shape. Calendered film has more of it. Post-heating resets it on cast film.

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A thousandth of an inch (0.001 in, or 25.4 micrometers). Cast print film is about 2 mil; color-change film is about 3 to 4.5 mil with adhesive.

Unit definition · Sources: [4] [5]

Solvent escaping from fresh solvent or eco-solvent ink. It must finish before laminating or cutting. Avery calls for at least 72 hours for vehicle graphics and 96 hours for solid dark prints.

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A clear film with its own adhesive applied over printed ink. It sets the finish (gloss, luster, satin or matte) and protects the print from UV, scratches and chemicals.

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Where two panels cross so the seam is hidden. 3M's application bulletin uses 1/4 to 1/2 inch for painted-in multi-panel graphics.

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Splitting a large graphic into roll-width pieces that line up on the vehicle. Most wrap film comes on 60-inch rolls.

Installer term (no manufacturer document) · Source: [5]

Film over part of the vehicle, about half the coverage, blended into the paint color. Spot graphics on doors or tailgates and cut lettering are smaller options.

Ardor Printing definition · Source: [1]

Printed film full of tiny holes with a black backing, so a window shows a graphic outside and a view out from inside. Avery's MPI 7000 has 40% open area. Also called one-way vision.

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The additive that makes PVC flexible. Monomeric plasticizers are small molecules that migrate out, so the film shrinks and turns brittle; polymeric plasticizers are long chains that stay put for longer life.

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Heating installed film, especially stretched areas, recesses and edges, to the maker's set temperature (roughly 185-248°F, 85-120°C, depending on film) so it stops trying to shrink back.

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A thick, usually clear polyurethane film with a self-healing top coat that protects paint from chips and scratches. 3M's is 7.5-9 mil with adhesive.

Source: [9]

Adhesive that bonds fully only when squeegee pressure collapses its surface structure. 3M says it loses its positionability above 100°F (38°C).

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A wrap made from white film printed with a design, dried and covered with a clear overlaminate. Used for logos, photos and advertising.

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The silicone-coated paper or polyester backing that protects the adhesive until install. On many films its embossed surface forms the air-release channels.

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Installer term for a small cut in the film at a recess or sharp edge, so the film can lie flat without tension or wrinkles.

Installer term (no manufacturer document)

Software that turns artwork into printer instructions, applying the ICC profile and ink limits.

Source: [24]

How easily film slides on the surface before it's squeegeed down, so the installer can reposition it. 3M Controltac and Avery Easy Apply RS are slideable, repositionable adhesive technologies.

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The most combined ink allowed at any spot in a print, as a percentage across all color channels. 3M allows up to 270% on IJ180C. Too much ink means extra solvent, shrinkage and drying problems.

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Long, narrow air or solvent channels that form under film or laminate, often because the print wasn't fully outgassed.

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Ink cured instantly by UV lamps. It's harder than solvent or latex ink, so standard UV is for flat work; only qualified flexible UV inks are approved for curves.

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