How Car Wrap Film Is Made & Printed

A clear film with its own adhesive, rolled over the print. It sets the finish (gloss, luster, satin or matte), blocks UV and scratches from reaching the ink, and shields the print from washing and chemicals.

Materials: Clear cast PVC with a clear acrylic adhesive. UV protection is built into the film; Avery says its DOL 1400 laminates protect against UV radiation. A cast laminate goes over cast film so the two stretch together.

Thickness: 30-50 µm (1.2-2.0 mil). Avery DOL 1460Z has a 30 µm clear cast face film and measures 50 µm with its adhesive. 3M lists its standard wrap overlaminates at 2 mil.

What can go wrong: Laminating before solvent ink has finished drying traps solvent under the laminate. Avery warns this shows up later as bubbles, tunnels or lifting. A laminate that stretches differently from the film under it can also lift out of recesses.

Laminate pairings:

• Avery MPI 1105 film: DOL 1460Z gloss or DOL 1480Z matte laminate
• 3M IJ180mC film: Scotchcal 8518 gloss, 8520 matte; Envision 8548G gloss, 8549L luster, 8550M matte; or the 8900 series

Sources: [11] [12] [15] [17] [18]

Carries the image. Wrap printers lay down cyan, magenta, yellow and black, and many add light cyan, light magenta, light black, orange, green or white, depending on the printer's ink set.

Materials: Pigmented ink in one of three families used for wraps: eco-solvent or solvent, latex, or UV-curable.

Thickness: Not published. Manufacturers don't publish an ink thickness. They limit how much ink goes down instead. 3M allows up to 270% total ink on IJ180C. Avery suggests 90-120% for latex ink on cast films.

What can go wrong: Solvent ink needs time to release its solvent. Cut or laminate too soon and Avery warns of edge curl, bubbles and adhesive failure. Too much ink adds solvent and shrinkage; Avery says loads above 250% raise shrinkage on its MPI 2105 film. Standard UV ink is rigid and can crack when stretched or cut.

Ink families:

• Eco-solvent and solvent: The solvent softens the vinyl surface slightly so pigment binds into the film, then evaporates. Avery: at least 24 hours for flat work, 72 hours for vehicle graphics, 96 hours for solid dark or black prints. [18] [23] [24]
• Latex: Water-based ink that heat inside the printer cures into a film on the surface. HP says latex prints are dry out of the printer and can skip degassing. Avery adds that the print must be fully cured, not only touch-dry. [18] [27]
• UV-curable: Ink cured instantly by UV lamps. It sits on top of the film as a harder layer. Avery: touch-dry off the printer, minimum 12 hours before finishing. Standard UV is for flat work; only qualified flexible UV inks are approved for conforming. [18] [19]

Sources: [7] [18] [19] [27] [29]

The base the ink bonds to. It's white and opaque (Avery lists more than 99% opacity for MPI 1105) and it supplies the stretch and most of the durability.

Materials: Usually cast PVC for wraps. 3M also sells a non-PVC print wrap film, Envision SV480mC and LX480mC, which its bulletin calls a non-vinyl composite.

Thickness: About 50 µm (2 mil) cast; 70-80 µm (2.75-3.1 mil) calendered. 3M IJ180C and Avery MPI 1105 cast films are both 50 µm. Calendered print films run thicker: ORAFOL ORAJET 3651 is 2.75 mil and Avery MPI 2105 is 3.1 mil (80 µm).

What can go wrong: Calendered film keeps stress from the rollers that formed it, so it tries to shrink back when heated or as it ages. In a deep recess or over rivets it can pull out. Economy film with monomeric plasticizer shrinks and turns brittle sooner; Avery's PVC films brochure puts its outdoor life at up to about 2 years.

Sources: [7] [8] [15] [19] [20] [21] [23]

Holds the film to the paint. Wrap adhesive is a pressure-sensitive acrylic with a patterned surface, so the film can slide into place and trapped air can escape to the edge.

Materials: Acrylic pressure-sensitive adhesive, often grey. Removable and permanent versions differ in how strong the bond gets over time: Avery lists its standard MPI 1105 adhesive at 650 N/m ultimate adhesion and its Easy Apply RS version at 420 N/m.

Thickness: About 20-50 µm (0.8-2.0 mil). Derived by subtracting film thickness from the film-plus-adhesive totals on data sheets. Avery states the MPI 2105 adhesive directly: 1.0 mil (25 µm).

What can go wrong: 3M says pressure-activated adhesive loses its positionability above 100°F (38°C), so film on a hot panel grabs too early. Too cold and it won't bond: Avery sets a 50°F (10°C) minimum for MPI 1105. If stretched areas skip post-heat, the film can lift or pull back at the edges.

Air-release technologies:

• 3M Comply: A pattern in the adhesive lets air exit through channels to the edge of the graphic. It bonds as squeegee pressure collapses the pattern. [7] [9]
• 3M Controltac: 3M says it minimizes the adhesive's initial contact area for easy sliding, tacking and repositioning. [7] [13]
• Avery Easy Apply RS: Air-egress adhesive built for slideability and repositioning, with lower ultimate adhesion than Avery's standard adhesive. [15] [16]
• ORAFOL RapidAir: Air-release technology in the liner of ORACAL 970RA. [22] [24]
• Hexis HEX'PRESS: Embossed liner and structured adhesive for dry application and air evacuation. [26]
• Arlon air-channel liner: Arlon describes PCC as a repositionable cast film with an invisible air channel liner. [25]

Sources: [6] [7] [13] [15] [17] [19]

Carries the adhesive until install. Its silicone coating lets the film peel off cleanly, and on many air-release films its embossed surface is what presses the channel pattern into the adhesive. It also keeps the film flat through the printer and laminator.

Materials: Silicone-coated, polyethylene-coated paper on most wrap films. 3M uses PE-coated polyester (PET) on its high-gloss 2080 films and on its paint protection film.

Thickness: Rated by weight: 90-155 g/m² paper. Makers usually quote liner weight, not thickness. Avery MPI 1105: 155 g/m². Avery SW900: 150 g/m². Hexis HX20000: 145 g/m². One liner with a stated thickness: 3M's paint protection film uses a 0.16 mm (6.4 mil) PET liner.

What can go wrong: The roll itself has a shelf life. 3M says to store film between 40 and 100°F (4-38°C), and both 3M and Avery quote about two years of shelf life. Avery also recommends letting rolls acclimate in the print room for at least 24 hours before printing.

Sources: [9] [13] [14] [15] [16] [26]

A temporary clear film that prevents scratches during install. The installer peels it off before post-heating to reveal the finished gloss surface.

Thickness: Not published. 3M's 2080 bulletin describes the layer but doesn't give its thickness.

Source: [9]

Carries the color and finish. Because the look is inside the film, there is nothing on top to wear through.

Thickness: About 76-110 µm (3.0-4.3 mil). 3M 2080-M12: 3.5 mil film, 4.5 mil with adhesive. Avery SW900: 80 µm dual-layer face film, 110 µm with adhesive. ORAFOL 970RA: 4.25 mil. Arlon PCC: 3.0-3.3 mil. Hexis HX20000: 100-110 µm film.

Stretch: Elongation at break on the data sheets: Avery SW900 200%, ORAFOL 970RA at least 150%, Arlon PCC at least 150%, Hexis HX20000 at least 90%.

Sources: [9] [16] [22] [25] [26]

Same job as on print film: slides until squeegeed, then builds its bond. 3M 2080 uses Comply channels and Controltac; Avery SW900 uses Easy Apply RS; ORAFOL 970RA uses RapidAir.

Thickness: About 25-40 µm (1-1.6 mil). Derived: SW900 is 110 µm total minus an 80 µm face; 2080-M12 is 4.5 mil minus 3.5 mil.

Sources: [9] [16] [22] [25]

Carrier and air-channel imprint. High-gloss 3M film sits on a PET liner so the adhesive stays flat under the gloss face.

Thickness: Rated by weight: about 150 g/m² paper. Avery SW900: 150 g/m² poly-coated kraft. Hexis: 145 g/m² embossed paper. ORAFOL 970RA: 88# PE-coated silicone paper.

Sources: [9] [16] [22] [26]