Taking Vehicle Wraps from Concept to Output with CorelDRAW

Vehicle wrap professional and CorelDRAW (Booth C10048) artist Robin Bös has been creating wraps with precision for more than 25 years. But Bös doesn’t just wrap cars, he brings ideas to life. At the beginning of every project, there is a vision. In order for this to take shape, Bös develops it in collaboration with the customer, translating it into a concept and creating it digitally.

To make sure everything will fit exactly, Bös works at a 1:1 scale in CorelDRAW. “I am able to easily lay out even trucks without cumbersome calculations,” Bös says. “It is only if I am dealing with lengths of over 45 meters that even this software reaches its limits.” 

“For a traditional delivery van for example, there are easily 30 different vehicle variations,” Bös continues. “CC Vision is up-to-date and the registration certificate allows me to find a suitable outline for the layout. This prevents future surprises with the lettering, once the vehicle actually stands in the shop.”

CorelDRAW provides perfect support

Bös creates the first draft. He can send the customer a preliminary version of the design at any time via the integrated cloud solution, without having to export to PDF, and thus avoiding email chaos.

All stakeholders can add their comments directly to the layout, and Bös is able to see them in real time. This accelerates the approval processes and minimizes errors. “Of course, I have to educate the customers to provide change requests or text corrections through this means, and not by telephone or email. But, all things considered, it helps all of us — it really is faster, and, above all, it eliminates contradictory corrections made by the customer, as everyone can see all comments.”

Prior to printing, the data must be processed. To do this, Bös separates the design into individual parts. Exporting to PDF in the desired standard is a breeze with CorelDRAW. The Preflight check ensures production reliability, and large-format print output is no problem. 

As for the films, Bös relies on tested and approved material — this is important to avoid damage to the car paint and to ensure that the wrap is durable and can easily be removed, if necessary. At the General Wrapping Association (GEWA) there is a vivid exchange of materials, processing, and application. “Unfortunately, there are many black sheep who simply wrap the cars. As car wrapper is not a protected profession, anyone can offer this service. With GEWA, we want to set a standard customers can rely on. For members of the association, it goes without saying that training, workshops, and sound expert information are an important aspect.”

Surgical skills required

A lot of work is required before a car is ready to be wrapped, as it takes a car that is absolutely free of dirt for a wrapping to succeed. Once this is done, the work can begin. The vehicle wrap is applied piece by piece, and a steady hand with almost surgical skills are required because cutting with a scalpel requires a great deal of dexterity.

Only practice and experience can ensure the film is cut without damaging the paint underneath. Pressure and angle make all the difference; what may look simple at first glance is a result of years of experience and training. This is particularly true regarding all the “tricky areas” of a vehicle — the more modern the model, the more sensors there are installed around the car. These must not be taped over under any circumstances.

Vehicle wrapping involves so much more than just applying a colorful adhesive film to the car body: from the initial idea, to designing it in CorelDRAW, to the completed artwork, there are not only thousands of steps and several days of work, but above all expertise and dexterity that ensure a perfect result. With Bös in charge, the result is usually anything but normal and a highlight on the street.