Photo Credit: Team Hybrid / Grant Senn
What a Sticker Can Do
In the early 00s when Austin first got into wrapping, the process was very DIY. Rather than ordering what you wanted from a catalog of offerings from companies like 3M or Avery Dennison, in the early days, shops printed their own colors, then laminated them and applied finish textures all in-house. Austin remembers getting creative to offer some customers what they were looking for, using what he had on hand to make new wraps out of old technologies.
“The first car we ever officially wrapped at the shop, we did the face and lips of the wheels, the body, some interior pieces, and the brake calipers. My goal was always to push the limits of what a sticker can do.” – Austin Smith, Founder, Paint is Dead
Today, with multiple major supply companies offering ever-growing catalogs of vinyl colors, designs, textures, and finishes, the possibilities are much broader, and the process is more streamlined. But even in the 2000s, wrapping a car was significantly faster than a paint job. It’s one of vinyl’s huge benefits — the lack of dry time makes transforming your vehicle with a wrap substantially quicker than with paint. Completion times vary from shop to shop and project to project, but in short: Paint takes weeks. And wraps take days.
“At my wrap shop, I can take a car in on a Monday and confidently deliver it back to its owner by the end of the week in a completely different color. As an enthusiast who wants my car in my own garage so I can drive it every day, that difference is huge.” – Austin Smith, Founder, Paint is Dead