Field guide · Free
Your art is the job. Let's make it bulletproof.
We've pulled apart thousands of files so you don't have to guess. Color systems, file types, resolution at scale, vehicle layout, AI pitfalls — what we know, in one place.
01 · Color
Your screen is lying to you.
RGB is light, built for screens. CMYK is pigment, built for print. Vinyl is neither — it's a physical material with a fixed manufacturer palette. That neon orange on your monitor? It doesn't exist in vinyl. Here's how we bridge the gap.
RGB · screen
CMYK · print
Vinyl · Oracal 751
Drag the divider. The right side is what actually leaves the plotter.
Not sure your brand colors will translate? Send the file — I'll match it to Oracal or 3M and show you both before we cut.
Text Chris02 · Files
Not all files are created equal.
Sending a JPG of a JPG of a PDF of an EPS doesn't make it a vector file. File type determines what we can do with your art — and how much setup time goes into your job.
AI
✓ BestAdobe Illustrator
Native vector. Editable, scalable, perfect.
Logos, lettering, layouts
EPS
✓ BestEncapsulated PostScript
Universal vector. Outline your fonts before saving.
Logos shared between studios
SVG
✓ BestScalable Vector Graphics
Web-native vector. Great if exported clean.
Logos, icons, simple marks
Press-ready PDF
Fine if exported from vector software with fonts outlined.
Final layouts, proofs
PSD
~ OKPhotoshop
Acceptable only if built at 1:1 print size, 150+ DPI.
Photo backgrounds, raster art
PNG
⚠ CaveatPortable Network Graphic
Raster. We can use it only at high res with true transparency.
Stopgap only — ask first
JPG
✗ AvoidJPEG
Compressed, no transparency. Means a redraw for vehicle use.
Reference photo only
WEBP
✗ AvoidWebP / HEIC
Web/phone formats. Not used in vinyl production.
Don't send
03 · Resolution
The four-foot problem.
A 300 DPI image at business-card size becomes about 12 DPI when blown up to a truck door. Pixelation isn't a printing problem — it's a file problem. Vector art scales infinitely. Watch what happens to a raster file as it grows:
Your 1050px PNG logo
The same logo as vector
Output size
Business card
3.5″ wide
Effective DPI
300
Need ≥ 300 DPI
Result
Sharp
Send it.
Got a logo from your business-card designer? Send it — I'll tell you in one reply whether it'll hold up at vehicle scale or needs a redraw.
Text Chris04 · Vehicle layout
A van isn't a blank rectangle.
Door seams split headlines. Door handles eat fine detail. Rear windows block contact info from rear-facing traffic. Here's how we read a vehicle before a single line of art gets drawn — and how that thinking scales from a phone-number decal up to a full printed wrap.
Flat, high-visibility real estate. Park headlines, logo, and phone number here.
Workable, but text shouldn't cross seams and glass needs perforated film only.
Door handles, fuel doors, sharp recesses. Vinyl lifts and peels here within months.
USDOT #, company name, city/state. 2″ minimum letter height, contrasting color.
How we design, by job type
Decals & lettering
Single-color cut vinyl. We design around door handles and seams so the letters never bridge a panel break. DOT lines, phone numbers, simple logos.
What we need
Vector logo, exact phone/USDOT text, color spec.
Partial / fleet kits
A repeatable layout that drops onto every truck in your fleet. We template the prime zones once, then mirror left and right with model-specific tweaks.
What we need
Vector logo, brand colors, list of vehicle makes/models/years.
Full wraps
Printed vinyl across the entire body. We design at 1:1 on the actual manufacturer template, leaving bleed for rivets, doors, and bumper curves.
What we need
Vector + high-res photography, brand guide, vehicle template (we source if needed).
Readability at speed
Parked · close-up
(336) 303-1187
35 mph · passing
336·303·1187
65 mph · highway
336·303·1187
05 · AI artwork
AI made it look right. The plotter disagrees.
AI image generators are useful tools — and a growing source of problem files. Not because the images are ugly, but because of what's hiding (or missing) inside them.
01
Pseudo-gradients
AI fakes depth with thousands of micro shifts. Cut vinyl needs flat fills; print needs clean separations.
02
No real transparency
That 'white' background is baked-in pixels. We'll see a white halo around your logo.
03
Low effective resolution
Most AI outputs are 1024–2048px. Looks fine on web, falls apart at vehicle scale.
04
Hallucinated detail
Letters that look right at a glance become gibberish on close inspection — or under a plotter blade.
05
Copyright grey zone
Unclear training-data provenance. We won't produce work that puts your brand at IP risk.
06
No version control
Re-prompting never gives the same output twice. There's no master file to revise.
When AI does help.
Moodboarding, color palette exploration, and rough layout concepts. Bring AI references in, then we'll redraw them as production-ready vector. Tech-forward, not tech-phobic.
Have an AI concept you love? We can redraw it as clean, production-ready vector.
Text Chris06 · The details
The stuff nobody tells you until it's too late.
Typography legibility
Headlines work down to 3″ at highway speed. Body copy needs 1.5″+ to be readable from a passing lane.
Reflective & specialty vinyl
Reflective, chrome, matte, color-shift — each behaves differently in day, night, and photography. Ask before specifying.
Proof process
Every job gets a layout proof before we cut. Check spelling, phone numbers, and DOT numbers character-by-character.
Install prep
Clean vehicle, 60–90°F install temp, indoor or shaded space. Doing this on your end shortens turn-around.
Ready to build something that actually looks this good on the road?
Send your art for a free review, or kick off the guided intake. Either way, you'll talk to Chris.