Blog/Wide Format
Side by Side
Full wrap, partial wrap or lettering: choosing vehicle graphics
Three ways to put your brand on a vehicle, what each one covers, and how the color of the vehicle changes the decision.
Choose lettering when the vehicle needs to be identified. Choose a partial wrap when you want to be noticed on a controlled budget. Choose a full wrap when the vehicle is on the road all day or the fleet has mixed colors.
Most companies ask me for "a wrap." In practice they mean one of three different products, and the difference between them is large: in coverage, in cost and in how much the result depends on the color of the vehicle.
My advice is to decide which of the three you need before anyone starts designing. It saves time, and it avoids paying for a design that only works on a product you did not plan to buy.
Full wrap
- Printed vinyl over almost every painted surface
- The original color of the vehicle no longer matters
- The highest visual impact
- The highest investment of the three
Partial wrap or lettering
- Graphics on selected areas of the vehicle
- The paint stays visible and becomes the background
- Less material and less installation time
- Simple to update when information changes
What each option covers
Lettering is the simplest: your logo, company name, phone number and web address, cut or printed in vinyl and applied to the doors, sides and rear. The paint is the background.
A partial wrap covers a section of the vehicle with printed graphics, for example the rear half or the lower part of the sides. A good one is designed so the printed area flows into the paint and the vehicle looks finished, not half done.
A full wrap covers nearly all the painted surfaces. The vehicle becomes a single printed design.
Side by side
| Factor | Lettering | Partial wrap | Full wrap |
|---|---|---|---|
| Coverage | Logo and contact information | One section of the vehicle | Almost all painted surfaces |
| Visual impact | Clean identification | Strong when well designed | Highest |
| Vehicle color | Decides everything | Part of the design | Does not matter |
| Relative cost | Lowest | Middle | Highest |
| Design work | Simple | The most demanding | Extensive, with few limits |
| Updating later | Easy | Moderate | A larger project |
| Mixed-color fleet | Looks different on each vehicle | Looks different on each vehicle | Looks the same on all |
The color of the vehicle decides more than people expect
With lettering and partial wraps, the paint is your background. A white van is a neutral canvas, and almost any brand color works on it. A dark or brightly colored vehicle limits which colors will be readable, and a logo that looks right on white may need a different version to work on black.
This becomes a real problem in fleets. If you have five vehicles in five colors, lettering and partial wraps will look different on every one. A full wrap is the only option that makes them look like one company.
If you are about to buy vehicles, my recommendation is direct: buy them white. It keeps every option open and makes every option look better.
When I would choose each one
- Lettering: service vehicles that mainly need to be identified, tight budgets, and vehicles you expect to replace soon.
- Partial wrap: in my opinion, the best value for most small and mid-size businesses. A well-designed partial on a white vehicle gets most of the attention of a full wrap with a fraction of the material.
- Full wrap: vehicles that spend the day in traffic or parked where people see them, brands built on a strong color, and fleets with mixed paint colors.
Four things that matter with any of the three
- Keep it readable. On the road, people have a few seconds. Company name, what you do and one way to reach you. A list of twelve services will not be read.
- Design the rear first. It is what the driver behind you looks at in traffic, and it is usually the most valuable space on the vehicle.
- Check the paint. Vinyl needs sound paint underneath. Peeling clear coat, rust or a recent repaint can cause problems, so tell us before we quote.
- Send the exact vehicle. Make, model and year, with photos of all four sides. Windows, handles and trim change the layout.
For a broader look at why vehicle graphics work so well, see our post on fleet graphics. If you already know you want graphics and are not sure which of the three fits, send us the vehicle details, the color and a budget range. I would rather recommend the right option at the start than redesign it later.
